Hey Stephanie, just give us a little introduction to yourself and your blog…
My blog focuses on my love of the colour black and dark fashion, with a little bit of lifestyle, travel, art & culture thrown in too. It’s basically a mixture of all of the things I love doing, plus my boyfriend’s beautiful photography & the occasional appearance by my puppy too!
What made you want to start blogging, and in one of the most competitive niches, fashion.
I studied fashion design at university, and in the beginning the blog was my way of keep myself inspired by fashion after I graduated. I decided to take a little time off before looking for a fashion related job, as I was exhausted & I wanted to make sure I stayed up to date with everything & was still a little involved in the industry during my break.
How has your blog changed since you first started blogging?
In the beginning it was more of a scrapbook, I never intended for it to become popular, or even read by other people at all – it was more of a diary for myself really! I posted mostly inspiration boards, illustrators & designers work that I found inspiring & only the occasional outfit post. I still make a point of posting about other artists & designers now, I don’t want it to become purely an outfit blog, but outfits are definitely the most popular posts now & I try to do at least 2 a week.
What has been the proudest moment of your blogging career so far?
The fact that it’s opened doors & given me so many opportunities that I would never have even had the chance of without the blog, so I will always be grateful for that. Plus getting to work with & meet so many amazing people, it’s quite surreal! The features are always nice too, I feel very proud to say I’ve been featured by some of my favorite brands & magazines.
What one piece of advice would you give to fashion bloggers just starting out now?
Find a way to stand out. There are so many blogs now, and a lot are very similar – all posting the same things as each other & copying what the huge bloggers post, in an attempt at getting some of their fame. New bloggers get lost in a sea of similar blogs & forgotten if they can’t find a way to stand out. I think the way I dress, and the fact it’s different to the way a lot of (UK in particular) bloggers do, has been the main thing that’s got my blog to where it is now. I love that I get emails from brands saying ‘we’re doing a feature on all black looks, and instantly thought of you!’, it’s become my signature & everyone needs one of those to be memorable. Also, never forget the power of social media & of being nice to everyone you meet!
What is your plan for the future of your blog, where would you like to see it and yourself in a year from now?
I hope to just keep doing what I’m doing now, and growing the blog & it’s audience even more. I’m launching a small collection of clothing under the FAIIINT label in the next few months, so I’m hoping to see that grow into a full time career over the next year or so. Fingers crossed!
And finally who are your favourite bloggers right now?
Kylie (http://www.memoirmode.com) & Tara and Jade (http://www.thestylerawr.com/) are some of the nicest girls I’ve met, and they both have awesome blogs too – I really love to read blogs by girls who dress totally differently to me. I’m also a big fan of 5 Inch & Up (http://5inchandup.blogspot.co.uk/), The Animal Orchestra (http://www.nadiabailey.com/), Style Marmalade (http://www.stylemarmalade.com/), Hybrid Hunter (http://hybrid-hunter.blogspot.co.uk/), and I love Bleaq (http://www.bleaq.com/) for my art fix too.
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First of all I`d like to say that I am Stephs` grandma & her number one fan. I take great interest in reading all the blogs out there and seeing so many different styles. Keep up the good work everyone, as this keeps me happy for hours. xx
Hey Mavis,
Thank you so much for your comment! It was a pleasure to interview Steph, it’s lovely to hear how involved you are in her blogging career!
Rebecca