Olori SWANK is the stylist to the stars! In her five-years as a celebrity stylist, SWANK is and has been called on by the likes of Keyshia Cole, Young Jeezy, Angela Simmons, Lance Gross, Daniel Gibson, Danny Glover, Christina Milian, Terrell Owens, Tyrese, Draya, Hosea Chanchez, Keke Palmer and many more to lend her great sense of styling during shoots, television appearances and tours.
“The Blue Bandit” is an epitome of education; earning degrees in Psychology, Biology and Pre-Med with a minor in Chemistry from UGA. Before taking the fashion industry by storm this Atlanta-native was on a post grad break and preparing to begin medical school. But her plans changed when she was asked by a good friend to style a client that he had just signed to Jive Records back then.
SWANK also has her own online workshop, “A Lesson in SWANK” for aspiring stylists. I recently caught up with SWANK for an exclusive interview. We talked everything from styling, fashion, business and of course her blue signature hair.
Who is Olori SWANK?
A celebrity fashion stylist on most days and on some days she’s “The Blue Bandit”.
Tell me about your blue signature hair!
My hair actually came about by accident. About seven years ago, I went into the hair salon and I wanted pink hair with purple highlights. By some freak accident, I ended up with blue hair and it kind of stuck ever since. It became my signature thing.
How would you describe your style?
My style is very emotional; it depends on how I am feeling that day. If I wake up and I am in a girly mood, I might put on a pencil skirt and a blouse. If I’m feeling like a tomboy, I might put on some Boyfriend jeans or some actual men jeans. It really depends on my mood. It changes day-to-day.
As far as accessories, what do you like to wear?
I’m all about rings. I love rings; two finger rings, four finger rings. I love wearing jewelry; especially rings and bracelets. I’m not too big on earrings personally. I love gold jewelry too! Every now and then, I might wear a necklace.
You graduated from the University Of Georgia (UGA) with honors, in Biology, Psychology, and Pre-Med, why did you chose three majors?
Well, I wanted to be a brain surgeon, so being a neurosurgeon, I not only wanted to know about the biological aspect of things, I kind of wanted to know about how the mind works psychologically, so I went ahead and major in psychology and biology to kind of get both aspects of how the brain works and ironically, I started styling.
You got into styling when you were on break before starting med-school, correct?
I did! I kind of wanted to take time off because I went to school for four years straight without taking a vacation. In that time, I started styling and I realized I loved styling and I was really passionate about it, so I decided to follow that.
