DOING YOUR OWN THING

As a public figure, who's professionally active through various social channels, taking other people's opinions and expectations into consideration is a big part of my life. So when I came across this Vogue article yesterday, it went straight to my heart. Not only do I (just as so many other fashion lovers) think of Vogue as one of the pioneers in fashion media, I respect its heritage and cutting-edge journalism. I never agreed with the opinions on Vogue's most prominent figure, Anna Wintour, being an unapproachable ice queen: she's a monument, the ultimate boss, and the way she graciously takes care of her responsibilities is one of the most inspiring achievements for me.

This is to say: when the Vogue editors are discontent with how bloggers and so-called influencers approach the fashion world, I understand where they're coming from. The street style scene, including several outfit changes a day and 'casual' posing in front of dozens of photographers, has a batshit crazy aspect to it. In the same way that the daily lives of famous people are portrayed, or even the life of your next-door neighbour on Instagram or Snapchat, it isn't real.

But what bothers me about the Vogue article is that there is no acknowledgement of the love and creativity that goes into what bloggers do. It's because of pieces like these that I detest describing myself as a blogger or an influencer - not because of the word itself, but because of the associations with it that were created along the way (much like the word feminist, which I believe was only recently released from its slightly hysterical-woman-screaming-for-gender-equality associations by artists such as Queen B and Emma Watson making it okay again). Let's just cut to the chase: there are a lot of bad bloggers out there. Just as there are a lot of very very bad fashion magazines. Simply put, for every segment of the creative media, there's good stuff (made by creatives) and there's bad stuff (made by people who are only in it for the money). But to conclude that all bloggers are fake money-crazed puppets who wake up to eat 1 grape and then go off to have a couple of pictures taken whilst chewing gum and scrolling through their selfies during fashion shows: that's just not right. 

So in the spirit of keeping things real, let me honestly tell you what the Fashion Weeks are like for me. My team and I start prepping months in advance, contacting brands, brainstorming about interesting concepts, arranging hotels, doing research on nice locations in the area, trying to anticipate on upcoming trends, assembling outfits,... - the list goes on and on. The Fashion Month itself is a blur of activities: from fittings, attending shows, taking pictures, connecting with clients, to traveling from NYC to London to Milan to Paris, and writing interesting content with triple jetlags and a constant fear of tripping over your dress or having buttons pop off. That's the way it is. Ironically, in all this craziness, it's my love of fashion and the creativity that's displayed in the shows that keeps me going. I still find it a privilege to witness the amazing creations that the designers have come up with, and it makes my heart jump for joy when I see something I never thought I would. And for the record: I do not as a rule get paid to wear the outfits I so carefully assemble; if I get lucky, I get to keep the clothes that I request, and if not, I send them back to the designers - grateful that I got to wear them and hoping that I did justice to their creativity.

So you see, when I read about how bloggers are heralding the death of style, it upsets me, because I have struggled. It's been 7 years since I decided to focus full-time on Fashionata, and let me tell you that it's been very hard. In fact, in the same sense that my love of fashion keeps me going during the Fashion Month, it's invariably been that same love that kept me going during those first years when no one read my platform and I gained zero income from it. I'm proud of my business, my team, the collaborations we so carefully select, and my general accomplishments - just like Anna Wintour taught me. So instead of fighting the evolution of social media and its impact on the fashion world - why not join forces through our mutual love of the fashion industry's creativity?

How do you feel about this? Do you ever struggle with doing you own thing, despite what other people say? I'd love to hear!