Jahleel Weaver is most at ease behind the camera. As Rihanna’s stylist and the junior creative director at Fenty, he feels comfortable helping the pop star get dressed or executing on a vision that he doesn’t appear in.
But he decided to step outside of his comfort zone with Reebok’s new #SplitFrom campaign, which highlights Weaver wearing the new Sole Fury silhouette, the latest iteration from the Split Cushioning assortment that was developed in the Nineties. The shoe, which retails for $90, will be available on Nov. 8 at Champs Sports and Reebok locations.
“I don’t like having my picture taken and having someone come in and fix my clothes is very weird, but I grew up wearing Reebok and it’s a brand I still wear today,” said Weaver. “I like the classics, but when they told me about the split cushioning and how it connects to splitting from the norm, I wanted to be involved.”
Weaver appears in a zine and short film that details his path toward becoming a stylist. He grew up in Fort Washington, Md., and worked in public relations, merchandising and buying before realizing that styling was what he wanted to do. He assisted Mel Ottenberg and became Rihanna’s stylist, which led to him becoming a junior creative director across Fenty brands.
“I think the work that I do at Fenty is probably the most important outside of styling for me because I’m able to use my brain in a different way and push myself and my creativity,” said Weaver. “I’m given projects that challenge me and I have to figure it out.”
As far as the future, Weaver doesn’t have a specific plan, but he’s not focused on styling other celebrities.
“I’ll go wherever the Lord takes me,” said Weaver. “But when you work with Rihanna, who else do you need to work with?”