Los Angeles living; Motown made. Jamar Hart is one young talent determined to leave his [trade]mark on the world of fashion at any cost. With a flair for fashion and his soul tied to styling, his eclectic style electrifies red carpets across the country, and takes him into the closets of some of your favorite celebs, all the while introducing him to his own newfound fame as a cast member of the premiere episode of Oxygen’s summer reality series Player Gets Played. Even in being caught in the crossfire of two friends on the brink of a breakup, Jamar’s style shone through, and showed us just how he got to be where he is today. Let’s take a look at those things that put Jamar at the Hart of it all.
Age: I turned 26 on May 30th.
Hometown: I’m originally from Detroit, but now I live in Los Angeles.
What do you do?
I’m a fashion stylist and personal shopper. I tend to get booked for photo shoots, album covers, overall personal image maintenance, and all that. A lot of times my clients may not have time to purchase their own clothes, so they hire me to do that for them. And then there are times that I get pulled in to work on specific styling sessions, like when Elle Varner performed on The Queen Latifah Show. I’ve also had the chance to work with Ne-Yo and NFL star Braylon Edwards.
What makes it all worth it?
You know, I feel really great about the career choice I made. Just doing something that you love to do is reminder enough that all is right with the world. Fashion is art, the clothes are my paintbrush, and the client is my canvass, and I count myself blessed to have the chance to share my art and my style in such a way. You get to make people feel good about themselves; you help people find what works for them. Fashion and styling are a part of everyday life; the first thing people can notice about you is how you’re put together, and you always have to be well polished to be taken seriously. I’m lucky enough to be the artist who gets to paint that picture for people.
Tell us about your roots:
I come from a very loving family: my parents have been married since they were in high school, I’m very close with my brothers. I’m just extremely family-oriented for the most part. I grew up on soul music, and hip-hop, and that influenced a lot of my own fashion style now. Coming up in Detroit, though, was pretty hard, but it seriously made me realize who I was and what I was capable of. If you can make it in Detroit, you can make it anywhere, and I really believe that my experiences growing up in Detroit gave way to my being able to be a world traveler now. I’m book smart, street smart, AND society smart. I can fit in everywhere!
What was the last thing that scared the hell out of you?
I don’t know if I should tell this story, but I almost had a near death experience: I was in a car accident in 2012 and I was like five minutes from dying. Not too many people know about that, but I’m grateful because I got a second chance at life, and I got to see that this is my season. I’m walking into my destiny, and I can’t let God down, my family down, or anybody else. This is what I’m here for.
If you could bring back a trend overnight, what would it be?
I wanna say something so crazy! I wanna say I’d bring the sunglasses with the condom over them because safe sex is where it’s at! Shout out to Left Eye (TLC) for bringing that to the forefront when she did. Too many people are still dying from not knowing what to do or how to do it, and she used fashion to share a very real message to the masses, and it was awesome.
Who would play you in the movie of your life?
If they made a movie about me? Hmmm…it has to be somebody tall because I’m tall. I don’t know…maybe Ochocinco? >laughs< No! Fabolous. I can totally relate to a lot of his style and trends he’s been a part of. His style is probably the closest to my own.
Is there someone you dream of styling?
If it was a woman, it would have to be Janet Jackson. I think her style is just edgy and I love it, but I think I would wanna do something to increase her impact on fashion because nothing’s she’s done has ever really made a lasting impression. I would love the chance to make that happen for her. For a guy, I’d like the chance to style Pharrell — is that too cliche? He has a very eclectic style, and I think it would be a good challenge.
Where in the world would you like to travel for inspiration?
I would love to go to Japan! The fashion there is impeccable. I do a lot of traveling, and I see the fashion climate and atmosphere of all these places, and it plays a big part of my own style. If I were to go to Japan, it would just add more to who I am as a stylist and give me a bit more diversity. That’s one of my biggest dreams, to go to Japan.
Putting his whole heart into his craft, Jamar Hart has declared that he is here, and nothing can turn him away now. From near death to living the life he knows was chosen for him, Jamar has undoubtedly placed himself at the Hart of Fashion!
