Don't take it personal: Top 5 Reasons why Bloggers help you and not Hurt you

On Saturday May 23rd 2015 I will be speaking as a part of a very influential and insightful panel for the #GotBizSwag workshop hosted by the fabulous Favala! The event is sold out, so I thought I would share my small segment with those of you who are going to be missing it. I will be speaking about the symbiosis between bloggers and fashion designers, despite the ever-growing fear and denial of a bad blog review.

Essentially, for designers, the purpose of a fashion blogger is to create brand awareness and to market product to existing and potential clients. Bloggers have the potential to build content and bolster your brand message, if managed and engaged in a meaningful way.

Blogs are personality driven and therefore are better able to connect with potential buyers than  say, a company Facebook page. Blogs are often based on the writer's opinions (as opposed to a report), and the material in its subjective nature, will carry a negative or positive tone. This is what will engage people, helping them to form their own ideas and decisions about the brands in question.  There are so many benefits to incorporating blogging into your marketing strategy:

1.Social Media Imagery
A picture is worth a thousand words (or Likes lol) Bloggers often share content to various social media outlets simultaneously. In seconds, an Instagram post can be shared to Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook. Despite the content or caption, your image will be potentially seen by thousands. So many designers are discovered by their clients via pictures they saw on their Newsfeed. Getting into magazines and the newspaper is cool and all, but a social media share is gold, especially if your handle is plugged into the caption! Come to papa!

2.Fashion Bloggers are the new supermodels
Let's look at Saucy for example. Trinidad Carnival Diary has a massive following. She is now seen as a a major influence in the Carnival business. If it's good enough for her to wear, then we all need to wear it too! Getting blogger approval is the biggest  way to turn your looks into trends. Remember, bloggers want to promote themselves as well. They are not anonymous ghost writers, they are their own brand and they need to look the part. There is value in this cross promotion. You want them in your clothes.

3. Bad reviews get people talking more than Good reviews do
 No publicity is bad publicity. Ultimately you want your name out there. People want to insert their two cents into the bacchanal so they will research you when they hear about the hot mess that you are. Chances are, they will form their own opinions and you might just land a client. Chances are you don't, but you gained a few hundred more people who know your name now. Next time you have a show, that many more people are going to want to see what you come up with. Do not shy away from this massive marketing group because your skin isn't thick enough to face an innocent jab at your work.

4. It's useful advice at the end of the day
You don't like what a blogger said about you, but maybe you should at least think about it. It is an outsider's opinion and surely a very honest one. You may have become accustomed to friends and family patting your back so much that your head swelled up and you don't see your short comings. Ego is a big part of the Trinidad fashion world. Consider what the blogger and their followers are telling you. There is always room to improve.


5.Working together with bloggers is one of the most powerful digital PR tactics.
J. Angelique is a great example of a brand that has benefited from a healthy designer-blogger relationship. Designer, Janelle Forde has been able to reach a very wide audience with her social media fashion shows, where her new collections are debuted through a synchronised release of images and information over the social media feeds of different bloggers. She is able to reach thousands more than a regular fashion show would, and she is spared the expense of a production.

Thirty one gifts is a retail store that send bloggers products from their catalogue and asks them for reviews. This gains them tonnes of Social Media exposure and generates so many sales and so much brand awareness for the cost of some purses and clothes.

Of course it is important to seek out bloggers that are best suited for your brand. A great tip is to select bloggers based on how widely their content is shared, and not based on how many followers they have. Retweets, comments and engaged followers are most important.

What to wear to the wet fetes

Every year I wait with eager anticipation for Soaka- the best fete EVER.

This year, I went to bed around midnight and tried to peel myself off of the bed when my alarm sounded Kes "Your Body Wukking" at 2.30am! I put the coffee to brew and jumped in the shower to stretch out the cricks in my lower back with some Snake oil. I checked my body parts, made sure everything was intact. Since foot, waist and neck were working fine, to Soaka I went!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p31mbXaJPdc

The party starts at 3am and goes on through sunrise and the hours when you should be home making Sunday lunch. When Machel comes on, he calls for the water trucks to soak the crowd with enormous water hoses. Sounds like the prelude to pneumonia but it really is the BEST morning of your life.

