Derek Warburton

Derek Michael Warburton (born July 19, 1974) also known as Derek Fabulous, is an American media entrepreneur and celebrity fashion stylist. He attended college at Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York, New York. He is a two-time Icon Award winner, once in 2022, at the NEWYOU Beauty Awards, then in 2023 at the Fashion Group International Rising Star Awards in Miami.

Early life
Warburton was raised in Rochester, New Hampshire. Following his parents' divorce, Warburton moved to Florida with his mother. Though Warburton's mother had a job, she was unable to afford rent which resulted in Warburton and his mother becoming homeless for eight months. Warburton later moved back to New Hampshire where he graduated from Nute High School. He attended college at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, NY but did not complete his degree. Warburton held his first charity event in Ogunquit, Maine where he had spent many summer vacations. Before becoming a celebrity stylist, Warburton worked as a makeup artist and marketing director at Giuliano Day Spa in Boston, MA. Warburton began coordinating fashion shows for charitable organizations in the mid-1990s. His first solo show "Fashion for Aids" raised $15,000 for newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS patients.

Career
Warburton moved to Miami, Fl in 2001 where he became the managing partner of Atomic Style Agency, a role he held for nearly a decade. At Atomic Style Agency, he provided stylists with clothing for video and photo shoots and eventually began styling clients for music videos. In 2006, Warburton designed sets and styled jewelry for Beyoncé's House of Deréon fashion line. Following his work with House of Deréon, Warburton became a stylist for numerous celebrities including Miranda Kerr, Sean Pau l, Heather Graham, Shay Mitchell, Josh Henderson, Leah Remini, Jessica Alba, Anthony Anderson, Anne Heche, Katherine McPhee Foster, and Ariel Winter. The Veronicas, Carmen Electra, Annelynne McCord, Mario Lopez Meagan Good Audrina Partridge and Olivia Culpo. In 2009, he launched a blog, Derek Loves Shopping, that offered affordable fashion advice.

Warburton commented on celebrity fashion and provided style advice during appearances on EXTRA, Dateline, Good Day New York, HuffPost Live, NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX. He co-hosted UK's Fashion Avenue with Jodi Kidd and Style Network's Big Boutique. He was the creative director for Macy's North East Tour in 2010. Warburton was presented the International Stylist of the Year Award at the 2011 and 2012 Scottish Fashion Awards in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2010, Warburton was a Style Ambassador for New Zealand Fashion Week where he met designer Nicole Miller, who remained one of his closest industry contacts. In 2013, he was the Style Ambassador for Spiegel and Newport News. In 2015, Warburton appeared on the cover of LaPalme Magazine. Warburton presented the award for International Stylist of the Year at the 2015 Scottish Fashion Awards in London. In 2016, Warburton was the Style Ambassador to Malta and was the cover model for the Trend Prive. He was named the Style Ambassador for the Nolcha runway shows during the Fall/Winter 2017 New York Fashion Week. Warburton was included in The Daily Front Row's Who's Who in Fashion Media. He launched his fine jewelry line, "Mr. Warburton" in July 2017 at SwimWeek Style/Au Courant where he was also a keynote speaker. Vous Magazine named him the fashion guru of 2021.

Warburton has contributed style columns for Maxim and Ocean Drive Style Interview Magazine and was the International Style Director for Hong Kong's West East. He was a brand ambassador for Old Navy, Lancôme, Asics, Go Smile, Kmart, Charmin Charlie Borghese and Jos A. Bank. In 2017, Warburton was the Celebrity Ambassador for Feeric Fashion Week and host of the Feeric Gala in Romania. In 2019, IFEMA chose Warburton to be a part of its initiative to expand the Mercedes-Benz Madrid Fashion Week globally. Warburton produced and hosted a four part YouTube series, All Access Madrid that highlighted Spanish fashion. In July 2023, Warburton was slated to the official host and style ambassador for Miami Swim Week The Shows, and the week included designers and brands such as Nicole Miller, Alvin Valley, and Sports Illustrated.

In 2020, Warburton made his acting debut in the digital series The Salon, which was written, directed and produced by Roxanne Messina Captor. Warburton and the rest of the cast and crew of The Salon won the Best Digital Series Award at the 2021 iHollywood Festival.

