Loreal Sarkisian is redefining self-worth through style. She wants the world to know that showing up for yourself is always in fashion.
Written by Stacey Ingram Kaleh
Photos Courtesy of Loreal Sarkisian LLC
Creative Director Billions Wimberley
Makeup by Angel Davis
Fashion icon, CEO, track star, philanthropist and advocate for women everywhere–if there was an Olympic all-around competition for breaking boundaries, Loreal Sarkisian would take home the gold. You may have seen her on the football field at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium expanding our notions of game day fashion, or perhaps you’ve scrolled through her feed on Instagram where she has over 118K followers who are eager to see what she wears next. She’s created a respected brand most often conveyed through glamorous photos. However beautiful they may be, photos don’t quite capture the depth and dynamism of Loreal’s story and just how impactful her influence is beyond the spotlight. Loreal is a savvy businesswoman, sought-after personal stylist and philanthropic foundation founder, and her personal journey is one that can inspire many others.
“Every day, I start with trying to be the best version of myself so I can go out and pour into others,” says Loreal. In speaking with her, Loreal appears put together and confident. She’s all smiles and laughter–full of positive energy that’s delightfully contagious. Yet it doesn’t take long to understand that she is incredibly driven, motivated at her core to be the best she can be and to help others.
Loreal grew up in Tallahassee, Florida in a tight-knit family of athletes. Her mom ran track, her dad played football and she, along with her siblings, followed in their footsteps. Loreal and her sister ran track, while her brothers played football and baseball. They competed in other sports like basketball and softball, as well.
“We were very immersed in sports.On any given day, you would have found me at a game.”
Loreal’s parents helped foster her longstanding love of athletics from a young age. She says her dad started coaching her at home, “when he got off work, he’d show up as dad or coach. In the beginning, he coached me in a lot of things.” She started running track at the age of five with her mom’s support. “My mom was my sister’s and my coach for track all the way through our childhood until we left for school.”
Family life, according to Loreal, could be chaotic but was always rooted in fun with a focus on kindness. “I grew up in a house based on love. The house was filled with it, no matter what we all had going on,” Loreal shares. “My parents made sure my siblings and I knew how to receive love and give love.”
Her family spent a lot of time on the road traveling to different games in support of Loreal and her siblings. She recalls many fond memories of visiting new places and experiencing new things. “We were doing it all together. We were busy but we were blessed.”
Loreal pursued her passion for track in college and made a career out of it. She ran the 400-meter hurdles and 100-meter hurdles at North Carolina A&T State University before going pro and competing in meets across Europe. If you know anything about track, you know 400-meter hurdles aren’t for the faint of heart. The race is widely regarded as one of the most challenging events in track and field.
After achieving her personal goals, Loreal decided to help other athletes set new personal bests. She translated her skills and care for others to coach men’s and women’s sprints and hurdles at the University of Southern California.
Her experiences as an athlete shaped Loreal’s approach to business today, “I’ve really kept the lessons of: when it’s my time to shine, it’ll be mine. It doesn’t come without a lot of hard work, consistency, dedication and really being a student of your craft–understanding it from top to bottom and understanding your opponent.”
She explains that athletics also taught her a lot about winning and losing, and how you can use a loss as an opportunity for growth. “In losing you really understand, ‘OK, this is how I could have been better.’”
Loreal has the courage, drive and discipline to achieve the goals she sets for herself and to keep raising the bar. Coaching is also something she’s taken to heart, as she continues to empower others through her personal styling business, Styled by Loreal.
Look Good, Feel Good
Today, Loreal seamlessly transitions from the field to runway shows in Paris and Milan, donning high fashion brands like Chanel and Gucci with her own personal touch. Her appreciation for fashion is deep-rooted and was first sparked by her mom.
“Fashion has always been something that I’m deeply passionate about. I grew up watching our mom sew all of our clothes.”
Loreal describes her mom as an all-around ‘creative’–an artist who enjoys free-hand drawing and sketching, sews and has a distinctive fashion sense. “I grew up being extremely inspired by her. She’s taught me that you wear what enhances you.”
