To understand Marv Neal’s uber cool, laid-back vibe, you must first understand where he comes from.
Imagine a place steeped in art and innovation, where a thriving music scene boasts eclectic and diverse fashions loaded with swag and appeal that not only fit every taste but serve as a litmus test for street style trends all throughout the country. Detroit was all that and more for the renowned celebrity stylist, who has dressed powerhouse stars like Toni Braxton, and credits his success to the grit and charm that the homegrown city is known for.
“Growing up in Detroit is hard to describe,” Neal told THE BLOCK. “But it was street and tough, yet country and flashy. Many of our grandparents moved up from down South when the city had this fast Harlem Renaissance thing going, and you felt all of that.”
The city’s eccentric energy and a burgeoning hip-hop music scene prompted a young Marv to start thinking about how he could become a part of what was happening around him.
“Growing up in the 80s/90s, it was this emergence of Blackness on television and in media and I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I could draw, so initially I wanted to be a fashion designer, but once I found out it was someone that dresses the people in the movies and magazines, that was it for me,” he recalled.
“My primary influence is music and Black women, but really inspiration is all around me. I could be looking at colors in a painting or I could be listening to Kelis or old skating music!
Marv Neal
Now two decades later Marv, being featured in publications like Italian Vogue, Vou Magazine and Forbes, has built an impressive career and legacy by teaching the world how to rethink what Motor City has to offer. Admiring the uniqueness of individual style, Marv is a huge fan of experimenting with high-fashion looks, essentially birthing his distinct aesthetic that’s come to be known as “Marv Neal Style.”
His reputation over the years has cemented his position as one of fashion’s most promising style architects in the game and his love for creating urban couture visuals is unparalleled, even extending into his personal style.
One moment Marv is tucked and tailored, the next he’s draped in drip from his own line Jeanous Denim, and the next he’s unstructured and experimental. But the thing he brings with them all is an immersion of swag that he credits to his multiplicity of influences.
“My primary influence is music and Black women, but really inspiration is all around me. I could be looking at colors in a painting or I could be listening to Kelis or old skating music!
“I’m inspired by Black men that have an individual style, like Malcolm X,” he continued. “I loved how clean they were. I also loved the 80s funk of Madonna and the hood fly Lil Kim and the New Jack Swing music and style brought to the culture.”
His use of vibrant colors, bold fabrics and dramatic textures are just some of the ways he gives clients a signature look that’s edgy, innovative and trendsetting. Just take a look for yourself!
The bottom line—Marv Neal is a cohesive meld of vivacity, charm and fortitude, which makes him a Detroit native through and through. However, his ability to bring a sexy, otherworldly aesthetic to urban fashion is what solidifies him as a modern-day icon.
To see more from Marv, connect with him on his website and Instagram.