Kelsey Grammer and Tom Russo were Executive Producers. Warburton co-starred with an ensemble cast including Harry Shearer and Kate Linder. The Salon ran a "For Your Consideration" campaign for the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards. Nominations for the six-episode series were submitted in all major creative, performance and technical categories including Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series.

Warburton stars as Daniel Bridges in the 2021 feature film Sarogeto, written, directed and produced by Nico Santucci. Eric Roberts, Winsor Harmon and Ikumi Yashimatsu also star in the film which was the first production permitted to shoot in the Aokigahara Forest in Japan.

On September 30, 2023, Derek attended the Fashion Group International South Florida's inaugural Rising Star Awards. At the star-studded event, he received the Icon Award for his acclaimed work in the world of fashion and design.

Magazines
Warburton was a partner and creative director for LaPalme Magazine, which he relaunched in 2016. LaPalme is a quarterly luxury-lifestyle digital and print magazine with distribution across the United States. He is the editor-in-chief of Mr. Warburton, which he founded in 2019. Mr. Warburton is a creative writing photo journal that showcases art, fashion and celebrity. In August 2020, Mr. Warburton's interview with cover star Anne Heche gained widespread media attention for her comments on LGBTQ representation in Hollywood and her past relationship with Ellen DeGeneres, after The Ellen DeGeneres Show's staff made allegations of a toxic work environment. Mr. Warburton Magazine got a lot of press in 2021 when various media outlets shared cover shoots with Taryn Manning, Daniel Gillies.,   and Tara Reid.

In November 2021, Mr Warburton media added Gurus magazine to its roster of properties. With a philosophy made up of 3 words, truth, passion & authenticity the words are each written and hidden on every cover. Warburton is quoted in saying, " i wanted to create a magazine that was built on wellness and experts that make the world a better place." Notables that have been on the cover include Emmy award-winning actress Anne Heche, actor, director Peter Facinelli, fashion designer Nicole Miller, and the author/TV producer Candace Bushnell.

Following the success of Gurus Magazine, Warburton released Los Angeles Inquisitor as a tribute to his dear friend and Emmy Award winner Anne Heche. Heche's cover story on Los Angeles Inquisitor that talked about her memoir, Call Me Anne, was instantly picked up by platforms such as E! News, ET Online, People Magazine, and ''OK! Magazine''. Heche has been a huge influence and inspiration to Warburton and reflects the magazine's motto, "people, places, and all things LA." Los Angeles Inquisitor also did a feature story on Selling Sunset's Amanza Smith, which made waves upon its release.

During Pride 2024, Warburton & Gurus Magazine created the #30Voices30days initiative & partnered with the GLAAD organization. Gurus Magazine produced and released 30 cover stories everyday day for the month of June, Pride month. Its inaugural cover was the trans model and RuPaul Drag Race Winner Sasha Colby. Other covers included Laverne Cox, Carmen Elektra, Sandra Bernhard, Margaret Cho, Justin Sylvester, Mo Heart, Loni Love, and David Archuleta. On June 1, Gurus Magazine and GLAAD hosted the opening night of Pride at the Godfrey Hotel in Hollywood, California. The star studded event hosted by Warburton with guests including cover talent Aubrey O’Day, Sutton Stracke, Cynthia Bailey, Frankie Grande, Lisa Ann Walter, Gleb Savchenko, Tara Reid, Johnathon Schaech, Ronen Rubinstein, Joely Fisher, James Charles, Laganja Estranja, Valentina, Matt Dallas, Jessica Betts, Niecy Nash, and Oscar winner Patricia Arquette.

As a grand finale of Pride month and the #30voices30days initiative, Derek and the Gurus Magazine team included covers with celebrated actors David Arquette, Patricia Arquette and Rosanna Arquette as a tribute to their late trans sister Alexis Arquette who was the final cover of the intiative. (She had lost her life to AIDS related complications in 2016 after being diagnosed in 1987).

Brand Collaborations
In 2022, Derek collaborated with the skincare and make-up company FACE Stockholm to create the Derek Fabulous Collection in celebration of Pride Month. The Launch of the Derek Fabulous Collection was graced by celebrities like Tara Reid, Taryn Manning, Cynthia Bailey, and Princess Martha Louise of Norway. The make-up collection was featured on multiple publications including GQ, Haute Living, Flaunt, Grazia, and Millenium Magazine.

