Fashion Blogging…it seems like the coolest trend to hit the internet lately. Every social media outlet has its famous fashion bloggers. Everything from styling, trends, do-it-yourself, to accessories are covered by bloggers. This allows all fashion information to be exchanged and grow at an incredible speed.Kelly Cook, fashion blogger
Kelly Cook is the co-founder of popular fashion blog website, BagSnob.com. She graduated from the University of Southern California where she met Tina Craig, the other co-founder of BagSnob. Her first job after college was working for fashion designer Mark Eisen in New York. After her first daughter was born in 2005, she found herself yearning for a creative outlet outside of motherhood. Her friend Jay Brewer had given her the idea of starting a blog. BagSnob was born in September 2005. BagSnob has quickly grown into a bonafide business with more than 250,000 unique visitors across six different Web properties covering apparel, beauty, jewelry, children’s clothing, and most recently, shoes.
Tommy Lei, fashion blogger
Tommy Lei is the storyteller behind mybelonging, a personal style journal that is filled with curated stories on his obsessions, foodie adventures, and moments with friends and family. He is also the gay personality of One Straight, One Gay, an emerging fashion blog that showcases menswear from two different perspectives. A recent graduate of Cornell University, Tommy works as a creative strategist at an interactive marketing agency and serves as a freelance, branding and social media consultant during his spare time.
How does one make it as a successful fashion blogger?
The website “Independent Fashion Bloggers” (heartifb.com) has 25 tips for you to get started…
1. Bulk up your Twitter feed. Follow everyone and anyone that might be important to your writing. Sometimes designers, models, or other fashion notables drop hints that you can catch.
2. Constantly check your Twitter. Following those folks won’t do a darn thing if you don’t keep tabs on them.
3. Turning “news” into “fashion news.” There will be times where a normal piece of news can be turned into fashion-related news. The downturn of the economy? How does that affect fashion?
4. Always ask the questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? To get that kernel of information for a story.
5. Interview people in the field. Interviews are always a great way to get first-hand information that they might not have revealed to any other news source. Make sure to ask the right questions (see above!).
6. Find the details and elaborate. Pay attention to the small stuff, it could lead to a bigger story.
7. Make the phone calls. Want to know the percentage of sales made online vs. in- tore for a company? Call them for the scoop!
8. Introduce yourself when you are out and about. Hand out your card and let people know what you do. That way, if anyone ever has a tip, they can reach out to you.
9. Make the connection between stories. This will start to come along with practice. Think about current events in your field and try to make connections to reveal overarching themes that have been untapped.
10. Find a new angle. If a story is blowing up in fashion news, try not to just regurgitate it. Look for other ways to write about it, whether it be highlighting a different aspect, getting a quote from someone involved who hasn’t been quoted, or adding in “expert” opinions on the matter.
11. Make friends in the biz. The easiest way to get the first pick of fresh stories is by making friends in the fashion industry of all levels. That way when they casually mention something that’s going on at work, or they want something reported on, you are there to scoop it up.
12. Mark your calendar. Go to the events, fashion shows, the sample sales and get in the middle of it all.
13. Listen to the chatter. What is everyone discussing? What’s the next big thing? You’d be surprised at how honing in other people’s conversations can spark a story.
14. Understand the non-story story. There are a lot of stories that start off as “non-stories” and can be molded into news stories. Again, it’s about finding that small piece of information that you can expand into something bigger.
15. Check the websites. Small blogs, major magazine sites, fashion news sites, tech sites, etc. Be aware of what your competition is talking about so you can stay ahead.
16. Join forces with friends. Make other writer friends and share your experiences and stories. What might not work for one person’s website might be the “scoop du jour” for you.
17. Visit the shops. There’s nothing easier than stopping by shops, from the high-end boutiques to the middle-America malls, to observe what people are buying, or better yet, what brands are selling.
-Jackie Tiongson, V3con blogger
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