[國際新聞] Cashing in on style: The sporting, business, fashion, turning, online

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Cashing in on style: The business of fashion blogging

Vancouverites are turning the online hobby into a lucrative career
They are snapped on red carpets, seated beside top editors in the front row at fashion weeks around the world, and sign five-digit promotional deals with big-name brands. They are coiffed, styled and made-up within an inch of their sartorial lives, sporting an array of brands from Alexander Wang to Zara.
No, they are not Hollywood celebrities. They are fashion bloggers.
The world of fashion blogging has exploded in recent years thanks to the increasingly prolific popularity of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. And the hobby has quickly become a viable career for a growing group of international fashion elite — largely young women aged in their 20s — a phenomenon that is cropping up closer to home, as well.
These days, you could throw a designer duffel bag in virtually any direction in Vancouver and hit a fashion or lifestyle blogger.
And a few of these style-savvy online authors are steadily increasing their well-heeled footholds in the industry, garnering the attention of readers and brands in the local market — and beyond.
Alexandra Grant, the founder of the Vancouver fashion blog To Vogue or Bust, has been in the game for more than four years — and just recently went full-time.
The 27-year-old started her blog as an outlet for her writing ambitions after graduating college but never imagined it would turn into a full-time career.
“I had finished my degree (in Psychology) at the University of Victoria and I had always written — that was my thing — but I didn’t see a practical or clear-cut path to fashion journalism,” Grant said.
So she packed up and moved to Toronto for a stint at Fashion magazine before returning to the West Coast.
“I had just come back from Toronto and was at a crossroads about what to do next. At the time, I don’t think I had the business acumen to really pull it off, so I really grew the blog by a lot before I started full-time.”
While she nursed her blog, Grant worked at the Vancouver-based fashion brand Obakki, looking after the social media side of the business while she did the same for To Vogue or Bust.
“Developing that brand and still growing my blog on the side and still seeing consistent growth in numbers really inspired me to take that full-time leap and start focusing on it in a more serious way,” she said.
“I was already netting more (from my blog) than at my job for six months straight.”
Now, drawing nearly 100,000 visitors to her blog each month, Grant is considered one of the top style bloggers in the city.
She has inked brand partnerships with a wide range of companies including 424 Fifth, Aritzia, GAP and Roots.
Brand partnerships, which are increasingly common in the blogosphere, net bloggers a talent fee that can range from $500 to several thousands of dollars per campaign, which typically consist of a blog post and several social media mentions.
“It’s really a massive sliding scale,” she said of the talent fees.
Grant also earns money from hosting in-store events for companies. The success with her brand collaborations has allowed her the ability to take her blog in a broader direction.

“When I started four years ago, it was still very much about self-expression and individuality … there wasn’t as much of an emphasis on bloggers making dollars,” she said. “Since then, I obviously use my blog to make money — it’s a business. I use it for a launch pad for other business initiatives, whether it’s contract work or the jobs that I get.”
For Grant, it’s a balancing act between promotion and sales, though.
As has become the norm among bloggers who accept “gifted” items or participate in sponsored post campaigns, Grant labels her content with a “care of” (often written as “c/o”) or “sponsored,” so readers are aware of any potential product biases.
When asked how she keeps the balance of her personal style amid of deluge of free merchandise from brands and public relations teams, Grant was decidedly frank.
“I definitely made mistakes when I first began getting gifted because you get so excited that someone is sending you anything that you accept whatever,” she said. “I had a closet full of duds that I didn’t know what to do with.”
Grant says she now turns away items, “quite consistently.” She says she only accepts pieces she would go out and purchase herself.
“That way, even if I happen to have an outfit that is totally gifted, it’s still my style and I would have totally bought those pieces,” she explained.
“For me, because I come from a more editorial background, I’m not so much a seller as much as I like to build narratives and have a story,” she said of the emerging seller’s culture among fashion and lifestyle bloggers.
For Grant, it’s more about the story than the sales.
“I would rather build a business and a more consistent income through streams that I’m most passionate about,” she said.
“But I’ve noticed in the blog landscape in general there is an emphasis on affiliate links and whatever else. It’s becoming very populated in terms of bloggers who are out there to make millions.”
And believe it or not, some bloggers are doing just that — making millions.
A recent article by Women’s Wear Daily reported that American blogger Rachel Parcell of Pink Peonies is set to make more than $900,000 in affiliate advertising revenue this year — though the blogger herself has yet to officially confirm the number.
So what is affiliate advertising and how does it work? Bloggers promote or purchase items that they style and feature on their blogs. Then, through third party companies, or sometimes through the brands themselves, the bloggers earn a varying commission rate each time a reader clicks from their blog through to the brand’s online store and makes a purchase. More purchases equal more paycheques.

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Blogger Cara McLeay, the Vancouver blogger behind A Fashion Love Affair, has ventured beyond brand collaborations and affiliate advertising — though she does both — and has channelled her success as a blogger into her own product.

McLeay who started her personal style blog in 2011, “as a platform to connect and share my inspirations with others,” had already found a fair amount of success in the fashion industry working as a senior buyer at the Gastown concept boutique Secret Location before branching out to blogging full-time.

“I realized I could support myself doing what I loved and working for myself,” she said.

