My Style Is…
A fashion film revealing the power of personal style
Directed by Matt Vega
Interview by Tatev Avetisyan
My Style Is... is a charismatic fashion film set in New York City that explores the dynamic interplay between personal identity and style. Directed by Matt Vega, the film portrays nine diverse characters, each eloquently narrating their unique life stories through their bold style. By celebrating individuality and self-expression, My Style Is... seeks to answer the question: In a world chasing authenticity, can style be our ultimate truth?
In our conversation with Vega we learn about his creative vision for My Style Is…, as he reveals the enthusiasm behind investigating the visual identities of the cast along with a sincere desire to present their empowering tales.
How did you get involved in directing films?
My journey to directing films wasn't linear - in fact, due to my personal and professional lives blending together, it was a bit serendipitous. I studied music business in college, and afterwards, I found myself living something of a dual life. I was ensconced in the corporate trenches of digital marketing at Sony Music and, eventually, the ad world, learning how to navigate agency dynamics. But I had always felt an innate need to create, and I scratched that itch through artistic exploration in music production, screenwriting, and photography which, looking back, laid the groundwork for me as a director.
Working with stills was the first time I had been able to successfully visually translate an idea in my mind into something tangible. It was magnetic. I instantly fell in love with the process and technique. It was here I learned how to shape light, work a camera and lenses, collaborate with talent, and tell a story through images. Soon, I started receiving commissions from a few publishers that nudged me toward editorial videos and a personal web series about creator friends who were pushing boundaries. From the moment I directed that first editorial piece, I got an overwhelming feeling of “This is it; this is what I am supposed to do.” At that moment, I hadn’t been more sure of anything in my life.
It was around 2018, I had moved from digital marketing on the agency side to the publisher side. Armed with a body of work, a persistent mindset, and a little luck, I crossed over into directing professionally full-time, and sometimes producing branded entertainment and commercials. Eventually, a few years later (in 2020,) I went freelance and have been loving the freedom that shift has brought to my life, alongside a broadening of scale and scope in the work itself.
Looking back, directing emerged as the most natural extension of all these creative explorations because it allowed me to orchestrate and communicate my ideas on a grand scale while retaining a sharp focus on the details. It was the culmination of my journey — this intersection of my professional acumen and my love of storytelling through visual arts. Finding it was like finally recognizing the music in the cacophony, a harmony where I connected my personal and professional life in a beautiful, unforeseen way.
What inspired you to create My Style Is... and how did you set forth the concept and the creative process?
The inspiration for creating the film stems from a long and deep love of fashion and the one-of-a-kind freedom of expression you experience in this city. I was the teenager going into Universal News on 6th Avenue buying glossies like Dazed and Confused, reading every paragraph, staring at every editorial and clothes they were styled in. I would then save up to go to the Stussy store in Soho and buy whatever t-shirt felt fresh or different. Not because I wanted to ‘be cool,’ but to express myself and what I liked at the time in a way I otherwise wouldn't have been able to.
At its core, My Style Is… is a celebration of the diversity, freedom, and individuality I have seen throughout my life living in New York. But to reach the concept, I did a bit of reverse-engineering. I started with the essence of the film, which was to root the film in authentic self-expressions from a diverse and dynamic cast who have a strong sense of self. These truthful anecdotes and musings on their style became the anchoring element within the narrative.
Here's the thing about New York fashion - people tend to stereotype it as stiff, almost stoic. I wanted to disrupt that a bit. So, while keeping our story rooted in truth, I dreamt up this more whimsical version of New York. Imagine our talent dropped in these offbeat scenarios, ones that mirror their personality traits, interests, and even alternate lives they could've led. I try to sneak some fun and levity into my work, whether it's in the action or script. So we made sure to keep it light and playful throughout. Camaraderie was also a major theme of the film, hence the choice to pair people off, while still leaving space for the individual. To me, this reflects the community’s dynamics and a celebration of spontaneity in dense urban environments like New York. Anything can and does happen here. You could meet your new best friend and run into your worst ex, all in the same night. It has happened to me!
