Timothy Snell is a bonafide reality star but not in a throw-a-bottle-in-your-face way; more in the Iyanla Vanzant way. He teaches a new behavior, especially to women of a certain age and a certain size. The award-winning stylist, designer, art director and now TV producer has made a name for himself in fashion. Carving out a space in both the celebrity realm and the curvy industry, Timothy Snell is a griot. He’s got the resources, the knowledge, the passion and the heart to make women look amazing. The new hugely successful series “Curvy Style with Timothy Snell” is half styling and half therapy; largely geared towards women who have challenges in the areas of self-image and fashion. Timothy Snell to the rescue.
Fun facts about Timothy Snell:
• As fashion director for CODE Magazine, Snell won seven Maggie Awards, Ad Age and Ad Week’s launch of the year awards.
• Curvy Style airs on BET’s Centric Sundays at 10 p.m.. New season coming.
• Got his start styling celebrities with the late, great Whitney Houston
What inspires your style and career passion?
Believe it or not, I’m originally from Las Vegas. Born and raised in Las Vegas and I moved to L.A. to go to college. I’ve been in L.A. for almost 30 years now. I got my formal education in design and the career just kind of all happened here in L.A. and I’ve been here ever since.
When you say “it happened,” what was “it” and why did it happen?
Are getting a degree in design, I worked in the private sector for about 10 years. I did target labeling for Target, Lane Bryant and Macy’s but it really couldn’t hold my creativity. It really wasn’t what I wanted to do. I was fortunate to become a creative director for a men’s magazine, which took me all over the world for different fashion weeks and things like that. It lead to celebrities finding out about me and that’s how I kind of rolled into styling. I was fortunate to start to get clients like Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Monique and of course Queen Latifah who I’ve been working with for many years. I’ve worked my craft for many years and really just being focused and worked really hard. I just really believed in myself. Because you have to believe in yourself to make things happen.
What are some of the challenged you face today and how do you deal with them?
The issue that I’m working with now with my show “Curvy Style with Timothy Snell” on BET’s Centric; I’ve been working with curvy women for about 10 years now, and I really love it. I think the market is so dismal. Shopping in a regular department store for curvy women is shopping for product that does not exist. I find that to still be really challenging. Working with Latifah, whose a perfectly sized curvy woman in MY opinion; it allows me to work with designers on different projects that make clothes specially for me because I’m working with her. For the woman that wants to emulate what Latifah is wearing or how she’s styled – in their own way and in their own right – it’s really hard for them to find what’s out there. “Curvy Style” has been so successful because I treat the women like superstars and I make them look like fashion girls and it comes from the heart. No one has done a show like this for curvy women, ever. We’re just trying to help you find who you are, and come to your best potential and I just want them to see what I see when they walk through the door. It’s been so fulfilling, I can’t wait to see what transpires moving forward.
At this stage of the game, what is something that you won’t do anymore?
I like for people to get to the point. I don’t’ like to beat around the bush. I want you to take ownership in what you need to say and it’s not what you say but how you say it. People need to be more open and more direct. And I think it would cut down on a lot of unfortunate situations. I’m a business man, I like things to be right.
What is the one thing you just can’t live without?
The one thing I can’t live without, Oh my God. I can’t live without love. I gotta have love in my life. I gotta be surrounded by people who love me and be around love. When you’re in love, or you’re around love it helps you to be more creative. It just puts you in a space where you’re not worried you just create. It just makes you feel good. Love is the thing for me.
What is your style statement?
Generally, I wear things that are clean. Today, I’m wearing a print but usually I don’t wear a lot of prints. I wear a lot of black. I’m a monochromatic dresser which means that if I wear grey, I wear grey from head to toe or navy, it’s navy from head-to-toe, black from head-to-toe. I’m a big guy and I have a football-type build and I like to look lean and tall. Not breaking my lines anywhere helps me to look the way I want to look.
Thank you for explaining that.
I’ve been doing this for so long, it comes natural. I think I got the lingo down and I want people to know their best selves.
–darralynn hutson