Loreal said she grew up seeing her mom fully dressed day after day, and over time she’s come to understand why: “You only get one opportunity to make a first impression. Whether you speak to somebody or you don’t, you’re making a statement by the way you show up.”
That simple but strong concept of “showing up” is something Loreal embraces and uses to help propel her personal brand.
“Fashion is an art and a powerful tool to express yourself. I believe that personal style is a form of communication. When you get dressed, you’re making a statement by the way you show up.”
Loreal says she first fell into her now-famous “Game Day Looks,” which she often debuted at Texas Longhorn football games, by doing just that. “That was just me showing up, expressing my own style.”
Loreal says she was blown away by how her looks resonated with people and created excitement. Her Instagram followers inspired her to keep coming up with different ways to dress for sporting events.
“For me, it’s not just football. Going to a basketball game, or any sport, I hope you can see my look and be inspired.”
She’s encouraged by new trends in sports and fashion media that feature women athletes and fans. “There are girls like me who grew up being into fashion and loving sports. I now see ESPN and Vogue covering women athletes and I’m like ‘Oh, yes, I’m here for it!’”
While she started by curating her own looks, word-of-mouth took off and clients quickly started approaching Loreal to ask for her help with styling. For Loreal, style and sports are interconnected. It didn’t seem like a big leap to merge her passions.
“My love for fashion and sports is what makes me unique. When you combine them, as I have, there’s a lot of magic.”
In 2017, she founded Styled by Loreal and started offering what she describes as luxury personal styling services.
Authenticity is at the center of her styling philosophy. Thinking back to her mom’s advice to “enhance you,” she encourages her clients to complement their body type by the way they dress. She says styling isn’t all about high fashion or wearing something over-the-top, Loreal sees it as an experience that should allow clients to feel excited and confident.
“We live in a world that suggests we should be all these things. Well, what’s wrong with just being me?” Loreal challenges us. “You need to remember you can be enough all by yourself.”
Ultimately, Loreal’s styling approach is about the feeling you have when getting dressed. “When you look good, you feel good. Wearing something that enhances you is going to be vital to your mental and emotional health throughout the day. I want you to feel so good, so confident and ready to take on the day that it doesn’t matter what comes your way.”
Loreal enjoys getting to connect with people and her clients, rather than keeping it surface level. She customizes her recommendations after understanding the way someone thinks, their goals and preferences.
“I love my fashion styling job–a red carpet or album cover or being on set for a TV commercial, those are fun moments but they are pretty specific.”
What really fuels her are the relationships she has built with her clients and creating an atmosphere of positivity, growth, inspiration and encouragement. She uses some of her coaching skills to offer clients a top-notch, tailored experience. “I like taking people on a journey that is for the betterment of themselves. I want to do that all day.”
Giving Back
Loreal doesn’t hold back, whether it’s in sports or business–and especially when it comes to serving her community.
In addition to her personal styling business, Loreal works with some major brands and fashion houses to help re-curate their collections into accessible looks. She’s also finding ways to connect more directly with her audience. Just like they did with her “Game Day Looks,” Loreal’s Instagram followers are inspiring her to keep growing her styling endeavors. At the encouragement of her audience she’s launching Lo’s Wardrobe Bar, where anyone will be able to shop her looks at this luxury online consignment boutique.
She was motivated to start the XOLO (pronounced like you’re reading out the letters “X-O-L-O”) Foundation, to create a world where women feel empowered, thrive and are supported in the realm of beauty and fashion. Through seminar series featuring motivational speakers–including Loreal herself–mentorship programs and creative partnerships, XOLO Foundation is working to support women and young women nationwide.
“Our aim is to create a culture of solidarity where women can learn from one another and be inspired by one another. I just want to re-define self-worth, and respect and empowerment, and really celebrate one another.”
Loreal expresses her concern with the toll social media can take on mental health. Through her own experiences, she’s met women she considers to be beautiful, successful and well-dressed but are “dying on the inside.” It’s something that stirs up deep emotions for her.
