Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1414025
JASON BOLDEN IS LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR STYLISTS TO BECOME STARS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT—AND SHIFTING THE HOLLYWOOD NARRATIVE WHILE HE'S AT IT. By Mackenzie Wagoner The BOLDEN AGE While walking down the street with Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union, or Michael B. Jordan, a new, increasingly common occurrence is that their stylist, Jason Bolden, might be recognized first. "People are like, 'Oh my god! Can I have a photo?'" says Bolden, laughing on a call from Los Angeles. "I'm like, what is going on? They're the celebrity." Shock at his own fame notwithstanding, Bolden is a star of his own making, emblematic of a new era of stylists who are stepping out from behind the dress to command bold-face billing. Where social media, reality television and backstage documentaries have incited a craving for intimacy with our idols, process content (think: Get Ready With Me videos) has become as exciting as the final product. In other words, behind the scenes has become the scene. And Bolden has seized the moment. His multi-hyphenate creative brand, JSN Studio offering personal styling, interior design and a line of sunglasses, is the center of a Netflix reality show, Styling Hollywood (both critically acclaimed and devoured by the masses). His follower counts on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter soar to dizzying heights. Earlier this year, People vied for and won exclusive rights to print the first photos of his infant son, Arrow Fox (a boy audiences have followed the fretful planning for since Bolden's husband and JSN Studio co-owner Adair Curtis first broached the subject of growing their family on air in 2019). The appeal is easy. Bolden is an arresting hero—warm, charming, quick witted, handsome, and as preternaturally smooth skinned as the celebrity clients he offers proximity to. But it's his empathetic nature as a partner, business owner, and friend that sets him a cut above the rest. Effortlessly grasping the zeitgeist, Bolden is able to see a dress on a runway and project it not only onto a client, but into a history- 74 BAL HARBOUR