MONICA MADELAINE SANTA How Can I Inform Fashion-Forward Students Where To Shop On A Limited Budget? 2559 words Sinarmas World Academy 2012/2013
1
Introduction Growing up, I had always harbored a passion for both fashion and technology. My love for fashion was something I inherited from my mother but blogging was something I had discovered on my own. When I was seven, I discovered blogging through a site called MatMice and published amateur websites where I posted pictures of things I thought were ‘pretty.’ Blogging was just starting to take off and it was a new and exciting instrument for expression. For the first time, sites were being made by real individuals with no limits to what they can say or post. After MatMice was shut down, I discovered other platforms like Xanga, Piczo, Blogger, Wordpress and most recently, Tumblr. I would argue that blogging is one of the most useful tools today because it harnesses the power of the Internet and connects you to a global audience. Countless of corporations and businesses use blogs as a means of communication. Blogs have revolutionized the way we share information and created a new medium for people to communicate with each other on a daily basis. The topic of my Personal Project is fashion blogging because I wanted to fuse my passion for fashion and technology into a product that I would enjoy making. Fashion blogging combines everything I love to do from spending time on the internet to shopping for clothes. Unlike a magazine or a book, blogs are never static. They are always changing, always evolving. Blogging is so understated because not many people understand the time and effort that goes into developing a successful blog. Bloggers, particularly fashion bloggers, need to have a combination of skills from writing to web design—even a little bit of marketing. My personal aim for this project was to create a blog that would inform fashion-forward students where to shop on a limited budget. I wanted to show people that fashion isn’t defined by how much money you spend or what brands you wear. I wanted to glamorize budget shopping and make it appeal to young people, who too often are influenced into trying to fit society’s version of ‘cool.’ The Area of Interaction that I feel best correlates to my project is Human Ingenuity because making a blog is creativity-driven product that requires imagination, innovation and originality. I am making this blog from scratch and it will take ingenuity to nurture it into something great. Throughout the process, I will constantly be creating, designing and producing new ideas and developing my understanding of fashion and blogging. As a consequence, I will be creating a product that will provide
2
opportunities for me to appreciate and develop the ability to create, transform, enjoy and improve the quality of life for people. The goal of my project is to make a successful fashion blog. I will measure its success in three ways: traffic, content and feedback. I want to achieve at least 250 visitors, write 25 blog posts and receive 10 comments from 10 different people. These specifications will be measured through my blog statistics tracker.
Research I began the research process by using the internet to find out more about fashion and blogging in general. I was able to find lots of articles, sites and blog posts that were relevant to my topic and read a lot of them. One of my sources, IFB.com (short for Independent Fashion Bloggers) was extremely helpful in providing resources for fashion bloggers. I also looked at a plethora of already-successful blogs such as Hot Chocolate & Mint, the Man Repeller and Diary of Riotous Belle for insight and inspiration. I also went to the bookstore and purchased magazines and books like Blogging for Dummies, 100 Ideas That Changed Fashion, Blogger’s Bootcamp and the Teen Vogue Handbook (basically anything relating to fashion, blogging and even web design). The books were great reference materials and helped me understand the business and influence of bloggers in a global society. Additionally, I watched videos and documentaries on fashion blogging featuring industry insiders and renowned fashion bloggers from around the world. The “Love Blogging” documentaries were particularly useful because they taught me a lot about why blogging is so vital in the fashion industry and explained what makes a successful fashion blog in a clear and engaging way. Before I moved on with my product, I conducted a survey about bargain shopping, budgets and blog aesthetics. The results showed that 96% of my peers have been bargain shopping but only sometimes or very little. The reasons for this were varied. Some people said they preferred branded clothes and shopping malls while others said they felt the clothes were ugly, tacky and cheap. The results showed me how little my community knows about bargain shopping and made me realize that the blog would be of purpose. What suprised me though was what my peers felt a “limited budget” was. 50% considered a budget of a single item of clothing to be 500IDR or less which in my opinion isn’t really limited. Still, the
3
500IDR budget gave me a better idea of how much the people in my community can spend and I decided to stick with it for my blog. I also conducted interviews with local fashion bloggers such as Michelle Koesnadi of Glisters and Blisters.com, Charlene Gondo of Summer Flounce.com and Karina Pricilla of Faboosh Baboosh. Although the response rate was quite disappointing, I was quite content with the replies I received. I learned that there’s no dead-set way to becoming a successful blogger, but regularly updating, presenting unique information and utilizing social media is important.