McLeay, who has partnered with brands such as Paige Denim, American Eagle, BCBGMaxazria and Stuart Weitzman on blog posts, recently went one step further with her business model — releasing a hair styling tool called the XO Styling Iron.

With the help of her fiancé Patrick Stansifeld, the owner of a Vancouver-based business development company called MODE, McLeay created the iron after receiving frequent requests from readers.

“I often got readers asking about how I styled my hair and requesting hair tutorials,” she said. “So I wanted to create a product that I loved and really believed in to talk about and share.”

The XO Styling Iron, which retails for $189, has been featured by The Zoe Report, FASHION Magazine and Vancouver’s own Vitamin Daily.

“It has been fantastic,” McLeay said of the feedback to her beauty tool.

Raj Thandhi is another Vancouver blogger who has turned her part-time hobby into a larger career.

Settling squarely into the niche of a “mommy” blogger, her website Pink Chai goes beyond just personal style — focusing on a broader range of topics such as do-it yourself projects, cooking and home decor.

“The original concept was a daily outfit blog; sharing a picture of what I wore each day,” she said. “I did it to stay active and engaged with other women while I was going through a transition in my career and looking for a new work opportunity.”

She now refers to Pink Chai a South Asian lifestyle blog, covering food, fashion, beauty, travel and some general life pieces — all with an Indian touch.

“For me a cultural angle was necessary because no one else was filling this niche. I was always searching for a voice in the digital world that understood the unique challenges of being a South Asian woman in a modern world, and provided insights and tips for balancing the two cultures.”

She focuses on sharing personal details as a South Asian woman and all-around mom-entrepreneur — from cooking and outfit tutorials, to parenting and entertaining tips.

Thandhi’s form of fusion has resonated with readers — and businesses — translating into partnerships with Next Issue, Chevrolet and Target. She has also signed on to be a brand ambassador with Tea India later this year.

“While I’m not ‘pro’ in the traditional sense, by monetizing through advertising, for the last 18 months Pink Chai has contributed significantly to my income,” she said.

Building off her success as a blogger, Thandhi now runs a social media consulting company, but she says Pink Chai is still “the primary marketing vehicle” for her business and online portfolio.

“My biggest source of income is consulting,” she explained. “I’ve helped develop social media campaigns, blogger outreach programs, and even targeted ethnic marketing campaigns.”

Thandhi is able to support her family of four through the income from these two digital streams. Her husband also works on the management of her social media campaigns, brand relationships and sponsored content on Pink Chai.

But its not just bloggers that are forging successful fashion and beauty careers online, there are video bloggers — “vloggers” — too.

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Sierra Furtado is one local talent that’s making a name for herself on YouTube doing fashion and lifestyle tutorials. Furtado started her vlog almost two years ago, turning her penchant for creating “stupid videos” with her friends in high school into a full-time career.

The 20-year-old from White Rock now has more than 467,000 subscribers on her channel SierraMarieMakeup.

But while YouTube is undoubtedly the young vlogger’s primary platform, Furtado cites the photo-sharing app Instagram as a powerful source for building her brand. And with nearly 70,000 followers (and more than 18,000 on Twitter), it’s easy to see why.

“I talk about pretty much anything that will be relatable to young girls,” she said of her vlog. “Fashion, lifestyle — I do DIY tutorials, as well. All kinds of girlie things, I guess.”

While she attributes her popularity to “great quality videos and a lot of effort,” the young blogger also has a few tricks she employs to up her clicks.

“You can have bright thumbnails that will attract people to click on your video, or use titles that will be searched a lot in YouTube,” she said. “I have been really strategic with that so a lot of people will find my videos.”

She has also taught herself various tricks related to search engine optimization such as keywords, eye-catching titles and alt tags on images — practices which ha ve served her vlog — and her income stream — well.

Furtado’s most successful video, “Hair Care Routine & Tips for Growing Hair Long!” has more than 1.4 million views, and she earns a commission on each and every one.

“The way you make money on YouTube is through views on your videos and the ads on those videos,” she explained.

Approved YouTube “partners” generate income “based on a share of advertising revenue generated when people view your video,” according to the company’s support website. Furtado receives a cheque from the video hosting website at the end of each month.

Much like the other bloggers, another source of income for Furtado is partnerships with brands.

“I do a brand deal about once a month,” she said.

These opportunities are set up through her manager.

“I don’t know the logistics too much because I get my manager to deal with that for me,” she said of her brand deals.

Furtado is co-managed by her step-dad Rene Girard and a talent agent from Melrose & Park, a Los Angeles-based communications and consulting firm for millennials and those who aim to work within the digital space, according to the company’s website (www.melroseandpark.com)

To date, Furtado’s largest brand deal was with Awesomeness TV, which is a YouTube network linked to Nickelodeon. It netted the vlogger an undisclosed amount.

And as her YouTube video views go up and the collaboration opportunities continue to pour into her email inbox, so do Furtado’s career ambitions.

“I don’t see myself stopping any time soon,” Furtado said of her future as a vlogger. “There are definitely so many opportunities that can come from (this). The sky’s the limit.”

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Alexandra Grant of the Vancouver fashion blog To Vogue or Bust has found so much success as a blogger that she recently quit her full-time job as a social media coordinator to focus on her blog.

Vancouver fashion blogger Cara McLeay of A Fashion Love Affair. McLeay has parlayed her success as a full-time blogger to partnerships including the release of a new hair tool.