Whitney Harper, a native of the Bay Area, had always wanted to be a singer before becoming CEO and Founder of Harp Media and Creatives. Spoiler Alert: It’s a career she never pursued, but her family wishes she had. Instead, having grown up in a household that celebrated education and entrepreneurship, she set her eyes on owning her own company in the beauty, fashion, or entertainment space – which, of course, makes sense when you’re raised in the company of artists like MC Hammer, Vanity, and Record Producer Zaytoven, who is also her blood relative.

Since establishing her business, Whitney, who may be fashion and entertainment’s best-kept secret, has become the go-to style creative director for a slew of celebrities. She has sprinkled her creative magic on a list of clients that include GloRilla, her niece Saweetie, the City Girls, Coi Leray and Yung Bleu to name a few. In addition, her agency acts as a matchmaker for celebrities and creatives, pairing photographers, event planners, stylists, manicurists, and designers with celebrity talent.

The low-key powerhouse also has deep ties to the sporting world: her father Willie Harper played for the San Francisco 49ers; her brother Josh Harper coached and played for the Oakland Raiders; another one of her seven brothers Matthew Harper coaches for the San Francisco 49ers and her sister Qiava Martinez is the SVP, Chief Sales Officer for the new Las Vegas Raiders. Whitney, who already works with athletes like Devin Haney, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Jarred Vanderbilt, will soon be opening a sports category within her company’s portfolio. Here, she talks about Harp Media and Creative’s offerings, scaling personal style, her relationship approach with new clients, advancing, and the stress of it all.

How can something as unique and personal as style be scaled?

It’s different with each client. I’ve noticed that many stylists we pair with various talents don’t have a plan before they start working. However, because each client is unique and has distinct preferences, you will notice that the style or look is unique to them. You can’t pretend that imitating other people’s looks will work for others. Because everyone is unique, the procedure is individualized. Keeping that in mind will also help you move forward.

For example, GloRilla was working with other stylists before we started working with her, and they were trying to style her like other Femcees. It was ineffective; she wasn’t being separated from the bunch. As a result, we took a different approach and asked her how she wanted to be seen by the world.

When you begin working with a new client, do you treat them as a client or is your approach based more on a personal relationship?

Both. It will be easier for your client to trust you with their image once you have established trust with them. I’m a people person. It’s been seven months since I started working with GloRilla, and the truth is that we got along right away. It was like conversing with a younger sister. Once those connections are established, it becomes a family.

Harp Media & Creatives, your agency, offers four services. Please elaborate on each.

Image and brand are our two most important categories. We have contracts with several major labels and are negotiating new ones. We are brought in to revamp their artists, and I especially enjoy working with new artists. It lets me see where they started and how they changed. I can say that this is what Harp Media did and where they are now. We work with high-end brands and have done deals with Quay Sunglasses, McDonald’s, and M·A·C Cosmetics (we didn’t have the deal but were very involved with this process).

Concierge is our third offering, and it’s picking up a lot as artists frequently reach out for one-offs.

Finally, our fourth category, non-profit, is gaining traction because many artists want to start their own non-profits but need help getting started. Harp Media will assist the individual artist throughout the entire procedure. Many of them want to help others but aren’t knowledgeable about the process.

Imagine you are dressing three to four artists who will all walk the red carpet at the Grammys. When they need to get dressed at the same time, how do you attend to them all?

Fittings! We value fittings highly. Most of our clients are fine with this happening a day or two in advance. However, we prefer to start a week in advance because sometimes adjustments are required, and we appreciate having time to have a seamstress make those adjustments. This is to guarantee that upon the arrival of the event, all the client needs are their respective stylists to assist them with getting dressed.

Getting in the car and showing face is key. They want to know that my team and I care about them and are taking care of their wants and needs, so it’s important. It makes no difference if one person is at the Intercontinental and another is at the Conrad.

What style would you say GloRilla leans into naturally, or is she still figuring that out? 

Glo has a very street style. Her style idols are Teyana Taylor, Aaliyah, and Left-Eye. She’s a tomboy, which I love, and she has impressive confidence. We’re taking baby steps with her because she didn’t enter the industry with any prior knowledge of designers other than mainstream names like Gucci or Chanel. She is from Memphis, which has its own culture, but she is embracing the classy, sophisticated appearance.

Your niece Saweetie has fashion moments that remind me of the early 2000s, such as a Von Dutch cap or cut-off denim shorts; a silk shirt and a fitted hat that evoke a simpler time. Are the late 1990s and early 2000s appealing to her?

More than anything, Saweetie is drawn to comfortability. When she is not in front of the camera, there is a good chance that you will see her wearing a baseball cap or some sweats from the Gallery Department. Since I can remember, Saweetie has been interested in fashion and designers. Although it may not appear so, she is also a tomboy. We were around a lot of men – many athletes – so this is a pattern among the women in our family.

You collaborated with the City Girls, who are, in my opinion, an evolution of Trina, also known as the Baddest, who once rapped “Big Bills, Big House, and Sh*t.” Talk about the process of working with a rap duo. 

Their tour was our first project with the City Girls. JT called and said, “Whit, I need you to get our looks together for our tour.” I was quick to ask, how long do we have? Clients occasionally contact you 24 hours in advance. We were fortunate to have a little less than a week. After that, I looked at our roster to see which stylist would be best for this job, and everyone agreed that Sankara McCain would be the best choice. We brainstormed for a few hours, and the rest is history.

JT’s my modern-day Foxy Brown. What would she want you to say if you were asked to describe her style? 

Ahh, I love that! First, in addition to dressing her, Harp Media also helps with her brands. JT will be the face of a huge brand this year, but I can’t say much more than that; the announcement will be made soon. My description of her style as high-fashion grunge would satisfy her. To put it bluntly, JT has IT! When it comes to fashion, she doesn’t need a lot of guidance, and when I compare her to many of the clients I’ve worked with, she stands out because she knows herself, what she wants, what she likes, and what looks good.

In 20 years, do you intend to continue working as Harp Media’s CEO and Founder, or do you prefer to have advanced?

I 100 percent want to have advanced by then. I gave myself a goal: by the end of 2024, I would like someone else to take over as CEO and run my business. I want to step away; however, I really want a specific degree of satisfaction before I can do that. I aspire for this Black-owned organization Harp Media to be as large as CAA, and I know that with my team of three strong African American women plus our extensive roster of creatives, it is more than conceivable. We have the appetite and drive.

Tell me something about your career that you’ve never heard other stylists admit about the job you’ve decided to take on. 

It is stressful! I now have high blood pressure for the first time in my life. On the day of the 2022 American Music Awards, we were dealing with several wardrobe malfunctions. My phone was ringing non-stop with calls from the labels, the artists, and our stylists. It was such an intense moment that I had my first mental breakdown while driving on the freeway. But, in saying all of that, I wouldn’t trade what I’m able to do every day for anything in the world, and I knew what would come along with my career when I signed up for it.

IG (Personal): @whitneyharp

IG (Business): @harpmediaandcreatives

Whitney Harper Portrait by Damian Borja @kombucci