Are bloggers and street style stars the new designers? Introducing 9 labels changing the tide
Since the explosion of street style back in ’09, there’s been much talk of the fashion industry’s climate change. Bloggers in front row, socialites in head-to-toe runway looks—it’s been a transformation to say the least. Lately there’s been another shift with bloggers and street style stars are throwing it back to the runway, harnessing their fame in full fledged collections and labels all their own.
Here are 9 of our favourite bloggers and street style stars turned designers, including a talented few who are on our Style Panel!
Natalia Alaverdian, A.W.A.K.E
Nataliaalaverdian.com
This Harper’s Bazaar Russia fashion director blogs about street style, editorials and celebrity stylings. Her London-based label, A.W.A.K.E. stands for All Wonderful Adventures Kindle Enthusiasum, has already been picked up by Moda Operandi, Net-a-Porter and Browns in London. Prints play a huge role in Alaverdian’s designs and take form in giraffe pants and rooster coats and dresses.
A.W.A.K.E. is carried by Modi Operandi.
Chiara Ferragni
TheBlondSalad.com
Back in 2009, Ferragni started The Blond Salad as a way to showcase her personal style, musings (in both English and Italian) and street style. Four years later her blog gets 85,000 views a day and 9 million impressions a month. In 2010, Ferragni started an eponymous shoe line. The range of her line is enormous from glittery flats with eyelashes to distressed leather boots to zebra-printed loafers.
Chiara Ferragni is carried at Chiaraferragnishoes.com and Luisaviaroma.com
Danielle Roche, Kastor & Pollux
Daniesque.net
Together with Bianca Venerayan, Roche started fashion and jewellery label Kastor & Pollux in 2011. Both were in school at the time and still designing, sourcing materials and physically creating all the products themselves. The Style Panelist started blogging only one month before launching the label as a way to garner attention and foster a following. Kastor & Pollux supplies wearable pieces as well as jewellery for anyone who wants to indulge their quirky side.
Kastor & Pollux is carried at KastorandPollux.com
Christine Lai, UNIF Clothing
Cristeric.com
The brain behind fashion label UNIF is also behind the sub-culture blog Christeric, along with her friend Eric Espinoza. Lai really credits her blog with finding most of her label’s customers and likens it to “freaks with the same aesthetic all coming together for a love of fashion.” Even celebs like Lil Wayne and Justin Bieber are fans.
UNIF Clothing is available at NastyGal.com and UNIFClothing.com
Ulyana Sergeenko
UlyanaSergeenko.com
This street style star has been getting the royal treatment when it comes to her burgeoning couture design career and not just because her husband is a billionaire. Along with fellow Russians Miroslava Duma, Elena Perminova and Anya Ziourova, Sergeenko became a must-see on street style blogs thanks to a snap by Tommy Ton in October 2011. Since, she’s debuted soaring couture collections that go up against titans like Chanel, Valentino and Givenchy.
Ulyana Sergeenko info can be found at UlyanaSergeenko.com
Kelly Framel
TheGlamourai.com
Framel started her blog The Glamourai back in 2008 but just meant for it to be an anonymous site where her friends could be entertained. Soon it was heralded by Huffington Post as one of the 10 best blogs in New York and by WWD as one of the “12 Best Fashion Destinations Online”. Her killer DIY instincts and mixture of high and low fashion has led her into consulting jobs with Erin Fetherston, Club Monaco, Forever 21 and into designing her own jewellery line. She designs ornate, oversized pieces that are the epitome of boho chic.
Kelly Framel is carried on TheGlamourai.com
Zana Bayne
GarbageDress.com
The start of her blog in 2008, while Bayne was working at a store in San Francisco that sold major labels like Commes de Garcon and Margiela, was supposed to just be a portfolio of her own personal taste. While still at the store, Bayne designed and created her first leather harness and posted it on her blog. Fast forward two years later, the harnesses were selling on Etsy and a makeup artist friend of Bayne wore one of her designs to a shoot where a stylist took notice. Since then, Bayne has designed harnesses for Prabal Gurung’s Spring 2012 collection, Lady Gaga’s ‘You and I’ music video and Taylor Tomasi-Hill.
Zana Bayne is carried at Opening Ceremony and ZanaBayne.com
Mo Handahu, Clutch Culture
Lion-hunter.com
Another Style Panelist, Handahu creates clutches for her label Clutch Culture in addition to maintaining her blog. Her clutches are bright, fun and full of pattern and colour. Handahu’s heritage can usually be found woven into the intricate patterns on most of her designs; born in Zimbabwe, colourful African prints are all over this clutch collection.
Clutch Culture is carried at Etsy.com
Kenza Zouiten, IvyRevel
Kenzas.se
Running one of Sweden’s most viewed blogs, winning multiple awards for it, attending Stockholm’s fashion week and modeling for clothing campaigns must be a lot of work. So how Zouiten also fits in being the creative force behind IvyRevel (a clothing label full of sequins, jersey, chunky knit sweaters and quilted pleather mini skirts) is beyond even us. At only 22, Zouiten and her clothing line have been featured in numerous magazines out of Sweden and she’s even been a cover girl for the mag VeckoRevyn an astounding 12 times!
Ivy Revel is carried at IvyRevel.com
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://fashionmagazine.com/style/bloggers-and-street-style-stars-the-new-designers/&title=Are bloggers and street style stars the new designers? Introducing 9 labels changing the tide&picture=https://fashionmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Kastor-and-Pollux-01.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_176434" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Kastor and Pollux designers, bloggers Bianca Venerayan and Danielle Roche[/caption]
Since the explosion of street style back in ’09, there’s been much talk of the fashion industry’s climate change. Bloggers in front row, socialites in head-to-toe runway looks---it’s been a transformation to say the least. Lately there’s been another shift with bloggers and street style stars are throwing it back to the runway, harnessing their fame in full fledged collections and labels all their own.
Here are 9 of our favourite bloggers and street style stars turned designers, including a talented few who are on our Style Panel!
[caption id="attachment_176369" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Photography by Team Peter Stigter[/caption]
Natalia Alaverdian, A.W.A.K.E
Nataliaalaverdian.com
This Harper’s Bazaar Russia fashion director blogs about street style, editorials and celebrity stylings. Her London-based label, A.W.A.K.E. stands for All Wonderful Adventures Kindle Enthusiasum, has already been picked up by Moda Operandi, Net-a-Porter and Browns in London. Prints play a huge role in Alaverdian’s designs and take form in giraffe pants and rooster coats and dresses.
A.W.A.K.E. is carried by Modi Operandi.
Chiara Ferragni
TheBlondSalad.com
Back in 2009, Ferragni started The Blond Salad as a way to showcase her personal style, musings (in both English and Italian) and street style. Four years later her blog gets 85,000 views a day and 9 million impressions a month. In 2010, Ferragni started an eponymous shoe line. The range of her line is enormous from glittery flats with eyelashes to distressed leather boots to zebra-printed loafers.
Chiara Ferragni is carried at Chiaraferragnishoes.com and Luisaviaroma.com
[caption id="attachment_176370" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Design: Danielle Roche & Bianca Venerayan. Creative Direction: Jennifer Cheng. Photography: Danny Nguyen. Model: Susan Lam. Hair & Makeup: Kestra Goldman. Prop Styling: Ema Walters.[/caption]
Danielle Roche, Kastor & Pollux
Daniesque.net
[caption id="attachment_176411" align="alignright" width="200"] Photography via Instagram/kastorandpollux[/caption]
Together with Bianca Venerayan, Roche started fashion and jewellery label Kastor & Pollux in 2011. Both were in school at the time and still designing, sourcing materials and physically creating all the products themselves. The Style Panelist started blogging only one month before launching the label as a way to garner attention and foster a following. Kastor & Pollux supplies wearable pieces as well as jewellery for anyone who wants to indulge their quirky side.
