By Farheem Aziz
Two summers ago, I was privileged enough to travel amongst the four main fashion capitals in the world. I took a fashion-marketing and styling course in London and Paris over the course of six weeks. I was also able to visit Milan.
My summer abroad was when my aspirations of becoming a fashion blogger began. Being around people whom varied from being as posh as Victoria Beckham to channeling their inner Liv Tyler made me feel “some type of way.” I always had, as cliché as this sounds, a passion for fashion since I was a toddler.
Born and raised in New York, inspiration was all around me. I was one of those girls that would get overly dressed for class in middle and high school. I sometimes even wore heels to school. Embarrassing, I know.
My mother would constantly scold me about how “school is not a fashion show.” Little did she know, dressing up was going to be a huge part of my life.
Blogging has impacted my life in a creative outlet by teaching me that no one can be right or wrong. You have to start somewhere, and from that starting point you will do nothing but grow. This takes time, but it does happen.
Remember how awkward and tacky your first Instagram post was? As time went on, your Instagram became more aesthetically pleasing. This was also the case with my sketchbook in my fashion styling class.
It was remarkable to see how every student in my class visibly grew as a fashion stylist in the course of just six weeks. Fashion blogging is a great way to inspire people—not only through their blogs, but also through social media channels for those who don’t keep up with blogs.
This is also a great marketing tactic. Fashion marketing is growing rapidly due to utilization of social media. I love that social media gives the public the chance to be apart of something. The snapchat stories from fashion week giving people sneak peaks of what is going on behind the scenes was a great way to engage consumers.
I always struggled with defining my fashion identity. My style varies from vintage-thrifty to modern-day diva, as does my personality. Not being able to describe my style has always given me anxiety because what kind of fashion blogger doesn’t have a set style? Why am I dressing like a punk when I have the bubbliest personality of all time?
In time, I realized how foolish these questions were. Appearance is a facade and does not reveal the entire personality of a person. By choosing to dress a certain way, people can make assumptions but it is interactions and interpersonal relationships that reveal the nature of a person, not their outfits.
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Fashion changes by the minute–literally and figuratively. Every designer has a different line each runway season. Some more drastic than others. I dress by my mood and that is how it should be.
A few of my favorite fashion blogger who I follow religiously are Negin Mirsalei, Aimee Song, and Olivia Hargrove. If there was one thing I took away from my time abroad, it is that inspirations form from observations. A great trick to develop that observation into a new idea creatively, is by sketching — either by hand or digitally — and then just see where things go from there.
I hope to launch my own site soon and really develop my online presence. For now I’m contributing to variety of platforms and really loving being able to contribute and share with others my personal style. Don’t be afraid to share your passion with others!
Check out my first blog piece with College Fashionista and my instagram!