Hearing him tell it hardly captures the sheer dopeness of it all. But then again, braggadocio isn’t fashion stylist Farren Fucci’s M.O. It isn’t every day that a megastar slides into your DMs and rescues you from your mundane Apple tech support job by requesting you style her for the cover of Paper Magazine. “I used to post runway looks on this app called Polyvore of how I would dress different people if I had the chance to style them. [Rihanna] started following me on Twitter and one day she DM’d me and was like, ‘You have an eye. You’re really good with this fashion stuff’.” Posted up in a bodega rocking doorknockers and couture, Rih-Rih brought Fucci’s vision to life. Since then, he’s added singer Kehlani, it-girl Bella Hadid and a bevy of other rule-breaking clients to his roster. Known for dressing his stars in raw, in-your face looks—“Hoesthetics” as he calls it—Fucci sees himself as a cheerleader for women. “I’m very big on the sexual liberation of women,” he adds. Seeing his mom in an abusive relationship as a kid fueled his desire to inspire women to embrace their sensuality and find their inner confidence through clothing. “Something about the man [my mom was involved with] and the power he had over her prevented her from seeing how beautiful she was. I want women to get back to loving themselves. I can help with that through fashion.”

Cassius September Cover: New Free Style Gods

Dsquared2 Jacket and Pants; Heron Preston Shirt; Kenzo Boots; John Hardy Necklaces and Bracelet; David Yurman Bracelet.

“[Rihanna] dm’d me and was like, ‘You have an eye. You’re really good with this fashion stuff’.”