In a fashion world that often prizes novelty over depth, Ivy Coco Maurice is doing something rarer building a career that reaches backward through time just as deliberately as it looks forward. The stylist, best known for her work with her mother, acclaimed actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, is guided by something most in the industry cannot claim: a family legacy that quite literally shaped the history of fashion in a nation.
A grandmother who changed everything
To understand Maurice’s work, you have to start with her grandmother, Ivy Ralph, a pioneering figure in Jamaican fashion. Shortly after Jamaica gained independence in 1962, the elder Ralph created what became known as the Kareeba suit a garment that took on far greater cultural meaning when then Prime Minister Michael Manley wore it in the 1970s, turning it into a symbol of national pride and sovereignty.
That legacy recently received long overdue international recognition when Ivy Ralph’s work was featured in the Costume Institute’s Superfine, Tailoring Black Style exhibition at the Met Gala, one of the most prestigious showcases in the fashion world.
For Maurice, who spent childhood summers in Jamaica inside her grandmother’s shop surrounded by sewing machines, the hum of Christian music, and scraps of fabric she would piece together into her earliest attempts at garments that history is not abstract. It is personal, tactile, and deeply motivating.
From Syracuse to the red carpet
Maurice studied Retail Management and Economics at Syracuse University before finding her footing in the industry as an assistant stylist on music video productions, including the Calvin Harris and Rihanna collaboration This Is What You Came For. But the career-defining turn came when she began styling her own mother.
It was not an obvious move at first, and Maurice has spoken about the initial hesitation that came with such a personal professional arrangement. But as Sheryl Lee Ralph’s visibility grew particularly following her breakthrough role in the hit ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary so did the stakes and the opportunities.
Redefining what fashion looks like at every age
What has emerged from that mother-daughter partnership is something the fashion industry rarely celebrates: a sophisticated, confident approach to dressing mature women. Maurice’s philosophy centers on presence over decoration. The best look, in her view, is one where the person commands the clothing rather than the other way around where the wearer’s confidence is the most powerful thing in the room.
That ethos has translated into some genuinely memorable red carpet moments. When Sheryl Lee Ralph won Supporting Actress at the Critics Choice Awards in 2023, Maurice dressed her in a gown that paid quiet homage to Ralph’s iconic gold dress from Dreamgirls a piece of fashion that functioned as tribute and statement simultaneously. For the Emmys, Maurice put her mother in a custom Versace gown paired with Cartier jewelry, a look that balanced grandeur with personal storytelling.
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Archival instincts and cultural roots
Maurice’s fitting sessions with her mother often draw from classic cinema, particularly black and white films that capture a certain timeless elegance. Her research process is archival by nature, pulling from her grandmother’s 1970s collections and looking for pieces that carry cultural and emotional resonance rather than just aesthetic appeal.
That instinct for heritage extends to her broader work in the industry. Maurice has been actively shaping the visual identity of emerging reggae artists, including Grammy nominated Lila Iké and singer Naomi Cowan, bringing a considered, fashion forward lens to a genre that has not always received the same sartorial attention as other music spaces.
Keeping the House of Ivy alive
Perhaps the most meaningful project on Maurice’s horizon is the revival of her grandmother’s historic atelier, the House of Ivy. The effort is as much preservation as it is innovation a commitment to ensuring that the story Ivy Ralph began more than six decades ago continues to evolve and inspire.
For Maurice, fashion has never been just about clothes. It is about where you come from, who shaped you, and what you choose to carry forward. In that sense, every red carpet moment and every fitting is part of something much larger than a single look.
