Thursday, March 19, 2015

When Fashion Hits the Spot


            As a fashion student, you always want to consider all your options within the fashion industry.

Recent Ryerson University graduate Amanda Stines has been in the position most of us are in now. She currently has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Arts and Contemporary Studies with a Honours diploma in Fashion Business Industry from George Brown College. She has gained experience within the Fashion Industry by having internships with Holt Renfrew, Seventeen Magazine, LOULOU and the digital magazine, The Kit. I was also an online fashion contributor for the GUESS Watches fashion blog, GUESS Access and currently run my own fashion blog, Amanda's Fashion Spot, “she says. With these opportunities Stines was able to have a career and basically live out her dreams. Through the Fashion Business Industry program, especially the Fashion Journalism elective, she was able to utilize the skills and use the information given to her to start her own blog and be successful at what she does.

           Being a fashion blogger, you obviously have to know about fashion. The ins and outs. What's trending at the moment, what's coming back into style. “Fashion is the something that I have always loved. When I was younger, I always expressing myself and fashion a way for me to do that,” says Stines. “I used to enjoy spending time with my mother and aunts who loved fashion, shopping and reading magazines so their interests rubbed off on me, “ she adds. There is more to being a blogger than what meets the eye. A fashion blog can be about many different things such as: different types of clothing and accessory pieces, celebrity fashion statements and urban fashion trends. Most fashion blogs cover fashion from the biggest designer brands to an average person walking down the street.

            Amanda started her blog almost six years ago. She is still shocked how much time has passed.  “I started Amanda's Fashion Spot because I really wanted to obtain an internship, and I struggled to find one, so I decided to start my blog,” she says.  “I felt empowered when I started my blog because I felt as if I had my own special place in fashion.”  Starting something that you feel strongly about can give you a sense of entitlement. When putting your all into everything there is an element of risk-taking. With Stines blog she's simply sharing her interests with other individuals. While having true personality.

         Everyone who knows the fashion industry well enough knows that there are perqs to being a fashion blogger, such as “having your own voice and creative freedom to write about and feature whatever you choose,” she says. As a fashion blogger she has been able to preview select fashion collections before anyone else. “I have received free products and it is always flattering when companies reach out to me and ask me to blog about them,“ she says. Being a fashion blogger also helped her get chosen as one of the Canadian finalists for GUESS Watches One To Watch worldwide contest.

        Stines gives credit to George Brown College and acknowledges that particular courses that were mandatory to the program helped her for the long run in the career and more importantly helped her with her career as a blogger. In fact, it was the Fashion Journalism course that awakened her passion for fashion journalism and inspired her to write about fashion. “I actually started my blog while I was taking the Fashion Journalism course! Being at George Brown College, I was able to learn to so much about the fashion industry and that made me want to have my own voice in the fashion industry, which my blog allowed.”

           Her advice for someone who wants to be a successful fashion blogger is firstly to determine what your intentions are. What do you want to do? Do you want to share your favorite outfits? Discuss fashion news? Write about the latest trends? Of course do what you want to do, but be sure to have a main idea. Having a clear focus and staying consistent is the best way to have success as a blogger. “If a young fashion student would like to start a blog, I think that they should go ahead and do it! Right now, is a great and easy time to start a blog. With the popularity of social media, there are so many ways that someone can start a blog and express their fashion point of view.” she says. “Instagram is a great way to show your daily outfits or daily outfit inspirations, and Twitter can also be used to write about you're fashion point of view,” she adds. “Most importantly, no matter what profession you're in, make sure that you're always having fun and staying true to yourself. Be who you are! Accept yourself as you really are, not as someone else thinks you should be. Do not take action or pretend to be someone else for the sake of gaining acceptance. “