According to the bloggers, blogging is mix of
many different skills from writing to photography to graphic design, branding and even marketing. To top it all off, I managed to get an interview from blogger, Mr Jabiz, who told me about the value of blogging and how influential it is in the twenty-first century. All these interviews have been invaluable to me because they broadened my knowledge about blogging and gave me different perspectives from the experts themselves.
Applying Information The information I learned from the research stage helped me to create my own blog. After experimenting with different blogging platforms, I decided to use Blogger because it has a lot of features and is more flexible to use. In my interview with Karina Pricillia, she mentioned that an interesting name was imperative so I named my blog after the an old band, Color Me Badd. My budget fashion blog, Color Me Rad, was created on New Year’s Eve. Throughout the course of three months, I visited shops in Jakarta, especially Mangga Dua for content. I checked out shops and bought stuff that I liked and promoted them on my blog. I would bring a camera and 500,000IDR and see what I could get. Sometimes, I would simply observe and when I got back home, I would make a post. I designed my blog so that it was simple but still nice to look at. In my research, design was an important aspect of a blog so I put a little effort into making it look nicer for its audience. I was inspired by other fashion blogs which sport the traditional two-column layout, white background and simple banner. I chose the font, color scheme and banner myself. I also added a visitor counter to the sidebar to track my daily visitors.
4
To create content for my blog, I attended fashion shows such as the Next Level fashion show at Kota Kasablanka. The show gave me something to post in my blog especially since the event was showcasing up-and-coming young designers who were selling their products within the 500IDR budget. I also published posts that were more trend-related so that I wouldn’t have to shop too much. I created collages on Polyvore and Keynote to showcase the latest spring trends and mention cheaper alternatives. I also wrote articles like “How to Bargain” and posted travel photos, an idea that I got from the fashion blog, Fashiononymous.net. I even did research to create a post about affordable online shops in Jakarta. Probably the hardest thing about blogging is being consistent. I found it difficult to post everyday especially with all the other things going on in my life. Another problem I faced was difficulties taking my outfit posts. Since I didn’t have a tripod, taking outfit posts with my DSLR was a challenge. My family was also quite clueless as how to take decent photos will a DSLR. I had to manage by taking photos using my phone’s camera although this sacrificed the quality of the images. At times, I had blogger’s block and it made posting very dreary and difficult task for me to do. Throughout the whole blogging process, I did my best to make my images and writing interesting and engaging for the audience. I made sure to use well-known celebrities as examples in the collages and gave each post a catchy name. Though I had initially had a hard time managing my time, I learned to ‘queue’ posts so that they would post automatically and managed to post 27 entries in total.
