How Beyoncé’s Mom Helped Stylist Ty Hunter Make It Big in Hollywood
Ty Hunter is one of Hollywood’s biggest stylists, working with Beyoncé and Billy Porter.
Before he made it big, he dressed mannequins in a Houston mall, where he met Destiny’s Child.
His new book details how he got his start as the group’s stylist — with help from Beyoncé’s mom.
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It was the late 1990s. Bill Clinton was president, MTV still had a hold on music, and Ty Hunter — now one of Hollywood’s biggest stylists — was a soul-searching 20-something who spent his days dressing mannequins at a Houston clothing store.
Hunter never pictured a life filled with red carpets and music videos. But Tina Knowles — the mother of Beyoncé and the creative force behind Destiny’s Child — envisioned his path differently.
Tina often shopped at Houston’s Galleria mall, where Hunter worked. Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, the other two members of Destiny’s Child, were also regulars, and formed relationships with the budding stylist as he helped them select outfits.
Eventually, the elder Knowles made Hunter a big promise: “I’m going to get you out of here one day.”
Hunter and Tina Knowles.
Ty Hunter
Today, the name Destiny’s Child fits Hunter almost better than it does Beyoncé’s former band.
Having worked as Beyoncé’s stylist for 18 years, he’s now the head stylist for the actor Billy Porter.
He’s also released multiple products like phone cases and T-shirts, started motivational speaking, and advocated alongside Barack Obama for the former president’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, which addresses the gaps in life opportunities presented to men of color.
Released last month, Hunter’s first book, “Makeover From Within: Lessons in Hardship, Acceptance, and Self-Discovery,” is equal parts memoir and motivational guide. In the book, Hunter discusses the hardships he’s overcome, from surviving a shooting to coming out of the closet, and offers lessons from his unlikely journey to the top of the celebrity style world.
Hunter says fashion is about confidence and self-expression — not clothes.
Ricky Day
Growing up gay in Texas wasn’t easy, but the women in Hunter’s family encouraged his passions
Hunter, who grew up in Texas, says his family was full of strong female role models: his mom, Connie; his grandmother, Mama; his great-grandmother, Mama Bea; and his godmother, Ethel.
After he expressed an interest in fashion, his mother often asked him for styling advice. When she went out — often in Hunter’s recommended outfits — he’d spend hours going thrift shopping with Mama Bea, listening to stories from her youth.
“I’m really blessed that my mom and family members allowed me to be myself,”…
