Born and raised to Jamaican parents in Springfield, Massachusetts, stylist, on-air personality, and creative director Carlton Spence knew that fashion was his calling from an early age by recreating looks for himself and loved ones. Carlton would later launch his decades-long fashion career in the buying office for Jordan Marsh and Lord & Taylor department stores. He eventually took a position as a Marketing Manager at Boston with Marithe + Francois Girbaud, propelling his career into visual merchandising, where he discovered his ultimate calling as a stylist. 

Carlton would later become one of the top stylists on the gospel scene, working with artists like Byron Cage, Ricky Dillard, Hezekiah Walker, Shirley Caesar, and more. Spence is now a Fashion Merchandising professor at LIM College, where he shares his expertise in styling and merchandising. In this episode, host Kirsten Holtz Naim sits down with Carlton to discuss his fashion career journey, the importance of looking the part, the impact of fashion in the gospel industry, and what it takes to make an artist look their best. 

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Show Notes:

Follow stylist Carlton Spence on Instagram @carltonspence 

Learn more about Carlton by visiting CarltonSpenceStyle.com 

Zora Article: “Easter Sunday Is Peak Black Church Fashion: An Appreciation”: https://zora.medium.com/easter-sunday-is-peak-black-church-fashion-an-appreciation-de84ef2a12cf 

About EBONY Fashion Fair’s Shayla Simpson: https://www.afro.com/shayla-simpson-ebony-fashion-fairs-goddess-ages/ 

EBONY Article: “Ebony Fashion Fair: Defining African-Americans in Fashion”:https://www.ebony.com/exclusive/ebony-fashion-fair-defining-african-americans-in-fashion/ 

EBONY Magazine: https://www.ebony.com/ 

About Jordan Marsh: https://mountauburn.org/author-talk-jordan-marsh-new-englands-greatest-department-store-3/ 

About Lord & Taylor: https://lordandtaylor.com/ 

About Marithe + Francois Girbaud: https://www.girbaud.com/en/ 

Learn more about Pamela Watson: https://www.pamelawatsonstyles.com/about 

About the Stellar Awards: https://www.thestellarawards.com/

Gospel artist Byron Cage on Instagram @byroncage 

Check out 5001 Flavors: https://www.5001flavors.com/ 

“For Every Mountain” by Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUaGoS2LW5g