Kastor & Pollux is carried at KastorandPollux.com
Christine Lai, UNIF Clothing
Cristeric.com
[caption id="attachment_176409" align="alignright" width="200"] Photography via misskl.com[/caption]
The brain behind fashion label UNIF is also behind the sub-culture blog Christeric, along with her friend Eric Espinoza. Lai really credits her blog with finding most of her label’s customers and likens it to “freaks with the same aesthetic all coming together for a love of fashion.” Even celebs like Lil Wayne and Justin Bieber are fans.
UNIF Clothing is available at NastyGal.com and UNIFClothing.com
[caption id="attachment_176371" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Photography by Team Peter Stigter[/caption]
Ulyana Sergeenko
UlyanaSergeenko.com
This street style star has been getting the royal treatment when it comes to her burgeoning couture design career and not just because her husband is a billionaire. Along with fellow Russians Miroslava Duma, Elena Perminova and Anya Ziourova, Sergeenko became a must-see on street style blogs thanks to a snap by Tommy Ton in October 2011. Since, she’s debuted soaring couture collections that go up against titans like Chanel, Valentino and Givenchy.
Ulyana Sergeenko info can be found at UlyanaSergeenko.com
Kelly Framel
TheGlamourai.com
Framel started her blog The Glamourai back in 2008 but just meant for it to be an anonymous site where her friends could be entertained. Soon it was heralded by Huffington Post as one of the 10 best blogs in New York and by WWD as one of the “12 Best Fashion Destinations Online”. Her killer DIY instincts and mixture of high and low fashion has led her into consulting jobs with Erin Fetherston, Club Monaco, Forever 21 and into designing her own jewellery line. She designs ornate, oversized pieces that are the epitome of boho chic.
Kelly Framel is carried on TheGlamourai.com
Zana Bayne
GarbageDress.com
The start of her blog in 2008, while Bayne was working at a store in San Francisco that sold major labels like Commes de Garcon and Margiela, was supposed to just be a portfolio of her own personal taste. While still at the store, Bayne designed and created her first leather harness and posted it on her blog. Fast forward two years later, the harnesses were selling on Etsy and a makeup artist friend of Bayne wore one of her designs to a shoot where a stylist took notice. Since then, Bayne has designed harnesses for Prabal Gurung’s Spring 2012 collection, Lady Gaga’s ‘You and I’ music video and Taylor Tomasi-Hill.
Zana Bayne is carried at Opening Ceremony and ZanaBayne.com
[caption id="attachment_176374" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Photography by Stephanie Florentina[/caption]
Mo Handahu, Clutch Culture
Lion-hunter.com
[caption id="attachment_176414" align="alignright" width="200"] Photography by Stefania Yarhi[/caption]
Another Style Panelist, Handahu creates clutches for her label Clutch Culture in addition to maintaining her blog. Her clutches are bright, fun and full of pattern and colour. Handahu’s heritage can usually be found woven into the intricate patterns on most of her designs; born in Zimbabwe, colourful African prints are all over this clutch collection.
Clutch Culture is carried at Etsy.com
Kenza Zouiten, IvyRevel
Kenzas.se
Running one of Sweden’s most viewed blogs, winning multiple awards for it, attending Stockholm’s fashion week and modeling for clothing campaigns must be a lot of work. So how Zouiten also fits in being the creative force behind IvyRevel (a clothing label full of sequins, jersey, chunky knit sweaters and quilted pleather mini skirts) is beyond even us. At only 22, Zouiten and her clothing line have been featured in numerous magazines out of Sweden and she’s even been a cover girl for the mag VeckoRevyn an astounding 12 times!
Ivy Revel is carried at IvyRevel.com){kind=link}