Later in 2022, Derek released his second collaborative effort with FACE Stockholm, the Boundless Collection. Like all of Derek's work, the beauty collection revolved around encapsulating Derek's vibrant and expressive style.

Derek collaborated with FACE Stockholm for the third time in early 2023 when they released the ICON collection by Derek Fabulous for Spring 2023. For Warburton's second annual collaboration with GLSEN and Face Stockholm for Pride, they hosted a relaunch of the colorful pallets for a cause hosted by Tara Reid.

In 2023, he embarked on a mission to uplift daring new fashion designers in the industry. Recognizing the transformative power of individuals, Warburton, an entrepreneur and spokesperson for FACE Stockholm, empathizes with independent artisans seeking to shine. His recent campaign, highlighting hot emerging designers worldwide, culminated in the vibrant ICON collection by Derek Fabulous, launched with FACE Stockholm in spring 2023. Presenting a diverse and inspiring lineup of artists, Warburton was photographed by celebrity fashion photographer Josh Fogel for a feature in Elle Canada. The collection features pieces from Charles & Ron, KYLE'LYK, Eiram, Papa Oppong Bediako, HASS IDRISS, and Tri Collective, showcasing the kaleidoscope of talents that brighten the fashion landscape.

Philanthropy and activism
Having experienced homelessness as a teenager, Warburton supports a number of charitable organizations assisting homeless and impoverished people. In 2009, The New York Times profiled Warburton and his volunteer work with Bottomless Closet, an organization that provides professional clothing, job readiness, and post-employment training and coaching services to women on assistance and working poor women. Warburton gives style makeovers to women who are re-entering the workforce. Warburton said,

''"I started working and creating programs for Bottomless Closet, a nonprofit in NYC where we started "How To Be Derek Fabulous", a workshop to raise the self-esteem of women who were surviving abuse, poverty, and homelessness. Three months after our community program began, I received a phone call that changed everything. Ruth La Ferla, one of the most celebrated writers from The New York Times, wrote a story for the Style section about our program. That changed our work forever." ''

In May 2010, Warburton hosted a benefit for Housing Works, an organization that provides assistance to homeless AIDS patients. During the Fall/Winter 2011 New York Fashion Week, Warburton hosted a campaign for the nonprofit, It Gets Better Project, which aims to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth. Warburton and celebrities including Gabrielle Union, Miguel, Isaac Mizrahi and Amanda Hearst filmed PSAs assuring LGBTQ youth that their lives would improve.

He produced the Real Fashion, Real Women runway show benefiting Bottomless Closet that closed the Fall/Winter 2011 New York Fashion Week and cast 24 women from the organization as models. For the Fall/Winter 2012 New York Fashion Week, Warburton reprised his role as producer for the Real Fashion, Real Women runway show. That year, he cast models for the show which included 21 women from Bottomless Closet and five celebrities with reality stars Aviva Drescher and Kate Gosselin among them. Gosselin's participation garnered substantial backlash on social media. In 2017, Warburton was honored with the Style Ambassadorship to the city of Los Angeles by the California State Assembly for his work with the homeless. Since his appointment, Warburton has planned fundraisers for the Union Rescue Mission, an organization that aids the homeless in Los Angeles. Warburton is a supporter of international water aid charitable organization, Just A Drop and was appointed the organization's Goodwill Ambassador in 2017. Later that year, he traveled with the organization to build wells in Nicaragua. Warburton is one of the content creators for the Social Networth organization in which social media influencers use their platforms to increase the visibility of their selected charities. Since 2019, Warburton has volunteered with the Hollywood Food Coalition, preparing and serving food to the homeless in Los Angeles. Warburton is involved with Rhonda's Kiss, a charitable organization that assists patients with non-medical costs.

In June 2023,, Warburton was asked by Los Angeles Magazine to be a celebrity panelist for "Pride Through the Ages", where he joined the legendary George Tekai and drag super star Trixie Mattel.

Awards

 * Best Digital Series - iHollywood Festival Awards 2021
 * NEWYOU Beauty Awards - Style Icon Award 2022
 * American Goodwill Ambassador for Clean Water by Just a Drop 2016
 * Icon Award at Fashion Group International Florida, 2023