IN CONVERSATION WITH HAYLEY SULLIVAN MARRERO

interview by SAMO ŠAJN

Hayley Sullivan Marrero is the founder and CEO of The Styled by Collective, a luxury styling company that blends fashion with smart technology. After spending ten years in the tech world at companies like Palantir and Splunk, Hayley saw a gap in the styling industry and set out to build something better. Today, she helps clients build thoughtful, sustainable wardrobes through a highly personalized and modern experience. A member of Vogue100 and a Villanova graduate, Hayley is bringing a fresh perspective to the future of retail and personal style.

full look DIOR

What sparked your interest in leaving the tech world to start something in fashion?

I didn’t leave tech, I rerouted through creativity. I had spent a decade in enterprise software, solving complex infrastructure problems for industry disruptors like Pinterest and Slack. I was very good at it, but it never felt like mine. Styling began as a personal outlet during a transitional moment in my life. What started as a hobby soon revealed a systemic gap: there was no infrastructure supporting the luxury styling experience at scale. I found myself ordering hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory for clients via static PDFs and emails, then tracking it all in spreadsheets, despite living in a cloud-based, AI-driven world. The creative act of styling was buried under archaic logistics, so I built a solution that would let both thrive.

full look TOD’S
jewelry TALENT’S OWN

How did your experience in enterprise sales help shape the way you approach building a fashion business?

Enterprise sales taught me how to architect solutions, not just deliver products. It taught me how to listen deeply, identify inefficiencies, and create systems that scale. That mindset is baked into everything we do. I didn’t want to build a styling service, I wanted to design a new retail framework. Today, our team merges bespoke service with robust software that simplifies consignment, manages blind inventory, and visualizes the full arc of someone’s wardrobe. It’ s emotional intelligence meets operational infrastructure.

full look MICHAEL KORS
shoes LA FRANCO SPADA

What kind of gap did you see in the retail or styling space, and how did that inspire your business idea?

The gap wasn’t obvious until I lived inside it. Personal styling often ends up being ad hoc, transactional, or reserved for celebrities. Retailers, meanwhile, are flying blind unable to see what their clients already own or understand their true preferences outside of their own systems. We stepped into that gap. We digitize wardrobes, track what clients actually wear, and integrate across e-commerce and retail to deliver a curated, white-glove experience that feels like the best of brick-and-mortar without needing a store. In many ways, we’re recreating the intimacy of traditional luxury retail, but built for modern life.

How do you guide clients toward more mindful, sustainable choices when it comes to their wardrobes?

We always say: if you can’t create five different looks with it, don’t buy it. Sustainability isn’t just about avoiding fast fashion, it’ s about redefining how we value clothing. Our clients don’t need more; they need better. Pieces that last, that feel personal, that evolve with their lives. We help them build wardrobes with longevity in mind, whether it’s a pair of linen trousers for a honeymoon or a bespoke jacket that becomes an heirloom. Mindful consumption isn’t restrictive. It’s deeply creative. It invites intention and joy.

dress SID NEIGUM
shoes LA FRANCO SPADA

What have you taken from your fashion education that really influences how you run The Styled by Collective?

I didn’t study fashion, I studied political science. But I studied the world, the arts, the rhythm of cities and subcultures. My education came from the ballet studio, from my parents, from watching the most elegant woman enter a room and asking myself, why does that work? Fashion is a language. My career in tech gave me the tools to systematize it. Life gave me the point of view.

What does being part of the Vogue100 mean to you personally and professionally?

Vogue has always been the benchmark for global taste, creative, editorial, and cultural. To be welcomed into that fold, even quietly, means the world. It’s not just validation, it’ s a responsibility. Vogue100 has given me access to conversations and communities that challenge me to grow as a founder, as a stylist, and as a woman shaping what comes next in luxury.

In what ways do you bring technology into the styling process to make it more modern or efficient?

We built our own proprietary platform that digitizes and organizes every piece in a client’s wardrobe, whether they bought it at Bergdorf or Net-a-Porter. From there, we track patterns, measure wear, and curate highly personalized selections that reflect not just someone’s taste, but their life. If a client hasn’t worn a single blazer in two years, we see that. If they ’re missing the right shoes for a dress they already own, we source them. And soon, our Gmail integration will pull in e-receipts to update wardrobes automatically. This is styling with software smarts.

Can you describe what the client journey is like—what someone can expect when they work with you?

It starts with a conversation, whether it’s for a wedding, a photoshoot, or a full lifestyle reset. From there, we either digitize their existing wardrobe or start building one from scratch. We personalize every step of the process, down to how their wardrobe is visually organized, how items are styled, and how deliveries arrive with lookbooks and notes. They get the full retail fantasy without ever setting foot in a store. And we get to give them back time, clarity, and confidence.

full look TODS
shoes LA FRANCO SPADA

What was the biggest surprise or challenge when you switched from tech to fashion?

That I didn’t actually switch, I boomeranged back to tech through the side door of fashion. The biggest challenge has been translating creativity into code. Styling is intuitive and emotional. Software is structured. Bridging those two worlds takes vision, empathy, and extraordinary talent. I’m lucky to have both on our team and proud of the infrastructure we’ve built to support something that once lived only in our heads.

What are you most excited about for the future of The Styled by Collective?

Our app launch. It’s more than a digital wardrobe, it’s a personalized, end-to-end platform for luxury retail. It connects clients to their stylists and retailers to their clients in real time, creating a seamless experience across brick-and-mortar and e-commerce. We’re building the operating system for personalized shopping, not just in fashion, but eventually for interiors, beauty, even travel. First luxury, then lifestyle. It’s about giving people the feeling of being seen, known, and effortlessly taken care of.

full look MARIUS BRZEZINSKI
shoes TALENT’S OWN

TEAM CREDITS:

talent HAYLEY SULLIVAN
photography DYLAN PERLOT AT EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS
styling JORDAN GROSS AT THE ONLY AGENCY
makeup RADMILA MANIAKHINA AT THE CLYQUE
hair ANASTASIA FOBIEIANCHUK AT THE CLYQUE
executive production PAULA LE MOULT
editor TIMI LETONJA
editorial director JANA LETONJA
interview SAMO ŠAJN
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN