YOUNG, STYLISH, SELF-MADE AND DIGITAL SAVVY, MEET THE GIRLS THAT BRANDS WANT TO ASSOCIATE WITH, MAGAZINES WANT TO SHOOT WITH AND EVERYBODY WANTS TO FOLLOW…
Over the last few years identifying online influencers has become a key issue for brands to communicate about their products or services. For this issue, we rounded up four such uber stylish influencers, who also happen to be the youngest in the country. Read ahead as we try to understand the business of personal branding.
Photography: Runvijay Paul Hair and Make up: Rashmi Shastri
GIRLS PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELVES TO OUR NEW READERS
S: Hi I am Santoshi Shetty from thestyledge.com. I am an architect turned fashion blogger from Mumbai and I am 23 years old.
M: I am Masoom, fashion blogger at stylefiestadiaries.com and the CEO of fashion label Style Fiesta. I am also from Mumbai.
A: Hi guys, I am Angelina, a 19 year old over energetic fashion blogger from Nagaland. You can find me at @angxlinapg on Instagram.
J: Hello! I am Juhi Godambe, a Mumbai girl with big dreams. My world is on www.juhigodambe.com.
WHAT GOT YOU INTO BLOGGING
S: I have always been a fashion enthusiast, even as a kid. I remember wanting to look like the birthday girl at a friend’s birthday. Which explains my career choice.
M: I did a marketing internship with Brand Marketing India (fashion house holding FCUK & Calvin Klein) where I worked more on the ‘business’ aspect of fashion and I loved what I was doing. One project at Brand Marketing India (BMI) was a research project on Fashion Bloggers, and that’s the first time I stumbled upon the concept of fashion blogging, and frankly, I was enthralled. After completing my stint with BMI, I started my own fashion blog. I would style my existing wardrobe in different ways, bribe my mom/aunt to photograph me and post it online. What started out purely as a hobby, was soon garnering thousands of hits, numerous comments and amazing feedback from unknown readers. Month on month, I started blogging as much as I could, building a relationship with my readers, based on just one thing – I enjoyed doing it!
A: I had started blogging a year ago, but I wanted to do YouTube as well. So, I thought about taking a break, focusing on my 12th year. And then I got a little help, and here I began blogging. I was a tomboy, fashion did not interest me until the age of 16.
J: I started off as a stylist with a popular fashion magazine. Then I went ahead and launched a brand, blogging was always a side by side thing. My parents have been working as hair and make up artists for decades, so basically I grew up into the industry.
WHAT WAS YOUR I’VE MADE IT MOMENT
S: Winning the Elle & Cosmopolitan Blogger of the year, getting featured on the Grazia Cool List 2016 and being one of the speakers at the Times of India Education.
M: Representing India as a women entrepreneur for a HSBC Women Entrepreneurship campaign.
A: It is definitely this! With my role model, Santoshi Shetty.
J: Not sure if that has happened yet. Trust me I have big dreams that even scare me at times.
YOUR BEST COLLABORATIONS YET
S: H&M, being one of my favourite brands. Even before it came to India, I always made a point to shop at the store whenever I used to travel! That was even before I started blogging. So for them to collaborate with me was definitely a big deal! I also got featured on their global social media pages.
M: Hard to say especially since I only work with brands I love and admire.
A: I love all the collaborations, if I half liked it, I would not work with the brand. I am only 19 and I have a long way to go.
J: It has to be my collaboration with Nike. The collaboration has been more motivating than ever for me to reach my fitness goals.
YOUR FAVOURITE BLOGGER, INDIA AND INTERNATIONAL
S: Hmm… this would be someone from the Men’s fashion space. Usaamah Siddique from The Dapper Label because I really find his content very international, in terms of his styling, his picture compositions & frames. From the international level, it has to be Negin Mirsalehi and Kristina Bazan because they have definitely made it big with some organic content & some effortless styling. They really know how do the basics right. Also, Shani Amit has been one of my biggest inspirations.
M: I admire Shereen Sikka for her individuality. Negin Mirsalehi from the international lot, I resonate with her style.
A: From the ones in India, I really love Santoshi’s style! She is very cool, her style is always cool and never over the top. Something most bloggers tend to do, is over the top. I absolutely adore @thegreylayers and @janicejoostema because I like to believe we have the same style.