Achieving Goals I believe I have achieved all the goals against the specifications I have written. My first goal was to develop a good understanding about what makes a successful blog and I certainly accomplished this through the research process and first-hand experience of being a blogger. I now know that a successful blog takes dedication, hard work and determination. A couple of months isn’t going to make you an instant superblogger. Blogging takes time. Fashion bloggers also need to know their stuff. Having background knowledge in fashion, writing, web design and social media also is important when building up readership. My second specification was to gain a good understanding about the technical and design aspects of blogging, coding and graphic design and I believe I have done this through my research and application of the information. During the research process, I read a book called “HTML & CSS” and this book really
5
helped me learn how to organize my layouts and become more comfortable with coding. I also gained a good understanding of graphic design through reading a book called “Fashion Branding”, magazines and creating the collages for my blog. My third specification was to create a blog that is informative and engaging about where to find clothes on a limited budget. I think that my blog is informative and somewhat engaing about where to find bargain clothes in Jakarta as I do have a lot of information regarding fashion trends and places to shop. I will be honest though and say that some of the content was irrelevent because I only posted entries for the sake of having more entries. Even so, I met my goal of 10 comments from 10 different people and advertised 10 independent shops on my blog. My goal of 25 blog posts and at least 500 visitors have been met as well. The comments on my blog were from both friends and people I have never met before. One person stated that everything was affordable and she would love to buy the clothes. Another stated that the blog was fun to read. Ms Darma said that my blog was a great medium for budget fashion lovers to learn where to shop and educate them . Furthermore, I managed to promote the bargain shopping and fashion blogging during the exhibition. My ‘mock shop’ was a big hit and I managed to sell 21 items and promoted several independent shops while doing it. At the beginning of the year, most of my peers had reservations about bargain shopping but now I think I have managed to make them more open to the idea. The response I received from my booth have really been positive and many people were interested with the clothes. I believe that the interest I garnered from my booth and my blog will result in more people deciding to support these shops and a better understanding. I am quite confident that I have met my specifications and even though I do believe my blog still needs some work, I still made a working and decent product that I am proud of.
Conclusion The Personal Projects has no doubt been stressful, but the entire 9 month process has made me acquire new skills and grow as a person. Before starting this project, I just had an idea about SWA students being unaware or uninformed about bargain fashion and of how to make a blog but now I feel like I am an expert.
6
The Personal Project gave me a lot of new knowledge about blogging. The research I put into the Personal Project really helped me to understand blogging and how influential it is in today’s society. Without it, I would never have understood the topic of blogging to this extent. This project also has helped me extend my knowledge and understanding of the AOI “Human Ingenuity.” I thought the AOI was simply just making a new product but it turns out there is a lot of planning, reflecting and evaluating that needs to be done. This project has taught me a lot about what it means to be creative and innovative. I learnt just how much effort goes into making a blog and that it is much more difficult than it looks. Despite the superficial facade that surrounds fashion bloggers, the art of blogging is something that needs time and dedication. I think the whole research process was the most challenging but I believe my research skills have definitely improved. I found it difficult to get a lot responses from both experts and my questionnaire. I learned that it is a lot harder than it looks to get someone to reply to your e-mails but it was ultimately very rewarding when you receive one. Researching the secondary resources was a lot easier. I also found the books really useful and I’m glad that I bought them. I also thought searching the web was the easier part of the research process as well. I also enjoyed watch the Love Blogging documentaries because I felt they gave me a lot of insight into the world of fashion blogging and how it changed the fashion industry. From Mr Jabiz, I also learned how important it is to be an engaging and open blogger. A blogger should have their own style and voice to communicate with others on the web. I’ve really learnt a lot from all the sources and it helped me to move on to creating my product with more knowledge and confidence. At first, I was a little confused and always resorted to online articles for my sources but I learned to become more confident when contacting other people such as the bloggers I interviewed. Talking to the owners of the shops also gave me more confident. I believe I have definitely grown as a learner. The great thing about blogs is that they can never be finished. You can continue to keep blogging for as long you want. I believe that starting this blog has given me the push I need to start my very own fashion blog and continue it even after the Personal Project is over.
