Today we’d like to introduce you to Cherelle Guyton.
Cherelle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story begins long before the stage. My story is rooted in the intimate, transformative rituals of elegance and beauty I witnessed growing up. I’ve been drawn to hair, wigs, and makeup since I was a little girl, watching my mother, grandmothers, and aunts prepare for special occasions. Those moments felt sacred. To stay in the room, I made myself useful, zipping dresses, selecting shoes, fluffing hair, painting nails, and offering honest (but tactful) opinions on their final look. Without realizing it, I was learning the art of presentation: how hair, hygiene, wardrobe, and makeup become tools of confidence, identity, and self-expression. That early fascination, paired with my love for theatre, evolved into a career that has taken me across the country and into some of the most respected theatrical institutions, where I’ve spent years shaping stories through hair, wig, and makeup design while also advocating for more equitable and inclusive practices in the industry.
Encouraged by my mother to think beyond freelancing, I founded C Stylez U, LLC in Columbia, South Carolina, in 2009 while earning my MBA. What began as a personal leap of faith has grown into a bi-coastal design and consulting company rooted in artistry, education, and advocacy. In theatre, I found my language. I don’t just create looks—I build characters, psychology, and narrative arcs through hair and makeup design. My work has extended to consulting on major productions and collaborating with global organizations like Disney Theatrical Group, contributing to more culturally competent design standards across the industry. As the former Hair and Wig Department Director at the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival, I led transformative initiatives that redefined inclusion in design, including creating the world’s first theatre-owned multiethnic hair salon—an innovation that improved artist retention and reshaped institutional culture. Today, through C Stylez U, I continue to bridge artistry with equity, training artists, consulting with institutions, and expanding the conversation around inclusive design. At my core, I’m a storyteller, designer and builder, using creativity as both a craft and a catalyst for impact.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The challenges have been as complex as the work itself. One of the most significant was relocating over 3,000 miles from Columbia, South Carolina to Ashland, Oregon. That move wasn’t just geographic, it was cultural. I went from a warm, familiar, deeply rooted community to a colder climate and space where I had to quickly adapt, without the comfort of family, cultural connection, or a strong support system. There was culture shock, isolation, and the very real experience of navigating racism, both within the broader Southern Oregon community and inside the theatre industry. Being a woman of color in a predominantly white space, while also not following the “traditional” theatre path, meant I was often underestimated or misunderstood. I arrived with both a theatre background and an MBA, along with my own business, which positioned me differently, but not always comfortably, within established systems.
Professionally, I encountered inequitable hair, wig, and makeup practices that didn’t account for textured hair or diverse identities. That gap wasn’t just frustrating; it was unacceptable. I found myself in environments that were, at times, hostile, where I had to balance maintaining my integrity with advocating for myself and others, often without immediate backup and far from home. There were moments that required a level of resilience and self-trust that can only be built through prayer, grit and experience. At the same time, I had to come to terms with the fact that my family, while incredibly supportive, didn’t always fully understand the demands or nuances of the theatre world I had chosen. I made intentional decisions to prioritize my career, at times putting aside traditional expectations around marriage and family to fully pursue my purpose.
None of it was easy yet those challenges sharpened my voice, clarified my mission, and ultimately shaped the leader I’ve become. They pushed me beyond just participating in the industry to actively working to change it and create space, standards, and opportunities that didn’t exist when I started.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At my core, I’m a storyteller who uses hair, wigs, and makeup as my medium. I’m the Founder and CEO of C Stylez U, a bi-coastal design and consulting firm where I provide hair, wig, and makeup design for theatre, film, and live productions, while also offering education, consulting, and leadership development. My work sits at the intersection of artistry and strategy. On one side, I design and build looks that help actors fully embody their characters, supporting the emotional and visual storytelling of a production. On the other, I partner with institutions to strengthen their systems, ensuring their approach to hair and makeup is inclusive, culturally competent, and operationally sound.
What makes my work distinct is that I don’t just focus on what’s seen on stage: I focus on what happens behind the scenes. I’ve spent years advocating for and implementing equitable design practices, particularly for textured hair and underrepresented communities, helping organizations move from intention to execution. Through C Stylez U, I’ve trained some of the next generation of artists, consult on large-scale productions, and work with leadership teams to build environments where all artists can show up fully prepared and authentically represented. I create, I teach, and I build systems that allow both people and productions to thrive.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’ve taken risks that required equal parts faith, grit, and a willingness to walk into the unknown, often alone. One of the biggest risks was leaving Columbia, South Carolina and moving over 3,000 miles across the country with three suitcases, a dream, and just enough money to get started. I chose to pursue a career that most people had never heard of, let alone understood, and in doing so, stepped outside of the traditional Southern Belle expectations of what my life “should” look like. There was no clear roadmap, just CONVICTION. I traveled solo to unfamiliar cities and towns for design work, learned to navigate environments far outside my comfort zone, and even found myself driving through snowstorms in places like Kansas City to make it to the theatre; something a lady raised in sunny South Carolina had never experienced. In Ashland, Oregon, I walked to and from work daily and nightly in pitch black darkness, in a town that intentionally limits street lighting (light pollution), fully aware that I was sharing that space with wildlife like deer, bears, and cougars. It wasn’t glamorous, it was commitment.
Beyond the physical risks, the professional and personal ones ran even deeper. I consistently chose to speak up and challenge inequitable hair, wig, and makeup practices in an industry that wasn’t always ready or willing to change. That meant confronting racism, advocating for inclusion, and sometimes standing alone in rooms where it would have been easier to stay silent. I risked comfort, security, and at times opportunity to remain aligned with my values and integrity. But those risks weren’t reckless, they were necessary. They stretched me, strengthened me, and ultimately positioned me to not just succeed in my field, but to help reshape it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cstylezu.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cstylezu/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cstylezu/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherelle-guyton-mba-12863327
