She’s been hailed a style icon, has been dressed by some of the world’s top designers, worn custom couture and graced the cover of Vogue. She's also just picked up her first BET Award. Casual.
We are of course talking about eight-year-old Blue Ivy Carter - the eldest daughter of Beyonce and Jay Z - who even they described as a ‘cultural icon’ in a legal battle to trademark her name last year. And while the mini trendsetter continues to set the bar amongst her fellow A-list tots - dazzling in an £8,500 Mischka Aoki tutu dress and £480 Giuseppe Zanotti trainers at the 2016 VMAs, donning a custom £1,600 Gucci gown to a basketball game in 2017 - her style evolution has not been without a helping hand.
Meet Manuel Mendez, the man who’s been behind Blue’s show-stopping looks since before she was born and has since carved-out a niche for himself in Hollywood - making kids stylists a must-have amongst the showbiz elite.
When Grazia met the Dominican-born stylist over Facetime three months into LA’s lockdown, he put our work-from-home attire - aka leggings and a t-shirt - to shame as he picked up the call wearing a floral tie-dye denim shirt, a cropped denim jacket and a navy blue fisherman hat- despite having no plans to leave the apartment in which he lives alone.
‘It’s been a hard time - especially as my family are all in New York,’ Manuel tells us. ‘Fashion is my therapy and I can lift my spirits and express myself simply through what I wear which is a really powerful tool.’
After moving to the US as a child and working in retail after leaving school, his lucky break came in 2009 after forming a close friendship with Beyonce’s personal stylist, Ty Hunter, who’s worked with the singer since her Destiny’s Child days.
‘I was working for Theory when Ty told me a job had opened up as a wardrobe assistant on the I Am tour,’ he explains. ‘Ty and I connected on a deep spiritual level and having been obsessed with fashion since I was nine years old, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.’
Shortly before Beyonce, now 38, fell pregnant with Blue in 2011, she hired Manuel as her personal assistant - a job he said then organically transitioned into becoming the tot’s stylist.
‘I was so excited when Bey fell pregnant,’ he says. ‘It was the first baby of the family and I couldn’t wait! As the gifts started to come in, I got more and more excited and from time to time when I was running personal errands, I’d buy cute outfits and tell Beyonce, “I just had to get it!” It was like she was my own child!’
Since then, Manuel has become one of the most sought-after stylists in Hollywood who not only works for the Carters, but many other high-profile children too who he’s not allowed to name.
‘When you’re styling children, it’s very much a collaborative effort,’ he continues. ‘Blue’s always involved in the styling process but her parents have the final say. You have to involve the children. If a child - or anyone - is wearing something they don’t want to wear, they’re not going to be happy. It’s so important to give children the opportunity to express themselves but of course in a respectful way.’
‘All kids have a mind of their own. Children are so creative from such a young age and that manifests as they grow. They develop their own tastes and you have to let them have a voice and enjoy the process.’
Working with the daughter of two of the wealthiest musicians on the planet, one may expect to have to endure a fair share of diva meltdowns and prima Dona tantrums. But Manuel assures us the mini fashionista has never been one to throw her Swarovski-encrusted toys out of her solid gold pram.
‘Of course sometimes they’ll have a strop and say they don’t want to wear something,’ he says. ‘It’s about having a calm conversation and teaching them like you’d teach your own children why they can’t wear something. There’s a time and place for everything. You don’t have to be dressed up in Gucci every day. But you also have to allow them to express themselves too - if they want to wear a pair of cowboy boots to the grocery store, that’s OK. Pick your battles.’
And while hiring a stylist for an adult is an extravagance most of us can only dream of - let alone for a child - Manuel explains, ‘For busy parents working full-time dealing with the stress of daily lives, having someone like me to come in and take over what can often be a stressful and time consuming process is one less task off their overflowing plate.’
Manuel - who refrains from revealing the cost of his services amid the current global pandemic - adds, ‘Yes of course it’s a luxury but it’s also something you can just do for a one-off event or vacation.’
But while some may hire him for a special occasion, Manuel tells us he’s in charge of Blue’s wardrobe year-round.
‘I don’t just style Blue for the Grammys. I’m behind outfits you see and outfits you don’t - from play dates to vacations to chilled days at home. She’s often traveling with her parents so we have to pick key pieces which are interchangeable and practical - she could be on a tropical island one week and then in New York another. It’s exciting.’
After rocking a hot pink custom Gucci suit paired with a Prince-inspired ruffled shirt and sequined cross-body handbag at the 2017 Grammys, Blue topped every fashion editor’s best-dressed list - even out-shadowing her mum who donned a gold Dundas gown and headdress whilst pregnant with twins, Rumi and Sir.
‘That was one of my favourite looks,’ Manuel tells us. ‘A girl wearing a suit to me is so cool and so masculine but still feminine and edgy at the same time - especially when you mix it up and accessorise it. I’m all about accessorising.’
‘I just thought it was a cool idea - especially when the designer did it in pink which of course she loved. Especially once we jazzed it up a brooch and a sequined purse, she became a mini version of her parents which is what most kids aspire to be.’
‘She loves to look like her mum and dad. I look up to my mum - she’s my idol and I saw how hard she worked to provide for me and of course Blue does that too.’
We can understand why…
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