Well, we won't go into a whole "how-blogging-influences-the-fashion-world" article now, but we thought it would be interesting to share some of the bloggers points of view with you. The passionate minds behind the sites we all love to visit.
Maud & Penny from fashiondoesitbetter
Luis from ldfspot
Alex from ax80
Sandy from mode-und-lifestyle
Sarah from Runway Rebels
and the secret names behind ModelWhispers will not only give us a little insight in what model- and fashion-related blogging means to them but also talk about the recent situation in the industry (be it the fact that Newfaces are being replaced every season or the liability to the use of oldschool "supermodels" or even VS girls in the past months). We are very thankful for every of their inputs and highly appreciate all of the passion they put into their sites every day with each new post.
In the first part of this series we asked them to let us know their main motivation for starting a blog. What makes it so interesting to write about models or fashion? And: how did their actual interest in models start overall?
FASHIONDOESITBETTER
Maud: It started as a inspiration board for our artworks, a way to gather all our inspirations and have them everywhere with us. Our main focus was portrait and fashion then modeling always had an influence on our work. One day we discovered that agencies take polaroids (or now rather digitals) of their models to show the clients what they "really look like". This was very interesting to us as painters if you consider it you get from it the essence of a face from every angle. The picture collection became big quite fast and the aesthetic attracted some agents who contacted us meanwhile our passion for models and modeling started to grow a lot.
Penny: I think it's mostly because we used to paint portrait, hence we totally get the concept of muses. Not necessary that all the girls who caught my attention became muses or have the potential to become someone's muses one day but that's a bit the idea. I do not really see fashion as an industry, or at least not the development part in modeling. It's mostly creativity and craftmanship. Of course when a model starts to work extremely well with some big agency, it's getting immediately more industrial and I'm kind of losing my interest in the process at that moment. I also like these girls who keep precious and precise career plans, that succeed but doesn't flirt with celebrity status. I like when their career-pattern remains very directional, that they fit for a certain niche. I know I shouldn't always tell this to the girls dreaming of becoming superstars or to some agencies we work with...
LDFSPOT
Around 2002, I have to confess, I was following the Miss Universe contest - even learning the names, heights, measurements of the contestants. Then, in 2004, watching the Victoria's Secret angels on TV pretty much opened my eyes towards the fashion world. Plenty of colours, sculptural models, brazilian, long legged girls in heels and amazingly beautiful faces. I looked up all the models walking for VS: Gisele, Heidi, Adriana, Alessandra… But then, somehow I decided to look for some high fashion shows. At first I thought “That's too boring...but maybe Adriana is walking there” No, Adriana wasn’t there. But Hana Soukupova, Miss Vodianova, Natasha Poly or Gemma Ward and Lily Donaldson were. And then it felt like I just discovered another world! A very little and hidden world inside the fashion industry: the model industry. When Gemma said goodbye to the catwalk I decided to find information, especially information about agencies etc. Where do models appear? Who finds them? How does the whole development process look like? That was when I found myself looking at real high fashion girls: Vlada, Snejana or even Masha Tyelna. And since then I have always been seeking for more information, more knowledge of the modelling-industry.
AX80
I first got interested when I got an inquiry into modeling by an agency when I was younger. Although I never grew up to be tall enough. But the actual cause that fueled that sparked off my desire for models was, oddly enough, Tyra Banks and ANTM. I became so interested in what the contestants did post show. At first my blog was a platform to just that but it quickly became obsolete and amateur as there just aren't that many top model successes to follow. Yet as I skimmed through more and more shows trying to scan for some known models, I came across Ksenia Kahnovich or Alice Burdeu. Recognizing them in high end shows got me interested into newer faces in fashion. Slowly, I grew a database of hundreds of models, designers, photographers. My focus is still on models but I see it as a platform to learn and launch AX80 into bigger things.
MODE-UND-LIFESTYLE
I started blogging because I have a great interest in the fashion-industry. I mean, I'm obsessed with models and "the world behind" it. And so I want to share this with others. I just get a kick out of it! My blog is about models, fashiontrends and lifestyle in general. But the central theme will always be models (their candids, streetstyle shots, printwork or simply a stunning New Face I want to feature) With these topics I want to give people the chance to gain an insight into the whole modelling world. I want that outsiders, people who maybe don't seem to be into fashion that much, become a fan of it aswell and get inspiration from my blog. I'm not superficial but I really hope that we get to see more well dressed people on the streets (in Germany) in future.
RUNWAY-REBELS
It is quite difficult to say which things exactly make out my fascination for this industry. But it has to be said that it's certainly not just the clothes. There are so many people stating: "I'm interested in fashion" but what they actually mean is: "I like fashion and trends." But for me, that's just a small part of it. There is a garment, but what's behind all this? The story that lies behind it - that's what makes it interesting for me. The effort being put into a garment, the story of its creator and many other theses. And well, that is just what creates this special feeling, something you bring in connection und something that is not definable.
MODEL-WHISPERS
Our blog gives a glimpse inside models' everyday lives. We post pictures from castings, backstage, fashion shows and events and even the streets of NY and other fashion capitals. People seem to be interested in the life of a model and what's behind a pretty face that looks at you from fashion magazine pages. They want to know what they look like off duty, what they are wearing, where they like to go, who they're friends with and so on. So we tried to cover that by taking pictures that reflect some personality of the model and add some funny comment that gives more insight from our personal experience with the model. We’ve been interested in fashion and modeling for a long time and acquired some knowledge in that area so the blog seemed like a natural outlet. Our main philosophy is that models are not just disposable hangers but they are people just like all of us with their own characters and traits, they work hard and they deserve some appreciation for what they do.
