Community Guidelines

These Guidelines apply to everyone who uses Encore: clients, stylists, applicants, and anyone a client or stylist brings to or allows to be present at a session. You are responsible for the conduct of anyone you invite. You must be 18 or older to use Encore.

Treat stylists, clients, and Encore staff with courtesy and professionalism. Be on time, communicate honestly, and keep your interactions kind. Rudeness, contempt, intimidation, and abusive language have no place on Encore.

Encore is for everyone. You may not refuse service to, cancel on, harass, or treat anyone less favorably because of race, color, ancestry or national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital or familial status, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, source of income, citizenship, primary language, or military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Stylists run independent businesses and may decline any booking for legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons, for example their availability, the scope or location of the work, safety, or whether a request fits their practice. What no one may do is decline a booking or treat someone worse because of a protected characteristic.

Specialization is not discrimination. A stylist may define, focus, or limit the services they offer, for example by aesthetic or style, occasion, garment category, the size range or body types they are equipped to serve, budget or price level, service format, or area of expertise, and may decline work outside that specialty or their capacity. Describing or limiting services this way is a legitimate business choice. What is prohibited is using a stated specialty as a pretext to refuse or disfavor someone because of a protected characteristic.

Styling is personal work, and it should always feel comfortable. No one should be touched without their consent. Some styling involves looking at fit and, at times, adjusting a garment or taking a measurement; this happens only with the client’s clear permission, and either person may pause or stop at any time, for any reason. If a touch or a request for one feels unwelcome, it is.

We have zero tolerance for harassment, bullying, threats of any kind, hate speech, stalking, unwanted sexual advances, sexual harassment, and sexual assault, before, during, or after a session, on or off the platform. This conduct can result in immediate and permanent loss of access to Encore, and we report unlawful conduct to the authorities. Nothing in our Terms limits your right to bring a claim of sexual assault or sexual harassment as the law allows.

Respect each other’s privacy.

• Recording. Do not photograph, audio- or video-record, livestream, or publish the other person, a session, or a private home or space without that person’s consent.
• Client photos. Stylists may keep and use work samples consistent with the Stylist Agreement and with their client’s permission. Encore uses a client’s image, name, or story in our own marketing only under a separate written Photo and Testimonial Release.
• Personal information. Do not post or share someone else’s personal information. Use any contact or personal details you receive only to arrange and carry out a booking, as described in our Privacy Policy.

In-person sessions take place in homes, studios, and other private spaces, so a few common-sense standards apply.

• No weapons. Do not bring firearms or other weapons to a session, to the extent permitted by law.
• No impairment. Do not provide or receive styling while impaired by drugs or alcohol.
• The session space. If you host a session, you are responsible for that space and for anyone you allow to be present (see the assumption of risk in our Terms of Service). Keep it safe and reasonable for the work.
• Trust your instincts. You may decline, pause, or end a session at any time if you feel unsafe or uncomfortable. If you are ever in danger, contact local emergency services first, then tell us.

You may not refuse, cancel on, or penalize anyone because they use a service animal or an assistive device such as a wheelchair, cane, or crutches. We want Encore to work for everyone; if you have trouble accessing any part of the platform or need an accommodation, contact us at hello@encorestylist.com and we will work with you.

Keep Encore trustworthy.

• Be who you say you are. Provide accurate information, do not impersonate anyone, and do not misrepresent your identity, experience, or qualifications. Keep one account.
• Honest reviews and content. Reviews must be truthful and first-hand. Do not post fake, paid, undisclosed incentivized, or retaliatory reviews, and Encore does not pay for or condition any benefit on positive reviews. Do not post content that is false, infringing, abusive, sexual or nude, or that contains another person’s private information.
• Protect the platform. Do not scrape, crawl, hack, probe or circumvent security, introduce malware, or otherwise interfere with how Encore works, and do not manipulate reviews, ratings, search placement, or bookings.
• Protect the platform’s tools and data. Do not scrape, harvest, or export platform or client data, and do not use the platform’s tools or automated systems to defraud anyone. The platform service fee applies to bookings made and completed through Encore. You are free to work with anyone off the platform, including someone you met through Encore, with no fee, conversion charge, or penalty; how this works is set out in the booking-through-the-platform terms of our Terms of Service and the Stylist Agreement.
• No fraud. Do not use Encore to deceive, scam, or defraud anyone, and do not misuse payments, refunds, or chargebacks.

When pieces are rented from a stylist’s own wardrobe, both sides keep the experience trustworthy. The stylist owns the pieces and sets the rental terms directly with the client; Encore facilitates the booking and payment but never takes custody of a piece, never insures, cleans, or inspects it, and does not decide any rental dispute. The rental terms, including the price, the condition and return process, and any charge for late return, loss, or damage (which is tied to the stylist’s actual, documented loss), are in the Terms of Service and the Stylist Agreement.

• If you rent a piece. Treat it with care and wear it as intended. Do not clean, repair, or alter it unless the stylist instructs you to, and do not sublet, pass it on, or give it to anyone else. Avoid exposing it to smoke, heavy fragrance, or anything that can cause permanent damage. Return it on time using the method chosen at booking.
• If you rent out a piece. List only pieces you own and may lawfully rent, describe them accurately, and provide them clean and wearable. Do not list intimates, undergarments, or swimwear worn against the body, or items that are soiled, damaged, or unsanitary. Handle the condition and return process honestly.

Do not use Encore to break the law or to facilitate anything illegal, including violence, trafficking, the exploitation of minors, or the sale of unlawful goods or services. Follow the laws that apply to you. Stylists are independent businesses and are responsible for the licenses, registrations, and insurance their services require, as described in the Stylist Agreement.

• Reporting. If something feels wrong, a safety concern, harassment, discrimination, or any violation of these Guidelines, tell us through the in-app report tools or at hello@encorestylist.com. Stylists must also report session-related incidents involving injury, property damage, or a safety concern as their Agreement requires. In an emergency, contact local emergency services first.
• What we do. We review reports, may ask you for information, and may act to protect the community. Depending on what happened, our response can range from a warning, to removing content, to suspending or permanently ending access to Encore. Serious violations, including violence, threats, sexual misconduct, discrimination, or fraud, can result in immediate removal.
• Conduct outside Encore. Where conduct off the platform bears on someone’s safety on Encore, including serious incidents between people who met through Encore, we may consider it in deciding what action to take.
• Cooperation with authorities. We cooperate with law enforcement and respond to valid legal process, and we may preserve and disclose information as our Privacy Policy and the law allow.
• Appeals. If we suspend or end your access and you believe we got it wrong, you may ask us to review the decision by replying to our notice or writing to hello@encorestylist.com. Account actions are otherwise handled as described in our Terms of Service and the Stylist Agreement.

We may update these Guidelines as Encore grows; we will revise the date above and, for material changes, provide a more prominent notice as described in the Terms of Service and the Stylist Agreement. Formal legal notices follow the process in those agreements. Questions, or something to report? Reach us at hello@encorestylist.com.