J: Love my girl Santoshi! She is so inspiring. Also love the work the girls at MISU do. Negin Mirselehi has an effortless sense of style and so does also Chriselle Lim. These are my two favourites from the international blogging brigade.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE IN YOUR TEAM
S: We are a group of three people. Hair and make-up, I mostly manage on my own. Unless it is a collaboration with a make up brand, in that case, I hire a professional. I work with a couple of photographers but Mrinmai Parab has definitely been family for my blog. I travel solo most of the times and I think iphone works best for social media and sometime the blog too. Other times I ask random people to click my picture which is actually fun, they don’t understand the frames but it’s okay because it doesn’t need to be perfect every time.
M: I have a total of eight members in my team. I prefer to do my own hair and make-up, because that’s what blogging is about – DIY. Although sometimes, I do enjoy collaborating with professionals to create refreshing looks. I work with multiple photographers. When I’m travelling I usually prefer to work with photographers from the destination I am in itself.
A: There are three of us in team Angelina. I have an in-house photographer. I am a beauty Instagrammer and blogger so I do my own hair and make-up.
J: I have a total of four members in my team for the blog. Most days I prefer keeping my makeup super minimal. When the shoot is more conceptualized I have a team that comes with me for hair and make-up. My photographer freelances with me, but he is pretty much permanently shooting with me at all times.
WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTOSHOP APP
S: Vsco and A6 are my favourite!
M: PS Express. A: I use the app Facetune and also VSCO.
J: Picmonkey.
IT IS A GOOD SHIFT IN FASHION, NOW BRANDS NOT ONLY LOOK TO CELEBRITIES TO ENDORSE THEIR PRODUCT
S: I think it is the best thing to have happened to fashion: choice and diversity! It is organic and real. People want to know actual reviews from people they can relate more closely with.
M: About time real girls got some leverage 🙂
A: Social media has created this entire platform and jobs for people with new talents. It is pretty cool that you can be yourself, do your thing and make a living out of it. You don’t have to be an actor or a cricketer to be able to relate to people or influence them.
J: I think India is still a place where Bollywood is a big deal in fashion. I think the Indian fashion industry still needs to embrace other members. As far as endorsements are concerned I think social media has been a huge game changer due to which influencers are being given a certain kind of credibility.
WHAT’S THE ONE BIG STEP YOU WOULD WANT TO TAKE (E.G. KRISTINA BAZAN WHO WENT ON TO RECORD SONGS AND AIMEE SONG WROTE A BOOK ABOUT HER SUCCESS) :
S: I’m on it. Once I’m sure, I’ll let everybody know about this 🙂
M: I would love to write a book. And do a capsule collection with a luxury brand.
A: I want to start my own clothing line sometime in the future.
J: I took a huge step this year with the launch of my brand Arabellaa.
OUR BLOGGING COMMUNITY SEEMS QUITE CLOSE KNIT, BUT YOU ARE ALSO EACH OTHER’S COMPETITION. HAVE YOU EVERY EXPERIENCED IT FIRST HAND
S: No we all are great friends, and it feels amazing to share things with them. We understand how it works and honestly it feels so comfortable to be around the blogging community & help each other. I feel blessed to have made some really good friends.
M: I’ve only experienced mutual support from these girls and I have known them for long. Angelina I had never met before but we did have a good connection.
A: I try to keep to myself and keep it to work. I’ve had a great time with these girls and I feel they are a genuine lot, you can’t ignore vibes.
J: Luckily the circle I hang out with, we all know that we have our own USPs. There’s more of a sisterhood which I’m so grateful for!
THERE ARE RUMOURS OF BLOGGERS BUYING FOLLOWERS
S: I really don’t think too much about all that, because I can’t waste my energy on stressing over such rumours. I’d rather use my energy to get some content out.
M: Rumours don’t impact an individual fuelled with creativity. I’m nonchalant about this topic. If someone buys followers they probably have different goals and are driven by a different mission that is unlike mine.
A: Well to clear the air, I have worked very hard. I have spent a lot more of time and money on make-up and shopping for outfits to get me where I am. And I am proud that my hard work has earned me my followers. Where there are pretty girls getting money and popularity, there will always be rumours.
J: These rumours don’t affect people who truly work hard, the real followership reflects someway or the other. So yeah it shouldn’t really matter. Your collaborations and your content will speak for you.
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO LEARN TO SAY NO EVEN IF IT MEANS LOSING ON PAID PROJECTS
S: I have said no to many if it doesn’t suit the essence of my blog & my style. Initially it was a bit difficult but right now, I know how to do it because if I’m doing something it has to be 100% or I won’t do it at all. So better to take up things that you like and make it look amazing!
