Meet Michele Harper who is a self titled Human Energy Artist. Ms. Harper agreed to meet with me and be the first interviewee for this series. She walked
into our meeting place wearing a stylish polka dot jump suit which was accentuated
with a beautiful tribal necklace and she topped the look off with rose tinted glasses. The first thing I though to myself was, “wow,
this woman can dress!” And I could not wait to learn more about her. The New York burner scene afforded us plenty of
opportunities to talk briefly over the loud thump of the music but I’d never
gotten the opportunity to do a real “get to know you” session.
Michele Harper is a Baltimore native who has made her home
here in New York for the past 26 Years. When I asked her what she did for a living she admitted that some people would say that what she does is “style
people” but it’s much deeper than that. Upon talking with her further it became apparent that she combined her experience as a hosiery
designer, makeup artist, perfumer, and stylist to help people take their
personal look to the next level. In an
effort to better describe what she does, her clients have given her names that
include “Clothes Whisperer” or the "Be You Guru".
Michele started her career in New York City in the hosiery business in the 90's. Her client included big names such as Patricia Field. She brought a portfolio with her that showcased some of the designs she made which included various bold and vibrant patterns that are popular today. She ran the company successfully for several years with her then business partner and husband. After deciding to split, she divested herself of her portion of the business and turned toward raising their now 19 year old daughter. Ms. Harper was not going to give
up her career in the fashion industry, however, and she became a stylist at high end department stores like Barneys
New York and Bergdorf Goodman.
Throughout her years in the industry, Michele has
brought all of her artistic disciplines together into the culmination of her
work as a human energy artist. She helps
people create the individuals they want to be.
For example, she told me about one of her clients who was a self
proclaimed hippie and dressed as such.
The client’s boss told her that she needed to dress a little more "professionally" at work and came to Michele for help.
Michele sat and talked with her to better get a sense of who she was
inside. “I pulled all of the threads
that make her who she is and brought them out,” she says. That way the client was comfortable with what she was wearing because at the core, the look was still part of her personality. Michele once dressed that same client for a red carpet event and she was astonished at how many compliments she
received. The client, of course, was
happy with the end result. “I create
authenticity by merging spirit and style for people”, she says. "The people I work with are off grid but have big jobs and they are not getting where they want to go because they do not have an interest in finding a 'look'". Ms. Harper ,in a sense, helps people build success for themselves.
Big client's aside, when I asked her what kinds of clients she is looking for, she told me that she is interested in helping anyone who wants to take themselves to the next level in their careers. Bringing the "inside out" is what Ms. Harper does best. If you want to know more about Ms. Harper or you want to get in contact with her you can go to her website at www.micheleharper.com.