7
Works Cited Abellán, Miquel. Fashion Branding. Barcelona: Monsa, 2010. Print. Authentic Student Blogging: Empowering Student Voice in the Social Media Age. Perf. Jabiz Raisdana. ConnectedLearning.tv. Connected Learning, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://connectedlearning.tv/jabizraisdana-authentic-student-blogging-empowering-student-voice-social-media-age>. Best Fashion Blogger Tips with TheMuse.tv. Dir. TheMuseDotTV. YouTube. YouTube, 14 June 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYbxScPetyI>. BryanBoy on Fashion & the Internet. Dir. Swidemag. Perf. BryanBoy. YouTube. YouTube, 12 Oct. 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z604Bqmjyo>. Burcz, Chelsea. “How To Develop a Strong Writing Voice | IFB.” Independent Fashion Bloggers. N.p., 8 Nov. 2012. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://heartifb.com/2012/11/08/how-to-have-a-strong-voice-in-yourwriting-and-why-its-important/>. Cassidy, Candice. “The Rise of Fashion Blogging.” HARTmagazine. University College London, 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://hartmagazine.org/hartmagazine-archive/hartmagaine-academicyear-2010-2011/the-rise-of-fashion-blogging/>. Cottrell, Lee. HTML & XHTML DeMYSTiFieD. 1st ed. N.p.: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print. DeMYSTiFIED. Davies, Taylor. “4 Classic Writing Techniques To Add Personality To Your Posts.” Independent Fashion Bloggers. N.p., 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://heartifb.com/2012/10/22/4-classic-writingtechniques-to-add-personality-to-your-posts/>. Duckett, Jon. HTML & CSS: Design and Build Websites. 1st ed. Indianapolis: Wiley, 2011. Print. Eryka, Sonia. Web log post. Diary of the Riotous Belle. Blogger.com, n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <http:// soniaeryka.blogspot.com/>. Fashion Blog Ethics. Dir. IheartIFB. YouTube. YouTube, 10 Mar. 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjBxb1c3_Ew>. Ferragni, Chiara. “The Blonde Salad.” The Blonde Salad. N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2012. <http:// theblondesalad.com/>. Framel, Kelly. “The Glamourai.” The Glamourai. N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2012. <http:// www.theglamourai.com/>. The Future of Fashion Blogging. Dir. IheartIFB. YouTube. YouTube, 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CNQd9LVZA4>. Gevinson, Tavi. “Style Rookie.” Style Rookie. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2012. <http://www.thestylerookie.com/ >. Gondo, Charlene. “Interview with the Fashion Blogger of Summer Flounce.” E-mail interview. 18 Oct. 2012. Gondo, Charlene. “Summer Flounce.” Summer Flounce. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2012. <http:// summerflounce.com/>. 8
Gunelius, Susan. Blogging All-in-One For Dummies. 2nd ed. Hoboken: Wiley, 2012. Print. For Dummies. How Are Bloggers Changing Fashion? Dir. NetAPorter. YouTube. YouTube, 08 June 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WMBvxhF_a8>. “Independent Fashion Bloggers.” Independent Fashion Bloggers. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http:// heartifb.com/>. Karina Pricilla. “Interview with the Fashion Blogger of Faboosh Baboosh.” E-mail interview. 20 Oct. 2012. Karina Pricilla. “Faboosh Baboosh.” Faboosh Baboosh. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2012 Jacob, Jennine. “Get Your Blog Noticed.” Independent Fashion Bloggers. N.p., 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://heartifb.com/2012/10/15/how-to-get-your-blog-noticed/>. Koesnadi, Michelle. “Glisters and Blisters.” Glisters and Blisters. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2012. <http:// glistersandblisters.com/>. Koesnadi, Michelle. “Interview with the Fashion Blogger of Glisters and Blisters.” E-mail interview. 19 Oct. 2012. Lau, Susie. “Style Bubble.” Style Bubble. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <http://www.stylebubble.co.uk/>. Ling, Bip. “Bip Ling.” Bip Ling. