Fashion Blogs: Masters of Amateurism

Yesterday evening Premsela’s Masters of Amateurism event, featuring Katja Hentschel of Glamcanyon, took place in Meneer de Wit. As miss Hentschel is also featured in the book ‘Fashion Blogs’, we were invited to join the party, which included a special presentation on the topic of fashion blogging in relation to amateurism.

Aynouk Tan, fashion journalist and one of the book’s chapter introduction writers, opened the discussion with a short review of ‘Fashion Blogs’, calling it “a timeless document that puts fashion blogging as a field on the map”. As she did in her article, she pointed out that the phenomenon of scenesters has always existed, but that it was never as visible as it is now, due to the internet. Because of this new phenomenon of fashion blogging, kids are now taken much more seriously by the fashion world, and bloggers can no longer be ignored by the fashion elite. She said: “They’re all different and unique persons, they write from their own unique perspective on fashion”, and even had a small piece of advice for all the fashion bloggers out there: “Just be yourself, and fame and fortune will happen for you. It sounds very Oprah, but it’s true.”

Next, Maurice Seleky, online media and communications specialist, took the floor and noted that a good relationship with bloggers is crucial for PR Companies now, calling fashion bloggers a ‘new type of influentials’ who in turn take advantage of this relationship by asking PR Companies for invitations to fashion shows. In other words, Seleky said, “Blogging now is a lifestyle with the appeal of professional soccer.”

Next, the lovely Katja Hentschel was up, and the attending audience members, including founder of 360Fashion Anina, were able to ask questions. Starting off with a short bio, Katja explained how she started her blog Glamcanyon three and a half years ago, just for fun. A small phenomenon at the time, blogging has become huge in Germany since, she noted, turning into a hype. She named the German Les Mads as a good example of a massively popular blog that also managed to improve in quality over time. While there is still a stigma in the heads of PR and fashion industry people, bloggers often aren’t the amateurs they are seen as, she explained, and indeed “online is the future.” Katja answered our questions about monetising your blog and about where to draw the line between being authentic and selling out (in terms of bloggers partnering up with major brands and sponsors). “It’s up to yourself, ” she replied, and pointed how “working with brands and magazines actually gives you the freedom to do the other things you love doing.” In her specific case, it is her love for travelling, which she is exploring in her new project, www.travelettes.net/. After all, Katja admitted, “I’m not sure I want to be a photographer for the rest of my life.”