Nine individuals with distinct styles, how did you go about finding and selecting the cast for the film? What was your main focus?
Casting took place over two weeks and was actually an organic process that began through conversation with Jamie, Emily, Paige, and me. We started with a long list of friends and acquaintances that we had direct access to and then rounded out that list with some more notable models and acting talent we followed on social media and that agencies were willing to donate to the project. Big picture, the goal was to capture a youthful spirit through an eclectic snapshot that acts as a microcosm of the city itself.
We cut down the longlist to 25 people, which was a very fortunate position to be in, and from there, set up Zoom interviews. These were essential to gauge personalities and evaluate how well they would fit with our vision. It was important to me that we keep things loose in terms of the shape of the cast, and only really set guidelines around diversity and style, keeping an eye out for that special something that would get people excited.
But this project was unique in that it wasn't just about the individuals, we had to think about duos too. Who would vibe together? Whose style would play off the other? Do they fit the locations? This part was like piecing together a puzzle, considering both the tangible and intangible and Emily, Paige, and I spent a lot of time over those two weeks pairing people off. In the end, we landed on a cast of nine, each super different and bringing something special to the table. Together, we felt like the final group really embodied that sense of community and freedom you experience here day in and out.
"In a world chasing authenticity, can style be our ultimate truth?" How would you answer your question?
Definitely; not only do I believe that, but I think style can be one of our purest forms of truth. It is an outward expression of our inner selves, a visual language that doesn't rely on words to say something meaningful. Even if you don’t subscribe to labels or brands, your style can speak volumes about who you are, what you value, and even how you perceive the world. It is deeply personal and inherently genuine.
“Manhattan played an unspoken character, affecting every decision made and informing the overall visual language.”
How did you approach the interviews with the participants?
Because our interviews were the backbone of the conversation, I had always pictured us conducting them off camera in a studio environment. Not only would that let us make our jam-packed days, but it created a pressure-free zone for talent where they could feel relaxed and really open up. That was critical for the tone I was looking for in their delivery. We scheduled everyone in half-hour blocks and I had about ten questions lined up to guide the conversation, touching on everything from personal anecdotes to opinions, leaving lots of room for riffing.
And what was the editing process like?
Working with Alex is just me hanging out with a good friend who has great taste and even better ideas. We met years ago at Vice, and I first worked with him on another project I directed for this NY-based label High-Speed Internet. Every time it's a super collaborative experience. We met in person to chat through the creative, had a little show and tell of references, and set a loose schedule for the edit. I usually come in with a pretty strong vision, and we will typically sit down and talk about every nuance: from the pace and flow to transitions, titles, credits– everything. It is always an open dialogue, and I love working with Alex in particular because he is an incredible interpreter and always takes an idea to the next level while coming up with an approach to something that I hadn’t even thought of. We tag-teamed on a loose paper edit from the interviews and then whittled things down from there. We worked super closely over many (fun) months to refine and refine, getting to the core purpose of the film, and couldn’t be happier with the result.
Guide us through the working environment with the DOP, Emmanuella Zachariou and stylist, Emily Drake. What was the collaborative nature like? Was the wardrobe mainly chosen by participants or curated by the stylist?
The working environment with Emanuela, Paige, and Emily was one of mutual respect and enthusiasm for what we were creating. At the time Emmanuella was in L.A., I was in New York. So, over Zoom, we met a few times to discuss the approach and just hone the visual language we wanted to apply to the film, trading lots of references along the way. One of the first things we discussed was shooting on a Super 16mm film paired with the Arri SR3. I knew I wanted 16 because of the grain structure, colour rendering, and this heightened feeling of reality it somehow creates. Shooting on film brought its own set of challenges with a modest crew (changing film mags, adding gear, and the need for decent light), but we found a way to make it work, and I am so glad we did. Once we settled on an approach, I built out the shot list, and we met again to refine and cull down to a realistic size. On the day she kept us on a super lightweight footprint, which not only helped us get through the day but also avoided drawing too much attention to our filming, which mostly took place in comically busy areas around the city.