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2012. <http://bipling.com>. Love Blogging Episode 1. Perf. Stevie Mackenzie-Smith and Alex Fury. ViceStyle.com. BlackBerry, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://vicestyle.com/en/loveblogging/profile/steviemackenziesmith>. Love Blogging Episode 2. Perf. Bip Ling and Aldene Johnson. ViceStyle.com. BlackBerry, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://vicestyle.com/en/loveblogging/profile/bipling>. Love Blogging Episode 3. Perf. Disney Roller Girl and Richard Nicoll. ViceStyle.com. BlackBerry, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://vicestyle.com/en/loveblogging/profile/disneyrollergirl>. Love Blogging Episode 4. Perf. Alice Shmiterlow, Letty Shmiterlow, Louise Benson and Celestine Cooney. ViceStyle.com. BlackBerry, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://vicestyle.com/en/loveblogging/profile/ alicelettylouise>. Love Blogging Episode 5. Perf. Madeleine Ostlie and Lulu Kennedy. ViceStyle.com. BlackBerry, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://vicestyle.com/en/loveblogging/profile/madeleineostlie>. Lucky’s Brandon Holley Talks Fashion Blogging. Dir. Mediabistro. Perf. Brandon Holley. YouTube. YouTube, 17 July 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD5FFfN05Cc>. Lunch, Alicia. “Cheetah Is the New Black.” Cheetah Is the New Black. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <http:// www.cheetahisthenewblack.com/>. McPherson, Tamu. “All The Pretty Birds.” All The Pretty Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2012. <http:// www.all-theprettybirds.com/>. McPherson, Tamu. “All The Pretty Birds.” All The Pretty Birds. N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2012. <http:// www.all-theprettybirds.com/>. 9
Medine, Leandra. “Man Repeller.” Man Repeller. N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://manrepeller.com/>. Meijer, Sabrina. “After DRK.” After DRK. N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://www.afterdrk.com/>. Nguyen, Kelsey. “How to Start Your First Fashion Blog.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 01 Oct. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelsey-nguyen/how-to-start-your-firstf_b_1928731.html>. Pricilla, Karina. “Faboosh Baboosh.” Faboosh Baboosh. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2012. <http:// fabooshbaboosh.blogspot.com/>. Rachel, and Nicole. “Rachel Et Nicole.” Rachel Et Nicole. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2012. <http:// racheletnicole.com/>. Raisdana, Jabiz. “E-mail Response from the Blogger of Intrepid Teacher.” Message to the author. 11 Nov. 2012. E-mail. Raisdana, Jabiz. “I Believe.” Web log post. Clue: A Space. Blogger.sg, 7 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://clueaspace.blogspot.sg/2012/11/i-believe.html>. Rikasari, Diana. Web log post. Hot Chocolate & Mint. Blogger.com, n.d. Web. Sept. 2012. <http:// dianarikasari.blogspot.com>. Santa, Monica. “Monica’s Survey.” Monica’s Survey. Google.com, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <https:// docs.google.com/a/jwaonline.com/spreadsheet/viewform? formkey=dGRLa0JWU1NuMGhuZHVLbXBnYVRrWmc6MQ>. Schuman, Scott. “The Sartorialist.” The Sartorialist. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2012. <http:// www.thesartorialist.com/>. Sicardi, Arabelle, and Casey Lewis. “How To Start A Fashion Blog.” Teen Vogue. TeenVogue.com, July 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.teenvogue.com/careers/fashion-careers/2011-07/how-to-start-afashion-blog>. Teen Vogue. The Teen Vogue Handbook: An Insider’s Guide to Careers in Fashion. New York: Penguin, 2009. Print. Torres, Andy. “Style Scrapbook.” Style Scrapbook. N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2012. <http:// stylescrapbook.com/>. White, Charlie, and John Biggs. Bloggers Boot Camp: Learning How to Build, Write, and Run a Successful Blog. 1st ed. Waltham: Focal, 2011. Print. Worsley, Harriet. 100 Ideas That Changed Fashion. London: Laurence King, 2012. Print. 100 Ideas That Changed. Yambao, Bryan. “Bryan Boy.” Bryan Boy. N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2012. <http://bryanboy.com/>.
10