Dressed to kill (and make a killing)

In 2008 Chicagobased Tavi Gevinson was only 11 years old when she started The Style Rookie an online fashion blog that featured outfits posts and editorials related to the fashion industry A year later everyone from the Chanel creative head Karl Lagerfeld to Miuccia Prada knew who Gevinson was Lady Gaga described her as the ldquofuture of journalismrdquo In August 2012 Gevinson started Rookie an online magazine on fashion art and adolescent social issues Masoom Minawala a fashion blogger enrolled for a short fashion business course at Londonrsquos Central Saint Martins last year before starting her estore Style Fiesta in November 2012 u00a0PicSatyajitt Desai Closer home too fashion and lifestyle bloggers have taken blogging to the next professional level Have impeccable fashion sense See the world through rosetinted and fashionable glasses set up a blog and get down to some seriousebusiness Gia Kashyap dressed in the Clementine blazer from her online estore Paperlillie Humble beginnings Two months ago 22 yearold Gia Kashyap of the blog Gia Says That com started her standalone estore called Paperlillie com which sells everything from apparel to jewellery Kashyap whose vintage blazers and neon jewellery instantly stand out on her website says she knew little about fashion blogs mdash forget estores mdash when she first decided to do something about her love for all things fashion ldquoIn 2010 when I was in college all I knew was that I needed a platform to project my personal style Sarika Nagdeo a first year BMM student recently purchased a burgundy blazer from Styledrv for Rs 1800 PicPradeep Dhivar u00a0 I only knew about YouTube back then I loved watching fashion and beauty videos there and started my own YouTube channel that had various beauty videosrdquo However she soon found editing videos daunting and launched Gia Says That com in 2010 ldquoIt was not easy initially but I held on It took almost four months for people to comment on my style and gradually I began getting a lot of traffic on my blogrdquo Blogging however never paid Kashyaprsquos bills whereas an estore will she says ldquoI didnrsquot make money as a blogger and worked fulltime as a graphic designer It is not as easy as it seemsrdquo smiles Kashyap She adds that setting up a clothesline was a longnurtured dream ldquoSo after a year of blogging successfully starting an estore was a natural choicerdquo Kashyap says her estore not only showcases pieces that express individual style and judgment but also sells vintage blazers and neon jewellery that sell out instantlyrdquo From pasttime to business Twenty yearold fashion blogger Masoom Minawala took her dream of starting an estore to the next level by enrolling at Central Saint Martins at London last year for a short course in Fashion Business In November 2012 Minawala set up Style Fiesta com an estore which specialises in exclusive customised pieces and clothes shoes and jewellery she picks up during her trips abroad u00a0Minawala who came across the idea of fashion blogging during a research assignment at her internship in French Connection India in 2010u00a0ldquoI liked the idea of fashion blogging Itrsquos just not about wearing good clothes and posting great pictures onlinE mdash it is about creating a niche for yourself a world of your own Setting up an estore however is even more challenging I decided to study before launching the estore because of the layers and technicalities involved in it Also the market in India is so different I had to pay special attention to the products and stylingrdquo Solo Not yet Some fashion bloggers including Aayushi Bangur the 22 yearold economics graduate who started her blog Styledrv com in November 2010 say they got lucky when money starting coming in thanks to the blog itself Heavy online traffic and multiple page views says Bangur always attract public relations executives which is always helpful in making a quick buck through the blog Online search engines too help bloggers earn revenue by showing relevant and engaging ads alongside the content which further helps advertisers market their brand on your blog she adds ldquoI read a lot of international blogs before setting up mine Within months there were many advertisers who wanted to place their ads on my blog Public relations executives approached me and I did a number of impartial product reviews for various brandsrdquo u00a0Setting up her own estore seemed too daunting a task to Bangur So in September 2012 she collaborated with SpringBreak Boutique in Bandra who stock her designs ldquoSetting up an estore is painstaking I have to sift through the trends and come up with key pieces in fashion at the moment I go shopping for everything from the fabric to the buttons I even sketch to be sure of what exactly I want in a lookrdquou00a0 Itrsquos personal What really works for customers of estores launched by bloggers is sheer exclusivity Sarika Nagdeo a first year BMM student from MMK College and a rather pleased customer says she loves the concept of blog shops ldquoI love blog shops and estores set up by bloggers because they are cheaper than boutiques and very exclusive So you wonrsquot be wearing the same stuff that ten others around you sport The burgundy blazer that I got from Styledrive is not only unique but also has a vintage look to it I got it for only Rs 1800 the same blazer at a high street store like Zara and Forever New could have cost me anything between Rs 4000Rs5000 rdquo According to Sandhya Gorthi owner of Sanctum Boutique in Santacruz what sets estores apart from regular stores is their strong sense of individuality Their designs speak for themselves and the audience like that positivity and confidence in a design ldquoBloggers have a very strong language and know where they come from Whatrsquos amazing is that they make you believe that you are one of them and that you can achieve the same things if you try I stock a lot of pieces from bloggers They are always sold out instantlyrdquo Thirty yearold Dipika Vijay a jewellery blogger stocks her collection in Bombay Electric Atosa and Sanctum ldquoIt is great to have a good store stock your products If you have talent you will be taken seriouslyrdquo she believes Does this mean bloggers are all set to influence fashion trends Pria Agni fashion stylist disagrees ldquoI donrsquot think bloggers can influence or change the fashion sphere They all look the same and do the same thing They donrsquot have adequate knowledge of the field Itrsquos good that they have a million followers but do they lsquocaterrsquo to a million fashion followersrdquo u00a0Whatever be the case by the looks of it the business of blogging is a great alternative for startups You can love them you can hate them but you canrsquot ignore them Who wants to be a fashion blogger gt Always stay true to yourselfmdash the more you try to imitate the less true you are to your audience gt Have a plan know your strengths and weaknesses gt Invest in a good camera High quality pictures are always an advantage gt To start your own estore have a theme and know your target audience gt Know what you want to be known as and design your website accordingly