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Warm, witty, and someone who could talk about silhouettes for hours, celebrity stylist Suzanne Kopulos wants to make fashion fun again. The fashion and beauty expert knows the pain of looking at a photo and going, “Gosh, what was I thinking?” For that reason, she wants to alleviate as much anxiety as possible around trying out new trends. “If you know how to shop correctly, you can shock yourself by how easy it is to wear those unexpected items,” explains the SLK Style founder. By taking care of the heavy lifting, she makes it easy to take chances. 

While growing up just south of Chicago, the down-to-earth stylist watched her mom sew matching outfits for she and her siblings. Though her own creative mind can’t process a pattern, the experience demonstrated the magic of translating a vision to a tactile product. From that point forward, Kopulos began taking notes from the cutting-edge women in her neighborhood who were ahead of their time pairing Chanel with TJ Maxx. It gave her a great love for mixing high and low and paying attention to designers of all price points and experience levels. 

Yet it took the stress of law school in Miami for Kopulos to realize that fashion was a must in her life. To mentally escape, her daily hobby became watching runway shows while running on the treadmill at the gym. One day she cried while watching a Michael Kors-designed Celine show. The next few months she began finding it hard to concentrate on the bar exam. When she started Googling “how to start a fashion brand” she knew a career switch was in store. Fashion became the former athlete’s new spectator sport for its natural high. 

Upon returning to her hometown, Kopulos began looking around for a niche she could fill in order to make some noise. Listening to the mothers in her life gripe gave her the idea to design chic baby bags in which they could carry around the necessities. Kopulos’ first foray into the design world with Boujie Baby Couture was wildly successful, as it elevated the stereotypical afterthought of an accessory. The bag landed in Barneys New York  and over fifty stores thanks to the support of small businesses. When the market crashed and she decided to pivot again, styling was an easy career choice for the power it gave Kopulos. She could return the favor. As her own star rose thanks to signing with Ford Models as a wardrobe stylist and making frequent TV appearances, Kopulos used the attention to spotlight brands she believed in. Whenever she could, Kopulos championed emerging designers and mom ‘n’ pop shops in the editorials, runway shows, commercials, and celebrity campaigns that she styled for.

The founding of editorial platform Garmental.com gave Kopulos even more control when it came to shifting focus from chains to community makers. “With smaller retailers at risk of becoming extinct, I decided to do whatever I could to educate Chicago on why they should shop locally,” she explains. Hosting YouTube segments like “Meet Boutique” allowed Kopulos’ to share her theory that the retail cycle is incomplete if corner stores can’t compete. By introducing the personalities and perspectives behind the local shops, they were able to cultivate and sustain a fanbase. Almost as good karma for its generosity, Garmental was coined one of Chicago’s most popular sites establishing Kopulos as a tastemaker with a gift for spotting serious talent. 

Along with her hometown Chicago, the site will also cover Nashville and Miami, as Kopulos is taking a more global approach to how she disseminates guidance in the cities where she loves and lives. While SLK Style will still champion brick-and-mortar in their own backyard, it will also give daily shout-outs to fashion icons from around the world who inspire Kopulos. The holistic approach is meant to provide a grab ‘n’ go resource that will give readers role models to look up to, the rundown on what is trending, and of course, how to wear it. By streamlining the overwhelming amount of style options and offering a place to “window shop” Kopulos makes it easy to be adventurous. “Instead of buying that Prada bag or capsule collection, I want to encourage people to step outside of their comfort zone and put their hard-earned dollars towards unique, well-made, artisan products,” she says. Her discerning eye and knack for discovery provide a source of inspiration for anyone struggling with where to start.