Fashion Blogs That Get Your Blood Pumping

Lucy Williams, Founder and Creative Director of Blink London, talks to Eric Ingrand, Vice President of Content Marketing EMEA at EnVeritas Group, about how the fast-moving worlds of fashion and blogging coincide to create exciting opportunities for brands. As Lucy indicates, blogs should start as a passion project and then, hopefully, the money-making should follow.

Blogs are an ideal opportunity to build your reputation, communicate with customers and others in your industry, and express your passion for the subject. In Lucy’s case this has led to a larger, more diverse client base, teaching opportunities at the London College of Fashion and the Condé Nast College of Fashion & Design, and an endorsement by Liberty, a favorite of designers the world over. Lucy is also one of the few bloggers to be accredited by the British Fashion Council to attend London Fashion Week.

Eric Ingrand: Why do you think the fashion industry has been so good at using bloggers?

Lucy Williams: Fashion is very much about immediacy and also about customer engagement. Blogs are a perfect medium for both of those things. The fashion industry, at a commercial level especially, needs to express a level of approval by those in the know, some cool kudos and the right bloggers can deliver that, too.

Eric Ingrand: Do you think the same methods could be applied to other industries? If so, which do you think could most benefit?

Lucy Williams: I think anything and everything can benefit. Blogs are about expressing your opinion on whatever subject gets your blood pumping, and if there are others with the same passions then you have your audience.

Eric Ingrand: What are the top three qualities a fashion blogger must have to be successful?

Lucy Williams: A fashion blogger, in my opinion, needs to have:

• some level of authority (some experience as part of the fashion industry)
• a unique perspective
• the skills to express themselves in an engaging way

Eric Ingrand: Is blogging a business for you, a hobby, or both?

Lucy Williams: I always tell my students that you should start a blog as a passion project, and any financial success that comes along is a bonus.

Eric Ingrand: What are some of your favorite blogs in fashion, retail and generally?

Lucy Williams: I love Garance Doré, DisneyRollerGirl, Jak & Jil and Topshop’s blog Inside-Out for fashion. Beyond fashion I like the Design*Sponge blog.

Beyond blogs, I use Le Cool a lot. It’s a great, creative and innovative guide to what’s hot and they have editions for a few different cities.

Eric Ingrand: What are some of the biggest surprises you’ve had from your blog?

Lucy Williams: Well, I guess the biggest constant surprise is the reach and the reaction. It’s something that I love, and it’s a wonderful thing that others love it, too.

Blink London is a fashion reporting and consultancy service offering a unique insight into the leading trends of the British fashion industry.

Eric Ingrand – VP Content Marketing EMEA