Gabriella Kovari, owner of the namesake blog, first discovered her inclination towards fashion at an early age. After modeling for a stylist’s project, she realized she was ready to start her personal website, where she would use clothes to tell stories and inspire people. Her blogging journey began in 2014, but Gabriella has already enough advice to share on how to start and run a successful fashion blog.
What inspired you to start your own blog?
Ever since I was a little girl (about 5-6 years old) I used to draw fashion sketches; this is how it all started. My parents wanted me to pursue a career in IT or some sort of career that involved computers, but I was more drawn to creative fields. After finishing high school, I decided to attend the University of Arts and Design in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, where I graduated with a BA and a MA in Graphic Design. Being surrounded by many talented and creative people helped me open my eyes to photography, and I soon developed a great passion for fashion photography. I discovered that I can also model (mainly for drawing classes and some photography projects).
My first introduction to blogging was when I moved to Bucharest. It was where I met my stylist (I am still working with her to this day); this was back in 2012. She had a blog called “White Lace” and needed a model for her project. After an audition, I became the face of the blog. It was a great experience because I learned a lot about what blogging really means. The project ended quite quickly, but I realized that I could start my own blog where I could tell stories and give people a part of my personality through images I would create. So, after a two-year break and a few months of research, I finally had the guts to buy my domain name and slowly build up my blog. My inspiration comes from everywhere, and my team helps me materialize a part of my personality in shootings and eventually in blog posts.
How important is the name of the blog?
The name of the blog is important to a certain extent, especially for personal branding, but the most important of all, in my opinion, is quality content. For me, choosing a name was very easy. People used to joke that I have a strong, resonant name, just like a perfume brand or a luxurious clothing company. This is mainly because I have a Hungarian name in a Romanian-speaking country so it stands out.
How difficult is it to find a blog niche?
The most important thing to do is to find the people who resonate with your style and understand what you do especially when you are not so mainstream. Unfortunately, it is a difficult task because there are so many blogs out there: the blogosphere is literally saturated with fashion and style blogs. The great news is that if you remain true to your style, and make the most of the things that make you different, people will eventually seek inspiration from your posts.
What is the best way to promote and grow your blog?
Social media is the best way to promote and grow your blog. Being mentioned by influential people also works. If not, nagging your friends about reading your blog sometimes works.
What is your main audience and how did you reach out to them?
Generally, girls and women who love a good fashion shoot, or people who are passionate about fashion photography. I am not that great with words, but I can tell stories through images so I mainly post photos and describe in a few lines what I am wearing.
How is important is it for your business to attend fashion week?
I will be moving to London in a couple of weeks, and I will attend my first fashion week there. I cannot answer from my personal experience yet, but I know from other bloggers that it is a great way to promote your blog, make new friends from the industry and maybe get noticed by street photographers. Attending fashion week is also a great way to discover new trends and collections, and adapt them into your own personal style.
What are the best tips for building long-term relationships and partnerships with brands?
The first impression means a lot, so you should always be professional and respect the terms and conditions of the collaboration. Creating attractive and quality posts with their products also ensures a long-term relationship. Nonetheless, always keep in mind to use only products that you love and that are close to your personality. You should always speak from your heart in your posts.
What is the biggest challenge about running a blog?
My biggest challenge to this day is time management. Having an 8-6 job and still managing to shoot photos, retouch and post them is very hard. Finding the right team is also challenging, because there has to be a certain chemistry between the photographer, the model and the make-up artist.
What advice would give to anyone looking to start a blog today?
People might think that having a blog is easy, but it takes up a lot of time and energy. My advice: make a little research beforehand to understand better what having a blog means, and if you still want to have your own blog, then make the most out of it. Pour your heart into it. Have a clear picture in mind of what you want to achieve, be yourself, and do not compare yourself to other blogs. Also, be open to criticism and be prepared to make a lot of mistakes, but learn from each one of them because that is the only way you can grow and expand.
What are your ultimate plans for your blog/blogging career?
Having a blog is a way to push myself in creativity to see how far I can go. I hope I will be able to work on more collaborations and interesting projects.
Images © Gabriella Kovari
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