This year I thought I would be all chic and wear my J. Angelique white ruffled bodysuit.

 I had never worn it before, and it was perfect with some blue denim shorts for a wet fete such as soaka. It definitely caught the attention of many a media photog. You can imagine my horror when I was handed a small plastic bag of yellow dyed powder. I was even more horrified at the overwhelming smell of scented talc- and the appearance of rainbow coloured clouds. Machel was set to shoot his video for Fog at the fete- I had only just received the memo that he was inspired by Phagwa for the concept. Before I knew it, I was covered in pinkness and my new suit was ruined.

So what to wear to the wet fetes?
I would have said to wear a cute crochet cover up, or a sleek monokini and hot pants- But since I "fraid powder" I would say wear whatever you don't mind ruining. A plain white vest, disposable shorts and waterproof makeup are your safest bet. You never know when a phagwa session might mysteriously present itself.

J. Angelique bodysuit has been soaking in a solution of bleach and water. Hoping for a miracle, Lazarus style.

Supporting Local Fashion

For as long as I have been dressing up, I have been wearing imported brands. I am a slave to Guess, Bebe, J. Crew, Macy's-- the whole shabang!

Only when I began formally styling in Trinidad did I realise what an injustice I was committing, not only to the local economy, but to my fellow local fashion enthusiasts! I admit it is much easier to go online and with the matter of a click (and 2 weeks shipping time) all that glitters from Forever 21 and Asos.com are yours. I decided to try it Trini Style. I have been only shopping locally, particularly from local designers and crafters, not so much in local shops with imported merchandise from USA though.

The response? People are noticing! I have never received so many compliments and "Where yuh get that?"s
When I answer them by saying that someone made it for me, or that I bought it from a jewellery designer in Belmont, the reaction is priceless! Why do we look far and wide for fashion when we have it in our backyard? I'm not saying to give up on the Marciano blazers completely, but I am suggesting that you look to our local creators and vendors for gems that make you unique.

Both Dresses attracted quite a lot of attention at two December Weddings! They were both custom made by Janelle Forde for J.Angelique.

Contact the designer at www.jangelique.com


I am also in love with Koko Karibi. See http://www.facebook.com/kokokaribidesigns?fref=ts for all their amazing pieces!

My friend Andrea and I in KoKo Karibi earrings!

Closer look at my earrings

            

Bought this ring for my cousin for Christmas!
(Gifted friends and family with local
fashion this year)

 My boyfriend did a good job getting me this Turquoise necklace from House of Jaipur!

Style Spirit Saturday

Style Spirit Fashion Weekend has had a lot to say. It has told us that we do not need to rely wholly on the government for everything. We have seen that there are a lot of new voices in the fashion industry that really want to be heard. The event has also taught us that with enough will and want- we can realize our dreams and do things that others are too scared to even try.

I was only able to attend the Saturday, starting with the jewellery trunk show in the morning and the runway shows in the evening. It was a fantastic way to spend a Saturday; immersing myself in local fashion and creative energy. In a nutshell, the jewellery trunk show was eye-opening. Only a small few of the local jewellery makers showed (and they had some truly wonderful pieces), so that tells me that there is a whole world of opportunity within our island for this niche.

I have to admit that last night at the first runway segment I was a bit underwhelmed. BUT before I start off on a negative note, let me mention how absolutely thrilled I was to be there. The location was great. Props to Style Spirit organizers for choosing a place outside of Port-of-Spain for a change. The staging was fantatsic. The Warehouse provided lofty walls of naked concrete brick. At the top were big open windows with frames still in red oxide. Inside the windows we could see the frantic behind the scenes action of hair and makeup almost as though it was an intentional theatrical element. At ground level, the cold blank canvas was decorated with nothing more than the elevated outstretched runway, supported by a network of iron rods and bolts. Backstage was isolated with nothing more than a sheer white fabric panel, so that the silhouette of the figures behind were visible. Three rows of chairs on either side of the runway were slowly filled up.

