Virtual Stylist Platform Design for Clāthas
Nicolas Mahlunge
Overview
Designing connection in a disconnected time.
Clāthas began during the pandemic, when face-to-face styling had to pause but connection still mattered. The project asked a simple question: what if a stylist’s chair could exist in your pocket? I joined at concept stage and helped shape the brand, the experience, and the interface from the ground up.
The Challenge: Recreating presence without proximity.
Stylists and clients are often connected by more than just service. There’s rapport, trust, and personal style. During research, we discovered that these human relationships were more important than originally assumed. Clients stay loyal because of how a stylist makes them feel, not just how they make them look. We needed to design an experience that reflected that — not just transactions, but connection.
The Approach: Build the brand, then build the bridge.
This was a rare blank slate. No brand, no product, just a need and a goal. My role covered everything from visual identity to interface design and user journeys.
Branding: Created light branding system including logo, colour palette and typography, which fed into the pattern library.
UX: Designed user journeys for both clients and stylists, making the experience feel simple and human
UI: Built wireframes, icons, screen flows and prototypes for iOS
Research: Conducted interviews to understand stylist-client dynamics and the pain of losing in-person contact
Accessibility: Used large, clear type with a high-contrast palette softened by neutral tones to balance readability with warmth
Key features included:
Stylist profiles so clients could understand personality and style before reaching out
Lightweight chat that made digital interaction feel informal and familiar
Simplified flows designed for stylists with limited tech experience, keeping the experience calm and intuitive
The Outcome: Thoughtful design, even without a launch.
Clāthas didn’t reach market but the work was real, and the thinking behind it still holds. The features were intentional, the brand considered, and the interface designed with care. If it had launched, success would have looked like retention, not just acquisition. We were designing to keep clients connected to stylists they already trusted and scale that connection through digital tools.
The Reflection: Not every project ships, but every one teaches you something.
This one taught me how deep user loyalty can be and how emotion plays into utility. It pushed me to design with softness and restraint. Most of all, it reminded me that sometimes, connection is the real product — not the feature list.
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Posted Feb 17, 2026
Designed branding and interface for a virtual stylist platform.
