Let me introduce you guys to Michèle, the babe behind @thefashionfraction. You’ve no-doubt come across her flawless photos on your explore page. Michèle is a jetsetter, style icon and actually the sweetest girl ever. I couldn’t be more excited to launch The Influencer Interview Series with this beauty and give you all a chance to get to know her a little better. Having grown her following to 114k and collaborated with top-tier brands like Cartier, there’s definitely something to be learned from her and her success.
1. First off, your travel photos are amazing. I know I’m not the only one whose jealous of your jet set life. As a fashion blogger, how important do you think travel is to your success and the quality of your content? Where is one destination that you think every fashion blogger should visit?
“First of all, thank you very much, Britt. Second, I don’t think that you HAVE to travel to be successful. Funnily my pictures at home even run better than my travel pictures – it’s frustrating, you know 😉 However, I enjoy traveling because it feel me with so much joy to discover new places, cultures and people. It’s truly the only thing you buy that makes you richer in a way. And I love to fit in new areas outfit-wise. So whenever I travel I first use Pinterest to get an idea of the location and what could match well with it. The one destination I’d suggest to everyone (not only bloggers but especially bloggers) is Marrakech. You also have to do a trip to the desert for at least one night."
2. With 114k followers on Instagram, a global reach and lots of amazing brand collaborations, your success is definitely impressive. At what point did you start blogging full-time and earning, what you would consider, to be a living salary off of your blog? What advice would you give to smaller bloggers who are looking to grow and reach your level of success?
“I actually still work as an art director in an advertising agency here in Switzerland but I could easily live from the blog since almost three years by now. I just continue working because I love my job, my team and I feel like it gives my life some balance. Regarding how to get successful with blogging it is a hard question to answer because it’s actually the totally wrong question if you want to start a blog. I (and most of todays biggest bloggers in the world) started blogging out of our passion for fashion (or any other topic) and we didn’t even know we could get free clothes and travels through it or even earn money with what we do. We just shared our honest option about things and how we dress without thinking too much about business and that’s what blogging is about! I mean yes of course I’m grateful and happy about all those things but they were not the reason to start. If you don’t really have a passion and love what you are doing, your readers will notice that and will no longer be interested. However, if you decide to start blogging about your passion and want to reach a bigger audience, it’s important to stay focused and post regularly like at least 3 times a week. You also have to interact with your followers (through comments and emails) and social media is incredibly important as well and get you traffic to the blog."
3. I really love the way that you pull your outfits together. Recently you posted your article, “In LA with Cartier." Most people would never think to pair a gingham skirt with a graphic tee and blazer. How do you decide what outfits to wear for blog posts and what tips can you suggest for how to pull together unique, trendy looks?
“I actually did not even plan to shoot this look for the blog. We were out with those cool vintage cars and I felt like I have to take up the opportunity to shoot a story with them because I just have a thing for chic old cars. But I guess this fearless mixing of prints is kind of a trademark for me anyway. You know, everybody is sharing outfits in denim and white tees, I don’t have to do that too 😉 When it comes to pulling outfits together, sometimes you just don’t have to think too much about rules and what could actually match. I often wear jeans and a graphic tee then I switch to a skirt with pattern and actually plan to change the top too but when I see that graphic top and patterned skirt together they go well too. Sometimes cool combos happen by accident."
4. What does a typical day look like for you? How do you balance a busy schedule full of collaborations, trips and events and do you have any advice for how to manage your blog once you’ve fully established yourself in the industry?
“Let’s be honest blogging is a lot of work behind the screen. There are emails to do, blogposts to be written, pictures to be edited. You have to plan the shoots, look for locations and all those things which happen in front of the computer. But then there’s the fun part too – I actually also love doing my mails haha – which means there’s not really a typical day (except things like the before mentioned ones, which have to be done – unless you have an agency doing it for you). One day you’re shooting editorials for the blog, another day you’re booked as a model or an event host for a brand and another one you’re traveling to an event with some brand. For me the easiest thing is to have a very strict schedule (I always post Monday, Wednesday and Friday on the blog and once a day on Instagram) to which I can stick. I also work about 2 weeks ahead so if there’s a trip which doesn’t allow me to work a lot or if I’m getting sick, it’s not too bad because I have stuff in stock. 😉
5. A few years ago you gave your blog a full redesign and refreshed the concept. What do you think were the flaws in your blog prior to the redesign and how has the refreshed concept helped you to grow?"
Before the redesign I wasn’t really a “professional" blogger, I just posted whenever I wanted to and even stopped for some months (or even years?). Later I decided I miss blogging but wanted to start again with more of a concept and since my prior blog was done over blogger which didn’t allow me to really design it myself, I decided to work together with a programmer to have the new blog exactly how I want it to be.
6. You have two other people on your team, both photographers who double as your Creative Concept and Management. At what point in your blogging career did you feel it necessary to bring other people into your blog and how has that helped you reach the level of success that you currently have?
“Joy and I were working together since the redesign. She actually wrote a blog too so we took pictures of each other. One day she told me she wanted to stop, so I decided to just hire her as my photographer to still do my pictures since we’re a great team. Stefan is new on board but already helps me a lot by taking most of my Instagram pictures and taking over a bit of the management which I used to do all by myself. You know, I’m quite a control freak so it’s hard for me to give things away to others especially when it’s about my baby, that’s why I still do most of the work myself but I’m always glad those two are around to help me out whenever I need it."
Shivangi Bhargava (@_outoncatwalk_) says
Loved reading the post!! 🙂 This a great idea! Have a great weekend!
xx
Shivangi
http://www.outoncatwalk.com
gypsysunday_bybritt says
Thanks so much!
Magda says
Love this, can’t wait for more interviews! So interesting and inspiring!
http://www.gloryofthesnow.com
Tiffany Lea says
thank you for sharing!!!
Much love, Tiffany Lea
https://zimmylifestyle.com
Esther says
This is so interesting to get some background information’s.
Thank you for sharing.
Love, Esther
https://lifestyle-tale.com
gypsysunday_bybritt says
Right! So happy you liked reading it.. stay tuned, love. Many more interviews to come!