The raw setting would have provided a wonderful backdrop for a super visually dazzling fashion show. The juxtaposition of the crude warehouse elements with a melange of colour and glamour would have been ironic and modern and so Lookbook. I assume this is the vision that Mel had when she decided on the location. Perhaps the designers' collections should have been previewed before, because what most of them had was not fitting for this scene.

After a barely audible announcement 1 hour after the scheduled starting time, Lisa See Tai's Collection walked down the runway. NOT a good opening collection. Her designs were superbly constructed and I would say relevant to a young cool Trini woman, but to open the highly anticipated Style Spirit fashion weekend with jersey tops and short pants was a major anti climax.

Lisa See Tai

Lisa was followed by Pink Lemonade. This collection had some decent pieces. It was clear that the client is a confident woman who loves her body, as colours were mainly bright and necklines plunging. In between there were some pieces that seemed misplaced. Generally I felt like the collection had no direction or cohesion. The colour story threw me off, ranging from solid bright primaries, to moody khaki and beiges and then a busy print. I don't recall any colour being used more than once to be honest. The highlight was when one of the models removed her shoes mid- stage and the crowd applauded. Not me, I was confused.

Pink Lemonade designer(left) and the
Collecton's opening look

Art of Wear

The Art of Wear was perhaps the most thought-out collection. With a clear retro theme dressed up in swing music, 40's style coiffed models swayed down the runway in afro-ethnic prints and red belted waists. This designer seems to have a clear idea about who her client is and what she wants. The A-line skirt silhouette took a brief diversion to a straight pencil, but all well within this vision of a sophisticated Caribbean woman. I made the comparison with Miuccia Prada's Miu Miu aesthetic in terms of the use of print. The only constructive criticism I would have is that I would have liked to see more options other than dresses, like perhaps more trousers or walking shorts.

Art of Wear

The next Collection I looked for was Wadada Movement. Before they came on, were some really unappealing designers (Hutch and Favala) whose names I could not even hear with the muffled voice-over. These collections should have been excluded from the show. As my date for the night, Nissa Hanooman said perfectly, "No eh". Wadada is a  brand that knows how to put on a show. If you were getting bored, (or dying from thirst as I was, since there was not even a single refreshment available, far less a tap) the marcher's drums and the silhouettes of the twin designers erect as they stomped behind the sheer divider, would have woken you right up. With gun shots and Junior Gong sounding, I have to say I was excited. Models fiercely marched down the runway, stopping to pose and salute with their game faces on. It was soooo well put together that I was almost distracted from the ugly outfits. (I hate saying this because I know one of the designers personally and she is truly dedicated to her cause). The military themed khaki cotton separates were backed with lace and dressed up in pearls. That was just not making sense to me. I definitely appreciate the mix of hard and soft, but in this collection, for me, it was a bit jarring. I feel like their target audience is a cool rasta woman who goes out in her combat boots and red lips. That woman would not wear those designs. "A" for effort though.

J. Angelique opening piece

J. Angelique was another designer I really looked forward to seeing. Her opening piece (a sheer slowing white throw over with high neckline over a white bikini) was beautiful and set the pace for a Resort type collection. Designer Janelle Forde really has an eye for fabrics and knows what she wants to say with them. I would describe her collection as "easy-breezy" with the nautical colours and white eyelet pieces, especially the surprise menswear designs! There was one outstanding dress that was a curve ball I would say; a cut-out bodycon with peepholes by the model's ass! Her butt was hanging out! It may not have been a practical nor coveted design, but it definitely got the audience talking! It was the only time for the night that you saw any major reaction from the crowd.

The famous "Butt dress"

Chandra Maharaj

That is until Chandra Maharaj's fluttering coral cover-up! Her collection was a great way to end. The pieces were very well constructed and her models looked like they felt sexy and confident in them.

The show ended around 11pm so there was no after party for me. Went straight home to wipe off makeup and go to bed. I guess I'll be on the lookout for media pics and other writers' commentary.

Photos Courtesy David Wears and islandnoise.net








(see http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.530111323666492.126078.205317292812565&type=1 for all designers)