Beyond the Fit: Jahleel Weaver on Style & Cultural Influence

• From Maryland to the Global Stage – Jahleel Weaver reflects on being the first American-born member of his Panamanian-Jamaican family, growing up without creative role models, and how music, film, and fashion shaped his path.
  
  
• The Icons That Shaped His Eye – Madonna’s reinvention, Tom Ford’s world-building, and hip-hop’s lyrical name-dropping all played a role in defining Weaver’s early understanding of style and cultural impact.
  
  
• The Leap Into Styling – A post-recession moment of clarity led him to take styling seriously, which led to an introduction to Mel Ottenberg—a meeting that would change everything.
  
  
• Building Rihanna’s Visual Legacy – Since 2011, Weaver has been a key force behind Rihanna’s evolving image, from styling to creative direction, launching Fenty Corp, and ultimately leading to his role as deputy creative director at LVMH’s Fenty Maison.
  
  
• The Art of Storytelling Through Style – The difference between styling an individual and shaping an entire brand’s creative vision, and why research is at the heart of it all.
  
  
• Mistakes, Learning, and the Internet’s Watchful Eye – Why failure is essential to growth, even in an era where everything is recorded, and how staying true to his instincts became a guiding principle.
  
  
• Music and Fashion: A Lifelong Dialogue – Hip-hop was his first introduction to luxury fashion, serving as both a cultural educator and a gateway to brands that would later become part of his work.
  
  
• Launching His Own Studio – After a decade with Rihanna, Weaver added a new role, creating a studio where he could expand his creative vision across music, film, and fashion.
  
  
• Has Fashion Become Too Popular for Its Own Good? – Weaver discusses how fashion’s explosion in accessibility has blurred the line between admiration and true passion for the industry.
  
  
• What is Contemporary Now? – For Weaver, it’s about being fully present. With so much focus on nostalgia and the future, he sees contemporaneity as fully inhabiting the now.
  
  

‍Notable Quotes: 

Here are 10 of the best pull quotes from Jahleel Weaver’s episode:

• "I try not to put a timeline on anything. If you rush it, you risk missing the moment where it all clicks."
  
  
• "Fashion and music have always been intertwined. One doesn’t exist without the other."
  
  
• "I’ve never wanted to be a ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’ I give myself the grace to fully absorb wherever I am before moving to the next thing."
  
  
• "The red carpet is its own battleground. It’s not just about dressing someone, it’s about crafting a moment that lasts."
  
  
• "You have to trust your instincts. The second you start second-guessing, you lose the essence of what made the idea great in the first place."
  
  
• "There’s no such thing as a mistake in creativity—only a lesson in pushing things further next time."
  
  
• "The most powerful thing you can do is stay present. The now is all that really matters."
  
  
• "My work isn’t just about clothes. It’s about storytelling, about building a visual language that reflects culture in real time."
  
  
• "When it’s right, it’s right. There’s no forcing a great fashion moment—it has to feel inevitable."

• "I want my work to speak for itself. I don’t need to explain it, I just want it to live beyond me."