With Emily and Paige, it was super collaborative from the jump. When I brought the project concept to them, they were instantly on board and super eager to throw ideas around while pitching in at every phase of pre-pro. The approach to wardrobe was clear-cut from the start: let our talents guide us with their personal style, then build off of that. That’s what the film is about after all - an exploration of style as a statement of self. Each of our talents gave us a starting point with their outfits, and then Emily and Pagin went in, worked their magic, and dialled things up without overdoing it. Part of the fun is these incredibly rare, one-of-a-kind vintage designer easter eggs we’ve subtly woven into the wardrobe. One standout was Ava’s leather 80s Mugler biker jacket. You also might catch some pieces by Gucci and Dior. Subtlety is always critical to me. It is easy to point a camera at a designer piece, but how can that piece fit within the context of the scene to seamlessly blend in? How can it evoke or contribute to the way it makes you feel?
Talent fittings happened over Zoom, and that’s where Emily and Paige honed in on the look and identified opportunities to push boundaries. Their commitment to the project was total - which put me at ease and allowed me to focus on directing. That said, I’m big on keeping my hands on all parts of the process and my team in the loop. It's just how I work best. I have a bit of a thing for detail - the little decisions, the finer points, the stuff that only comes into focus when you're really paying attention. It is an approach that really pays off when everything comes together.
Can you guide us through the feel of the film? How do you think New York contributed to the overall film's style, and how did you decide on locations?
The film's feel is intrinsically linked to New York - its texture, ambience, and timeless aesthetic. It is a place that has a certain kind of inherent edginess and swagger, a confidence I wanted to tap into with every aspect of the film from top to bottom. Manhattan played an unspoken character, affecting every decision made and informing the overall visual language. There is something about the vibe here that is captured perfectly with Super 16mm film; it brings a timeless quality, a magic touch that is hard to replicate. That is what we wanted to capture, to elevate - this raw, organic texture, with the grainy, warm vintage tinge it conveys.
Another way I was able to channel this was through using landmark public spaces as a runway, in a way democratising a part of fashion that is typically exclusive and inaccessible to the general public. In these moments we used long snap zooms to accentuate and highlight while establishing where exactly they were. I had already picked out the locations in my mind early on, even before casting, and while scouting, I would focus on finding areas where the architectural layout would underscore what I wanted to do in each scene, and we could get away with stealing a few cheeky shots. For instance, the ramp that wraps Grand Central in Cameron’s scene. It’s relatively skinny for cars, but it gave us an incredible amount of depth to bring the building’s facade into focus and help to highlight its architectural details. I don’t know if this sounds odd, but I see these public runways everywhere I go in this city, and it felt so satisfying and rewarding to get them out of my head and on the screen. In many ways, the film doubles as a postcard to New York, my hometown.
What were the challenges in directing a film with real individuals and making sure you translated their voices true to their image?
I am at a bit of an advantage in this area since I cut my teeth directing “real people” or “non-actors” as I like to call them. This sort of directing presents a unique set of challenges that we, for the most part, didn’t encounter since much of our cast had appeared on camera before and were comfortable taking direction. But with any non-actor or new actor, I think the biggest hurdle is getting people comfortable with a camera hovering around, which can feel foreign and intimidating if you're not used to it. The aim was to create a space for everyone to feel relaxed and forget about “performing.” The scenes they appeared within stemmed from discussions with each talent and involved synthesising aspects of their personalities, interests, and wardrobe into actions within a location. With playfulness and levity as our key guiding principles, we worked closely with each cast member to make sure they were comfortable and represented authentically on screen every step of the way.
What are you working on next?
I have got a few commercials coming up this fall, but I have been putting most of my energy into my first proper narrative short. It is a relationship drama that takes place in the mid-1970s, and it’s been in the works for a few years. I am excited about it, and we aim to shoot it in late fall or early winter.
Director: Matt Vega
Producer: Jamie Dolan
Cinematographer: Emmanuella Zachariou
Editor: Alex New