Thursday, October 1, 2026
Long Beach fashion stylist Chris Banks looks forward to one day creating clothing styles for marquee names like Jamie Foxx and Angela Bassett. Banks has just a few years as a fashion stylist and while he focuses on his aspirations, his journey to reach them has been a spiritual one.
Banks has chosen to depict his journey as a stylist in a three-part documentary, with part one expected to be released on Sept. 14. He promises to show intimate details of his journey and life in the city by the sea.
“My journey started through childhood,” Banks said. “I have a lot of intimate moments that a lot of people don’t see, not just the obvious ones, I want to show everything. Family, friends and community residents will be included.”
Banks, 28, has put together about 10 fashion shows in several communities including Long Beach, Baldwin and Roosevelt. The documentary, which has been in the works for several months, will be directed by his friend Yves Pierre. Banks said the project is more about motivating people and not just to show off his success.
“I want people to leave feeling empowered,” Banks said in an interview as he rode the train into the City. “ I want people to really look at themselves and their situations even harder after watching mine.”
The documentary will be broken into three parts —childhood, faith and career — and will subsequently be released weekly starting on Sept. 14. Each episode will be between 5-10 minutes and will be released on his social media platforms — stylesbychrisb.
Looking back at his journey, Banks said everything he endured to get where he is today, was necessary. “I didn’t fit in with kids my age,” Banks said. “Everyone was playing sports and I was singing Brittney Spears.”
After graduating high school, Banks said, he asked God what his purpose in life was and soon after found fashion. Now, instead of trying to fit in, Banks said he finally found his purpose and feels like he can inspire others with his journey.
Banks has had several mentors including Joanne J-Bird Phillips, a community leader in music and arts. Banks praised Phillips and said he wouldn’t be where he is today without her guidance.
Phillips, who wears several hats including musician, journalist and mentor, said she met Banks at one of his fashion shows at the Allegria Hotel in Long Beach. She said she noticed a “certain spark” in Banks and added that she could tell how genuine his cause was.
“I could tell he was a young man on a mission and had a certain energy,” Phillips said. “He just wanted to move forward.”
Phillips said she guides Banks with business decisions and also has helped get him into a more positive environment. She added that she wants him to be more assertive and to pursue more of an education in fashion. However, Phillips said he’s talented and has a long career ahead of him.
“He’s good about what he does and he’s got a long way to go,” Phillips said.
She also praised his decision to create the documentary and said it’s a testament to how comfortable he’s become with himself and his career.
Along with Phillips, Banks also praised the Long Beach community for supporting his career and giving him the platform to grow. In particular, he thanked his cousin and Chairman of the MLK Center James Hodge for giving him space to rehearse his fashion shows.
Hodge said he was very proud of Banks’ work and he lauded him for his work in the community. He added that Banks has mentored many kids in the community and through fashion he has raised their self esteem.
Hodge said he believes that the best is yet to come for Banks and added that “his purpose is greater than his pain.” Hodge hopes that the MLK Center and Banks can inspire other kids in the community to achieve their goals.
For Banks, he said styling and inspiring others is a full time job for him and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s never about the clothes for me,” Banks said. “It’s really about inspiring somebody to fully live in-purpose.” Though Banks has high aspirations, he said he ultimately wants to be remembered for living for a purpose in his life.