“It tears me apart. Everyone should feel love. Everyone should feel enough. Everyone should be encouraged, be inspired.”
Because of her experiences with clients and friends who struggle with self-worth, Loreal wants to be open and proactive about sharing her story and how she’s been able to foster a mindset that allows her to give both herself and others grace.
“I have not always been perfect. I have not always done things exactly right. But being strong in my faith has grounded me and always gotten me back on track for where I need to be personally, socially, with my family, financially–all of it.”
She returns to her faith time and time again as a well of strength, “At my core, I believe the Lord put us here to help others and to use our gifts. I’ve done it through coaching and now I get to do it through fashion and beauty.”
XOLO Foundation uses the tools of fashion and styling to help people “peel back layers” and “own their truths.” The foundation seems to be molded by Loreal’s faith and belief in the importance of kindness and helping people. She says XOLO plans to partner with organizations that have aligned missions to amplify their impact, and looks forward to seeing the foundation grow, “I want this to be as epic as it can possibly be because it means that much to me.”
Keeping the Faith
With so many ambitious priorities, how does Loreal balance everything? She goes back to her faith and to her support system.
“You’re only as good as the people around you. When you put God at the forefront and you surround yourself with others who do the same, it’s only a matter of time before good things will happen.”
She offers some words of encouragement to others who may be juggling life transitions with career and volunteer opportunities: “Keep your faith. Keep your head up. Don’t pay attention to what other people say or even the negative thoughts you may have.”
Loreal expresses that she hopes women know they don’t have to be afraid of making changes in their lives if something doesn’t feel right.
“Joy, honesty, consistency, happiness and encouragement–those are the things you should be surrounded by. If your community is not of that, I would strongly suggest changing something, one thing at a time… It’s worth assessing and reassessing and not being concerned about having to start over. Who cares? At least you get the opportunity to do so.”
She credits her support system; including her parents, her business and foundation teams and her Delta sorority sisters for creating an environment where she can thrive and for building her up so that she can give more to her clients and projects. She also shares that UT Austin football coach and ex, Steve Sarkisian, is someone she can count on. “We’re amazing, we’re in a great space,” she says of her changing relationship with Steve Sarkisian. “Coach is still one of my number one supporters. I still love him for that.”
Even with her support system, it all comes back to faith for Loreal–and the belief that God wants us to use our gifts to help people. So, she aims to do just that.
Sprinting Forward
Looking ahead, Loreal is dedicating her time and energy to growing her businesses and foundation, with some exciting new projects on the horizon. She strives to rally support for women everywhere through the XOLO Foundation. She hopes to continue sharing her story and modeling how to show up for yourself through numerous speaking engagements.
“I’m looking forward to continuing what I’ve started because I know I’m only scratching the surface.”
She plans to continue leading her businesses from Austin, reaffirming that this community is near and dear to her, “[Women of Austin] have been warm and welcoming, so supportive…I’m really grateful for this community and am excited to pour more into it.”
And, while she says she hopes to attend a Longhorn football game this season, she also anticipates that we’ll see more than burnt orange in her “Game Day Looks.”
While Austin is her home base, Loreal’s influence can be observed globally. She’s part of an elite group of global fashion influencers called the Vogue 100, selected by Vogue magazine, and spends time in Europe for Fashion Week in Paris and Milan with several fashion brands to give her audience a peek behind the scenes. It’s a recognition that means a lot to her, “That was a little validation and confirmation for me that I must be on to something and to keep going, that there’s more to give.” Look for her at runway shows in the near future.
Loreal will soon launch Lo’s Wardrobe Bar, where all can shop her distinctive head-to-toe looks. And, still shrouded in mystery, she is preparing to launch Luciana. With Loreal, there’s seemingly more to uncover. She likes to surprise us and she’s not afraid to sprint toward greatness.
“I appreciate every minute of it. I’m living in my purpose and I thank God for it.”