Sophie Lopez is a Hollywood icon. Styling celebrities of all ages and styles, like Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, and Yalitza Aparicio, Sophie has made a name for herself in a challenging industry that's incredibly difficult to break into. Before fully entering the fashion world, she had to overcome all sorts of challenges.
Before getting to work with a roster of dream clients, Sophie spent some time in sales, a field that was not her strength. The job helped her realize that she needed to reinvent herself and to find what she wanted to do, pushing her into the field of fashion, which allowed her to express her creativity.
Sophie is proud of her Latin roots; her parents are Colombian and migrated to the United Kingdom, where she was born. “I was born in London, but Spanish was my first language. My familia is very Colombian,” she said in an interview with ¡HOLA!
When Sophie began looking for a job, the only thing she was sure of was that she wanted to work in the fashion world. She sent letters to Condé Nast staff every year until she finally landed a position in the sales department. She quickly moved into editorial work thanks to an internship at British GQ, where she began as an intern and eventually became the stylist for the magazine’s covers.
"It’s been a long journey, so it’s basically like most people: starting from the bottom and then working your way up—just grinding, as we say. It definitely didn’t happen overnight."
"You know I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years now, so, for the first... maybe seven years, I wasn’t at a point where I was successful. I was just still grafting and still sort of hustling away. So, I’m just like most things; it just takes a lot of hard work."
While at GQ, she worked as a fashion assistant to Jo Levin, a major figure in the editorial world. Under Levin’s mentorship, Sophie gained valuable experience and tools, which built her confidence and allowed her to pursue a solo career.
"While I was at GQ, I met a band called The Klaxons — a small new rave band that later blew up. I had the opportunity to at least give it a try. It’s scary to leave a place — especially one like GQ — but I’ve always managed to land on my feet," she said in an interview with the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America).
Sophie also worked with the British band Muse, and it was through lead singer Matt Bellamy that she met Kate Hudson. Matt and Kate were a couple and engaged from 2011 to 2014.
Sophie and Kate clicked instantly and started working together, with the work being so regular that Sophie moved to Los Angeles to be closer to her. One of her first jobs with Hudson was styling her look for the Venice Film Festival in 2012.
“Follow your heart. Don’t give up — work harder than everyone else, because that’s the key. You have to work hard; it’s a competitive industry. And the most important thing is resilience, because it’s not an easy career to succeed in.”
Today, Sophie is one of the most in-demand stylists in the fashion industry. But she’s also a talent spotter; over the years in the industry, she’s been drawn to personalities with powerful stories, like Yalitza Aparicio. The Mexican actress and Roma star made history as the first Indigenous woman to be nominated for an Oscar. Yalitza’s journey and background fascinated Sophie, who reached out to collaborate.
“I loved her story,” Lopez told the Los Angeles Times. "I hunted Yalitza down when one of my friends told me about 'Roma;' they’d seen it very early on, maybe at Toronto or Cannes. And he told me her story, how she wasn’t an actress, and then she was kind of street-cast for this role, and I loved that story.”
“People that I find inspiring, usually I seek out to work with. I like people that also have courage — because it’s scary — but I like girls that have courage on the red carpet, that don’t want to play it too safe.”