For their second Fashion and Beauty Blog Conference, also known as FABB, Lucky Magazine invited top bloggers to chat with fashion insiders that included Diane Von Furstenberg, The Kardashian sisters who will be featured on the magazine’s November cover, beloved bloggers Leandra Medine (manrepeller.com), Phil Oh (streetpeeper.com), Rodger Berman (husband and business partner to Rachel Zoe), and Thrillist founder Adam Rich, amongst others. Both Leandra and Phil’s contribution was most insightful because, in case you didn’t already know, the web is the future and their blogs are it. Their look into what’s next is what has built their audiences, and is also why we can’t help but read their every post.
Always an activist for female empowerment, Diane von Furstenberg shared lifestyle tips for women, and says that she has been on to the blogging movement since before the Bryan Boy’s of today. She has always kept a journal, and more importantly, always kept in contact with her consumers. Her success today is due in large part to this close consideration: that trends are set on the streets, and a successful designer listens to their customer. DVF’s three cardinal rules for women include:
1. The most important relationship you have is the one you have with yourself.
2. Have children.
3. Have an identity outside of your career
A panel discussion that included Man Repeller founder Leandra Medine and Phil Oh of Street Peeper explained how these ordinary fashion addicts found their success on the Internet. When asked how she came up with the idea behind Man Repeller, Leandra suggested that the concept has been manifesting itself for some time. After a string of broken relationships, Leandra concluded that the reason she could not get a guy to commit was because of the way she dressed. As a result, the Man Repeller was born. Since launching her blog, she has found the kind of success that other bloggers only dream of. She has started her own clothing line, and has been asked to create fashion features for Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour Magazine, and various other publications. A style tip that Leandra shares is to never “pigeon hole” a trend. In her opinion, stores often over buy into trends. Instead, she suggests, incorporate trends into your look, without making it your whole look. Although she tries to stay in contact with each and every one of her followers, Leandra also shares that it is virtually impossible to predict what kind of post will get the most attention. In her experience, the most unlikely ones often do. Phil Oh is the mastermind behind Street Peeper. His photographs have been featured in magazines such as Vogue, and he credits time and patience to his success. According to Phil, success does not come overnight, and will only come once you have set yourself apart from the rest.
In a similar light, Rodger Berman gave his business-minded approach to finding success in the fashion industry. He discussed finding the right partnership for your business, and building a relationship with your audience through the Internet. For his business endeavor with wife Rachel Zoe, the future holds two new fashion channels, in addition to the Zoe Report. He broke the news to bloggers today, and shared the working titles for the new additions: “zoe beautiful” and “accezoerize.” In terms of finding the right partnership, Adam Rich of Thrillist added that Daily Candy gave he and his partner the ideal platform for their business concept.
Some of the best advice being given at the FABB conference is that which encourages originality. Here are five keys to success that I found most influential:
1. Write your thesis (your purpose) and own it
2. You don’t have to be first, you just have to be fresh
3. Don’t look sideways at what your peers are doing, look forward
4. Your audience needs to trust you
5. Be original, be you!
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September 7, 2011New York Fashion Week 2011: God Save My Shoes Premier
