Meet Rylton Thomas of The Ryl Experience in Midtown Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rylton Thomas.

Rylton, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story is a bit unique, starting off. My family derives from Monrovia, Liberia in West Africa. They came to the United States about 25 years ago about the Civil War that erupted in Liberia, killing nearly 600,000 Liberian citizens, some being close family members. My mother and father escaped and started a life for my sister and me in Northern Virginia. My name “Rylton” comes from my parents, “Cheryl & Milton.” I take pride in my name because it describes who I am and who I come from. Two strong individuals that endured so much but still able to chase after their dreams. I came to Atlanta three years ago to pursue a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, but I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go in. I’ve always had a passion for fashion. As a child, my mother would always come home with bags and bags of clothes from the mall. If we were going out, she would have to inspect our outfits before we could go out with her and I believe that’s where my story started.

After a year in college, I gained notability by my personality, my talent, what I wore, and the organizations I joined. I continued to do what I was used to and that was dressing nice, taking pictures, modeling, and Wardrobe styling. During my sophomore year, I became extremely close with a person who goes by D. Rushing. We immediately hit it off being that we come from similar backgrounds, have so much in common, and share the same career goals. Working closely with D. Rushing as his Executive Fashion Assistant really put me in position and pushed me to really finalize what I wanted to do. My first opportunity was styling for WeTV’s Growing Up Hip Hop ATL.

This was the first styling opportunity that I was completing on my own so I was very nervous and overall didn’t know what to do. I had friends around me that believed in me more than I believed in myself, who told me to chase my dreams and that that opportunity was going to be the start of an empire. So I did it. Thankfully, it went great and my work was published. After that, I started to really take my work seriously and continue to take on more gigs. My second biggest opportunity came about a year later. This was for BET Awards weekend and I was brought along to style Sky Days of VH1’s Black Ink Crew: New York. From there, I was on fire. I gained more clients and started branching off into Interior Designing, Social Media Marketing, Model Scouting, in addition to Wardrobe Styling.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Unfortunately, it has not been a smooth road. I know nowadays with the society we live in, people look at your Instagram following and think you bought followers/likes because that’s what everyone is used to or they think that every opportunity came from someone you know but that isn’t true. In my case, it was a long journey that I feel like I’m still on. I most definitely have not reached my peak yet and still learning every minute of every day. There are times that I had to work for free or for “promo” just to network and let my work speak for itself. Being miles away from my family on my own at a young age also had an effect on me but still manage to push through because I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We’d love to hear more about The Ryl Experience.
The Ryl Experience is an entity that makes a person feel better about themselves. Growing up, I had everything I wanted but still felt like there was something missing; people often made fun of where my family was from or how dark my skin was compared to others. I told myself that it would be my duty to take the things I experienced and use it to help other people in any way I could, whether that be helping to Market their business, promoting their brand, styling, and transforming their spaces. I specialize in Wardrobe Styling and pride myself in being an Image Architect. What sets me apart from others is my simplistic yet luxurious style that allows one to feel like a better version of themself.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Currently, I am working on my first clothing brand, “AppaRYL by Ryl,” a luxury streetwear brand. Moving forward, my plans are to take what I have going up about 100 notches. Once I complete my bachelor’s at Clark Atlanta University, I plan on going full-time with wardrobe styling. Simultaneously, I plan to enroll in a master’s program and go back to school for Real Estate to pursue a side career in Real Estate Investing. To put my degree to use, I would like to open a Public Relations Agency that specializes in the Entertainment industry and help Black owned businesses become notable throughout the world.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/therylexperience
• Twitter: twitter.com/rylexperience_

Image Credit:
Photographer: @ziglorphotos

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