Pstyled: The Egypt-Based Fashion Consultancy Service Fusing Psychology and AI

It was a moment of epiphany in the midst of a dark, gloomy day in London, eerily reflective of how Pstyled’s founder, Yasmina Nessim (pictured in main image), actually felt: drabby, tired and unmotivated. It was around Christmas time, and any London frequenter will know that the streets scream festivities, with loud colours, lights and sparkles, no matter how dreary the weather might be, making Nessim realise the extent to which her aesthetic, clothes and psyche contrasted to the festivities. It made her realise the extent to which she didn’t want to feel this way any more even more. This all led her to consider one overwhelming question: “did I put it on because I felt this way, or did I feel this way because I put it on?” And after forcing herself to buy an off-shoulder bright green cashmere jumper,  Pstyled – the first fashion consultancy service to use style as a means to improve mood, productivity and ignite self-expression – was born.

Using years of experience in Fashion Psychology – in which Nessim holds a Master’s degree – the personalised service recommends outfits to its clients, with the goal of every piece, pattern, fabric and colour are curated as a means to boost their self-confidence and serve reflects the client’s personality. In that way, the service also frames fashion and styling as a means of self-love and empowerment. Along with the in-person consultation service, one of the startup’s packages includes access to a specialised app which uses AI to help clients, which although is still in its beta version, is an integral part of how Nessim hopes the company will grow.

“The premise of the company is that we like to style people and recommend outfits based on more intrinsic factors as opposed to extrinsic ones,” Nessim tells StartupScene, “We try to create outfits and looks based on people’s personality traits, emotional fluctuations, goals and lifestyle, as well as what they look like.” This contrasts quite a bit with more mainstream methods of styling, which are purely concerned with styling clients based on factors like body type, hair colour and complexion, whereas Pstyled put more emphasis on people’s personalities rather than solely what they look like, with the ultimate objective of getting to a point to make the client feel and do better.

As for the process, because Pstyled is, in essence, a hypersonalised service, the first package – for which clients pay a one-off payment – consists of an introductory consultation session where they get to know the client, their lifestyle, their average mood, and even includes a brief personality test. Once Pstyled get a better sense of who the client really is, they send them a report that details how they can style using their own wardrobe – and could also include suggestions on a few items to purchase - and understanding on the clothes to wear, which they can use long-term. 

The second package, however, includes a much more intimate, holistic interview process with a more detailed personality test and a process of really getting to grips of the client’s character, their triggers, the things that motivate as well as demotivate them, their goals, their day-to-day routine and more. Following the one-hour session, the client received a long, specific, compartmentalised report detailing how they can dress for their personality type, mood and ambitions.

This package also grants clients six months of access access to the previously-mentioned Pstyled mobile app, where they can upload their wardrobes onto it – via a template onto which their clients can select which clothing items they have - and can get style recommendations based on factors like the nature of a certain event they’re planning to go to, the psychological demands or simply based on how they’re feeling that day. Once the six months are over (the average amount of time a fashion season lasts), clients can choose to come in for another consultation, continue their app subscription or cancel the package altogether.

I don’t plan on fitting into any one part of the fashion industry right now per se. The plan is to start a conversation on how fashion psychology can be a means of almost a kind of therapy, introspection and meditation beyond consumption, runways and designers. 

In the future, Nessim hopes to grow into a bigger team of trained fashion psychologists, in order to make the app more on-demand and exist as an entity of its own, enabling clients to sign up for the app without coming in for a consultation, therefore significantly increasing her pool of potential clients, both in Egypt and internationally. Nessim also envisions the startup as having separate branches of fashion psychology consultation, including providing more seminars to workplaces, universities etc. to educate women on how to dress to feel their best, something that Nessim has already dabbled in before. Although Pstyled has not sought exterior investment so far, the startup is currently considering doing so in the future in order to grow. 

"I don’t plan on fitting into any one part of the fashion industry right now per se," Nessim adds, "The plan is to start a conversation on how fashion psychology can be a means of almost a kind of therapy, introspection and meditation beyond consumption, runways and designers."

“People tend to have a very tainted view of what the fashion industry entails, so Pstyled is looking to disrupt that and widen people’s perspective on how fashion could be something that’s actually good for you and could help you, and that’s where I imagine ‘Pstyled’ fitting into the fashion ecosystem.” 

To learn more, head to pstyled.com.

Photos courtesy of Yasmina Nessim/Pstyled.
Photography by Mena Assad, illustration by Dina Said.