Kate Bartlett, the force behind her fashion and lifestyle blog, took some time out this week to talk with us about life as a fashionista and influencer.
Iuliana: Hey Kate! How are you? Excided to interview you today! Tell us a little about yourself.
Kate: Hi! I’m doing great, thank you so much for interviewing me! I am a fashion blogger, instagrammer, and as of recently- TikToker living and studying fashion in NYC.
Iuliana: What came first, your Instagram or your blog? How do you manage creating content for various platforms consistently?
Kate: I started my blog and Instagram at the same time when I was a junior in high school. It can definitely get difficult at times to constantly be churning out content (especially since there are so many different platforms to share on these days) but I totally think of producing content as my creative outlet! There’s nothing I love more than the feeling of getting the perfect shot after styling an outfit, picking out a location, and finding the perfect angle.
Iuliana: How did you get your start within the fashion industry – can you please share your top growth hacks for Instagram and how you’ve been able to build such an authentic following?
Kate: My blog was my start in the fashion industry! Honestly, I went into it knowing nothing about the world of fashion besides the fact that I loved shopping and putting together outfits lol. As far as my Instagram following, it has definitely been a slow and steady process, I don’t necessarily have any growth hacks but staying consistent is KEY. I also think it is soooo important to remember that an engaged and authentic audience is worth so much more than just a big number!
Iuliana: What is the biggest motivation for you when working with brands?
Kate: I love working with brands because it’s almost like creating a mini advertising campaign for them! It can be challenging, but it’s so much fun getting to wear all the different hats of the process (creative director, model, stylist, editor, etc) in a photo shoot. My biggest motivation is definitely being able to collaborate with companies I have loved for years, and getting free clothes is pretty sweet too :)
Iuliana: What does creativity make you think about? Do you feel like this young generation is much more creative than the previous one?
Kate: Personally, my creative outlet is creating aesthetically pleasing, inspiring content, whether that be in the form of a photo or a video. It’s hard to say if this generation is more creative than the previous one, but as our digital world has developed, I think that the younger generations have so many more opportunities to express themselves in from of an audience. It blows my mind the kind of things that today’s young people are able to create and come up with, it is so easy to be inspired by the content creators of today!
Iuliana: When putting a fit together, do you find yourself to be calculative, or does everything come together through instinct?
Kate: It really depends! Some outfits I have planned in my head for ages and can spend months searching for all the right pieces to pull it together, other times I throw a bunch of pieces together in 5 minutes and love the way it turns out. For days when I’m feeling lazy and don’t have the energy to style an entire outfit, I have about 10 go-to looks that I know I can throw on easily!
Iuliana: While social distancing, have you found that your style has changed?
Kate: I don’t know if my style has necessarily changed, but my outlook on fashion in general definitely has! All of my clothing has been in NYC for the past 5 months while I’ve been quarantining in Florida so I’ve been living off of a very limited closet. While this has definitely been frustrating at times for someone who loves fashion as much as I do, it’s forced me to really get creative with the clothes that I do have. I’ve been doing so many fashion DIYs, thrift shopping, and even styling my mom’s old clothes but it’s actually been so much fun to create outfits with pieces I never would have thought to use!
Iuliana: Clothes can tell a story or convey an idea beneath the artifice. That being said, is there any message about yourself or anything else that you try to express through your outfits?
Kate: One of the reasons why I love fashion is because it allows me to express however I am feeling that very day. I like to think of myself as somewhat of a “style chameleon,” I don’t really have one particular style, I just dress in what makes me feel good. Some days I dress super edgy and only in black and other days I love a girly Y2K style. That being said, I think the one things that I like to express through all outfits is confidence. I’ve always believed that you can pretty much convince anyone that whatever you’re wearing is fashionable if you wear it confidently enough :)
Iuliana: What are some of your go to apps for content creation, staying organized, etc.?
Kate: I actually don’t use a ton of different apps and have definitely streamlined my content creation process. I edit my Instagram photos with Lightroom and VSCO and plan out my Instagram feed with the UNUM app….and thats about it!
Iuliana: What is your advice for someone trying to become a creator/get into influencer marketing?
Kate: Just start!! As simple as it sounds, just starting and putting yourself out there is the hardest part of the whole process! If you find that it is really something you enjoy and are passionate about then the rest will come easy. I think the most important thing to remember in influencer marketing is authenticity, people really can tell if you’re being fake.
Follow Kate on Instagram here.
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