Katelyn Gray

Stylist New York, NY

PHOTOGRAPHY
Ruth Sorensen

Katelyn Gray is a discerning stylist whose work is rooted in intuition, detail, and a lifelong relationship with making clothes. Raised in Sydney in a family of makers — surrounded by sewing machines, fabric, and hand-quilting — fashion was never just something she wore. It was something she built, studied, and experimented with from an early age, long before it became her profession. Now based in New York, her eye moves easily between the streets, the studio, and the subtle cues that make an image feel alive. 

We sat down with Katelyn to talk about the language of dressing — how style forms over time, why taste is as much knowledge as instinct, and what truly separates a good stylist from a great one. For her, styling is about more than clothes; it’s about image-making, collaboration, and the quiet power of small details. OSSOU fits naturally into that philosophy: denim that holds proportion.

Katelyn wears the Cinch Shirt in Dusk Wash Shop Now →

OSSOU: Where did you come from as a stylist? When did fashion shift from something you wore to something you did?

Katelyn Gray: Growing up, my mom was always sewing something for my brother or I as little kids; her sister (my aunt whom I’m still very close to) was quite eclectic in her taste in fashion + interiors, and my maternal grandmother was a master hand-quilter, so I was surrounded by a sense of DIY creation from an early age. I do also remember changing outfits multiple times a day as a kid, just because I enjoyed it.
From the 7th grade, all through high school, I took a Textiles & Design subject and had a brilliant teacher who taught me so much of what I still use in my job today. I worked at a fabric store, and would sew myself a new outfit every weekend. So I feel like fashion is always something I’ve done, rather than just worn.

O: How has where you’re from shaped your eye and your relationship to clothes?

KG: I grew up in Sydney, Australia, but my dad is a big old hippie and we spent all our childhood holidays visiting Northern NSW, which was very wild and free during that time. He allowed me to go to music concerts and festivals from the age of about 12 (much to my mom's dismay!) so I was very exposed to, and quickly became interested in, the subliminal message that clothing has the ability to express. I think the language of dressing to belong to something bigger played a huge part in my relationship with clothes.

O: What does a stylist actually do?

KG: We wear many hats! But mostly we empower others to understand clothes and tell a story through fashion; that can be done by creating or following a concept for an editorial, a brand direction, or a personal project.

Katelyn wears the Rider Jeans In Milk Shop Now →

O: What is styling really about? What separates a good stylist from a great one?

KG: Good taste, collaborating, and knowing when something feels too forced.
The great ones have the ability to get all the elements right - it’s about image making. Not just the clothes, but photography direction, casting, HMU, team building. And the ability to focus on quality, nuanced details - whether in person or in a picture; how is the collar sitting, are the shoe laces tied correctly, how are you folding the socks, are you adding a belt or jewelry?

O: What is style?

KG: To quote Vanessa Friedman, “style is the expression of identity over time”. I like to think of it as a way of moving through the world.

O: When did you realize you had it?

KG: I’ve always endeavored to not dress like everybody else, since late elementary school. There was a lot of trial and error in the beginning, ha — but through that process I began to recognize what was working, and what wasn’t, what people responded to, and built on that.

O: What is taste? Is it innate, or can it be learned? How did you develop yours?

KG: Taste is knowledge - I think you have to educate yourself on a lot of subjects — and whilst I think it is mostly innate, I do think it can be refined. My dad had many art books on our shelves when I was growing up, so I used to pour over those to begin to understand what I was drawn to, stylistically. The academic arm of my university degree in Fashion & Textiles was eye-opening for me, with inspiring, intelligent lecturers who taught me how to really research and look outside the box.

O: Where do you go for inspiration?

KG: Honestly, the streets! I love living in NYC for this very reason.
My favorite local cafe in Clinton Hill is full of quirky art kids working their shifts, sporting unique, individual style, with epic taste in music.

O: What problems do you most often run into in your work?

KG: A demand for quantity over quality.

O: How do you build a great outfit? How do you know when it’s right?

KG: Start with pieces you really love, that you are truly drawn to, and go from there. I like to mix textures within my own outfits to enable visual interest. Almost always I incorporate a vintage piece — it could be clothing or jewelry — for originality and a point of difference. I tend to dress completely for myself these days; YOU will know when it’s right.

O: What do people think is the answer to their fashion problems that absolutely isn’t?

KG: Designer everything.

O: How do you approach collaboration?

KG: With an open heart and open mind!

O: What problems do you most often run into in your work?

KG: The willingness to try something new. Generosity and curiosity.

O: What makes an image successful?

KG: Authenticity.

O: Where would you like to see denim go, sartorially?

KG: When I can wear them with any shoe and they still retain a great proportion. My Ossou “Rider” jeans hit this sweet spot perfectly! Perfect top block around the waist, beautiful mixed-metal hardware, the right amount of ease through the hip and thigh, and a length that works with both a boot and a sandal.

O: What’s something unexpected about how you work?

KG: I try not to bring too many visual references into a day’s work, and rather run on intuition and let things evolve organically and collaboratively.

O: Was there a moment that fundamentally changed your conception of what you wanted to do or who you wanted to be?

KG: In late high school I went on a field trip to see Volpone, performed by Barry Otto, at the Sydney Opera House, and realized I could turn my love of clothes into a “job”. I really wanted to be a costume designer, before I got to university and learned about styling.

O: How do you approach getting dressed day to day?

KG: I usually start with what shoe I need to wear because of the weather in NYC, and whether I’m going to be on set with a client, or running around on appointments, and I work up from there. I think a shoe can really make or break an outfit.