M: Yes – all the time! If you’re not authentic with your choices, you’re being unfair to your readership, the crux of the blogging universe.
A: Saying no is one of the toughest part of the job, also because its more about contacts and the future, less about money.
J: Of course I do, not because I am lazy but because I think in a field like mine it is important to filter the brands you work with. I’ve learnt to say no over time after a couple initial regretful collaborations.
HOW DID YOU TURN YOUR BLOG INTO A BUSINESS
S: Collaborations are basically ads, just like in magazines. Our blog is also a magazine and it needs to get rewarded for generating some content for brands. That’s how it eventually turns out to be a business.
M: Frankly, I was too young to strategise when my first ever collaboration came knocking on my door. Since then it’s been a effortless journey 🙂
A: With time and consistency every hobby becomes a business, if you want it to. I had made up my mind that if I am going to put my time and effort in it, I am going to make a living out if it.
J: It happened when a brand asked me what my commercials were, which confused me at first, then I realised that I can make a career out of this.
DOES THE NEW KIND OF COMPETITOR BOTHER YOU? WHILE SOME BLOGGERS HAVE SPENT YEARS BLOGGING WHEN IT WAS NOT AN EASY OR POPULAR THING TO DO. CHIA FERRAGNI FOR EXAMPLE WHO HAS BEEN BLOGGING SINCE 2009 AND HAS 5 MILLION + FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM, HER SISTER WHO ALSO HAS A MILLION FOLLOWERS, IS A FAIRLY NEW INSTAGRAM BLOGGERS
S: It’s a cycle, everyone has their own way to make it big. Whatever it is, it’s the hard work and their positivity here that makes one achieve things. Sometimes you do feel it’s unfair but I have learnt to look at the brighter side of it, which is to focus on my own work and take it to another level. Everyone gets what they deserve.
M: I, for one, am not affected by competition.
A: If they are good, time will test and tell. People are always looking for something and someone new. You can only do your best.
J: I think it is all fair! Everyone has their own definition of blogging and each and everyone gets a taste of success if they work hard or have a unique factor.
THIS IS A TRICKY QUESTION BUT OUR READERS WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT’S THE AVERAGE SALARY OF A FASHION BLOGGER
S: It varies every month. It can be anything from one lakh to six per month. It really is unlimited if you are talented, hit the right audience, if your voice is unique. Also depends on how many projects you can squeeze in a month.
M: This depends on the genre you cover. For example, Youtube blogs/bloggers are higher paid than written blogs/bloggers or whether a blogger takes up any work that comes their way or strictly only promotes products that are genuine. I cannot give numbers.
A: Save this question for our next interview maybe? I am only 19 and this is just the beginning!
J: I started with 10,000 a month back then, it just gets better. Every blogger has the freedom to decide what they think they are worth, that is the best part of the job, if they believe in you, they will pay you what you deserve.
WHAT IS YOUR GOAL FOR 2017
S: My goal is to be a better version of myself! I see myself as my own competition and I want to just get better each passing day, better than yesterday. This is what will eventually take me places.
M: My wedding!
A: I want to collaborate with my favourite brands and travel the world for work.
M: To go on at least one solo trip!
PLEASE TELL OUR READERS SOMETHING THEY DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU
S: Well, what they know is I’m very socialising, fun and energetic all the time. But what they don’t know is, I’m really not a party person. I love dancing but if you see me on a Friday or Saturday night, I’m spending my weekend at home all by myself! I love doing that. That’s my way of rejuvenation to get up and work better and harder on myself on Monday. It only comes when you love your job! And I’m in love with mine!
M: As many of my readers would never believe looking at my recent photographs in high heels and vintage sunnies, I was a total tomboy during my school years (football captain too), I always came home with the dirtiest socks and my mum would always question my feminine instincts. Also, I’m accused of having ADD by my colleagues and I can be very grumpy when I’m not fed properly!
A: That I am an Indian. I have been asked if I am Indian more than a few times! Sigh!
J: I am very stubborn, I have a major sweet tooth and I used to be a chubby kid.
IT WAS A QUICK SHOOT! YOU GIRLS PULLED THE METALLIC THEME QUITE WELL
S: The looks were edgy and cool! I also loved the Swatch metallic watches. They make a statement and stand out even when the outfits are very bold and colourful!
M: I totally loved the street touch to an otherwise party theme.
A: I realised I look good in metallics which is something I never really tire of. I’m going shopping after this.
J: I’m half Sindhi, I’m all about metallics!
