“Only in its beginning stages, I’m in the process of creating an exclusive online TV network called styleTV.”

This interview was made possible by our friends at Guidant Financial:

The leader in alternative startup, franchise and small business financing.

Colin T. McDonald began working in the fashion industry in 2003. He is a noted New York based fashion stylist who has worked for and alongside some the biggest names in the industry today.

Colin T. McDonald Studios is a styling house in New York City. They style celebrities for red carpet events, editorials, promotional, and advertisements. Along with styling, they commentate daily for many highly noted critics both on and off the red carpet.

They also offer fashion & style branding on a consulting basis. Lastly, they cover events, launches, and previews within the fashion and entertainment industries with their personal blog titled Stylesource.me.

MO: Where does your passion for style and fashion come from? Who were your early fashion influences and inspirations?

Colin: My passion for fashion comes not from the glamourous part, but from being able to have an influence on how someone feels about themselves through the idea of clothing and style. Having worked on a variety of different projects, the most rewarding to me are those that have the “Butterfly Effect.” In other words, working with clients who come to me without a clue in the world on how to put together a look.

Almost like a caterpillar, they truly want to be that butterfly and slowly but surely that transformation starts to happen. By the end of the project, they are beaming with confidence and ready to take on the world. That transformation is truly what I love about my job.

My early influences were James Dean, Robert Redford, Tom Ford, Johnny Depp, Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen.

MO: What’s your favorite aspect of your job? What’s your least favorite or most challenging?

Colin: Discovering new designers and giving them the opportunity to get their name out there. The energy is just contagious!  Working with over anxious PR girls. They seem to always jump the gun and then can never deliver. Pull it together ladies!

MO: Can you share a surprising, amusing or little known fact about the fashion industry?

Colin: It’s not all roses and sunshine! If you want to make a name for yourself in this industry you better be ready to work your a$% off and sometimes for free. I remember one summer assisting a very well-known stylist here in New York. I was running around in Manhattan in the middle of a heat wave pulling for a shoot. I literally was carrying like 8 garment bags and sweating like pig roasting in the oven. I could feel my insides just cooking. But I said to myself, eye on the prize. If I die of a heat stroke, I will have died doing something I love. That’s the way I want to go out.

MO: Would you be more excited to sit front row at the Oscars or next to the catwalk of your favorite designer during Paris Fashion week?

Colin: Oscars! I love mingling with celebrities.

MO: What are three trends that we should be paying attention to for 2012?

Colin: 1. Color 2. Bold Pattern 3. Mixing and Matching

MO: Can you talk about the online network media platform that you’re about to launch and the development process behind it?

Colin: Only in its beginning stages, I’m in the process of creating an exclusive online TV network called styleTV. Unlike others, this would feature edited content submitted solely by its users. Ultimately, it would connect users to their favorite celebrities and celebrities to their favorite designers and brands. Through the medium of styleTV our goal is to be on every red carpet, for every major event around the globe. Celebrity fans already include Kelly Rutherford (Gossip Girl), Chris Snee (New York Giants), Osi Umenyiora (New York Giants), and D’Brickashaw Ferguson (New York Jets).

We are looking for investors to help with the launch of this exciting project. Interested individuals can email me to get more information.