All eyes are on Encore as it rolls out the Celebrity Stylist Program along with the biggest release in the app’s history. We talk life, style and business with founder & CEO Omar Azmy

GRAZIA: At last check, the app is iPhone-only, tell us about this decision. Is it because of a relationship with Apple?

Omar: Not at all. Apple was an investor in my first startup, which later became part of Progress Software, a $2 billion enterprise software company. The only reason Encore is iPhone-only at the moment is that this is where our users are. It is our intention to support Android as soon as possible, though.

GRAZIA: So, talk to us about the stylist program. First of all, is it limited strictly to celebrity stylists?

Omar: The program is invite-only but, no, it is open to qualified fashion stylists as well, not only celebrity stylists. The vision behind it all is straightforward: To empower every single woman to have the closet she loves — from end to end. Every single day. This dictates a set of requisite capabilities, and the Stylist Program is simply one of these.

GRAZIA: Will the fashion stylists in the program be accessible to women who may not currently have a personal stylist?

Omar: That’s exactly right. This is the primary reason we’ve decided to publish the Directory of US Personal Stylists. All qualified stylists will have their profiles included in the directory, accessible to the millions of women who do not have the benefit of a personal stylist today. We intend to get this in the hands of about 3 million women in partnership with Vogue.

GRAZIA: Are there plans to make the stylist program available in Europe as well? Perhaps our sister publication, Grazia Italia, should be covering this?

Omar: Yes. We are currently in talks with a Dutch celebrity stylist to lead the rollout in Europe, but I am not at liberty to announce details yet.

GRAZIA: What three words come to mind when you think ‘Style’? 

Omar: Highly personal — I’ll count that as one word! [Laughs] Authentic. Effortless. 

GRAZIA: First impressions — overestimated or underestimated? 

Omar: Underestimated. We may not like to admit it, but the science is unequivocal. First impressions matter a ton.

GRAZIA: Comfortable versus elegant? 

Omar: Both. 

GRAZIA: That’s not a fair answer, you have a thing about rules, don’t you?!

Omar: [Laughs] It is my genuine answer.

GRAZIA: So, what do you consider to be the profile of the ideal woman? And what’s the first thing you notice in a woman?

Omar: Woman is the most beautiful creature on our planet. All women. I have a strong personal preference for women who are intensely feminine, when it comes to style. What I notice first varies, but I always notice the shoes she is wearing. Clothes overall, but shoes in particular, speak volumes about a woman’s personality, in my experience.

GRAZIA: Your key insight into women?

Omar: The vast majority of women — including those who turn heads 24/7 — are harsh on themselves, in my experience. Women tend to underestimate their true beauty.

GRAZIA: Dress versus pants, what would a woman be wearing if she has attracted your attention?

Omar: Dress. Unquestionably.

GRAZIA: OK, let’s say you started a charity foundation, what would you want its mission to be?

Omar: That’s a tough one. I’d be hard-pressed to choose one, frankly. Most of us gravely underestimate the impact we are having on our planet. Now — not in some distant future. So the charity would be devoted to the issue of minimizing the impact of consumption, which obviously is core to what we’re doing at Encore right now. Without a livable planet, all other issues worth fighting for are moot. The second one will strike you as equally cliché but it is reality nonetheless. We vastly underestimate the fact that where a child is born matters considerably when it comes to the opportunities available to her or him. So the charity’s mission in this case would be to provide equal opportunity to disadvantaged children.

GRAZIA: How about your own childhood? Where did you grow up, go to school?

Omar: I’d love to be telling you that I started from disadvantaged beginnings, but I grew up in New York, the son of a diplomat. I’m the product of French schooling, then high school at the UN International School, followed by engineering on scholarship. This is not to say that I have not had my fair share of hardship, though. We all do.

GRAZIA: You started your career at a big bank, then moved into tech. How does one make the transition from banking and tech into fashion? 

Omar: It was nearly pure coincidence, actually. About ten years ago, I was introduced socially to a shareholder of one of the large European players in the fashion space. I fell in love with the dynamics of the industry, so I ended up running the company for some seven years. Haven’t looked back since.

 GRAZIA: What book are you currently reading?

Omar: I’m reading Sapiens, by Yuval Harari. It was gifted to me by our Chief Technology Officer, whose taste in books I trust blindly.

GRAZIA: What nickname do your closest friends call you by?

Omar: “Tall guy,” typically by male friends.

GRAZIA: What about the women?

 Omar: [Laughs] Long story. It has to do with the fact that I somehow always manage to be the cause of arriving late to invites.

GRAZIA: Mountain or beach?

 Omar: Beach. For sure.

 GRAZIA: Favorite travel destination?

Omar: I have a particular hideaway in Thailand that is near and dear to my heart. Beyond that, I love Mallorca and a few islands in Greece.

GRAZIA: What is your Instagram handle for readers to follow you?

Omar: My handle is @luxury.insider although I rarely use Instagram or post anything, so I don’t accept follow requests.

GRAZIA: Last question, Tiktok or Instagram?

Omar: I personally prefer TikTok, and it is more interesting to us as a company, from a strategy standpoint. But I don’t post there either [chuckles].

The invite-only Personal Stylist Program is a feature of the latest version of the Encore App, available on the App Store (US).