Not a Fashion Blogger

Fun fact – I don’t consider myself a fashion blogger, and today I’ll tell you why.
SHOP THE LOOK:
SHOES: Exact Match $64.99 || BAG: Similar Style $125
PANTS: Exact Match $158 || TOP: Exact Match $158

One question I reallllly hate is what do you do. Well, I run Color Me Courtney. I create color focused content that I share with my community and aim to inspire people on and offline. That response often warrants a uhhhh so your’e a blogger? well yes, but I also run a instagram channel, a youtube channel, write articles for various publications, manage and pitch myself, host events, create visual installations, work as a band ambassador for some of the biggest brands in the world, and pull editorial and ad content through all lifestyle stages including concept, draft, create, edit and publish. So yeah, I blog but that’s not all I do.

When people still insist on categorizing me as such, they want to label that blogger label even further with a category. What do you blog about? Fashion? Food?. And again, yes my blog is or at least started about fashion but no, I don’t consider myself a fashion blogger at least not anymore. If you asked me three years ago when I was working full time in the industry I would have said I’m a handbag producer by day and I’m a fashion blogger by night or if you asked me even before then when I created my blog to help me get a job again, yes I’m a fashion blogger trying to find a job in the industry – but now, no. I’m not.

SO WHAT AM I – good question and I still advent figured it out, but like whyyyy who cares? Some panels and such will still introduce me or label me fashion blogger but the term color creator seams more relevant. Although I share outfits in almost every post, I really am trying to share COLOR. I’m not an expert in fashion, I have worked in the industry and know how to dress for my body type but the fashion industry has made it quite clear in my last few years of blogging that I’m not who they consider influential in the space.

WHY DON’T THEY LIKE ME?

Over my career both I’ve had a few major moments where fashion brands have made it quite clear that I’m not who they want to represent their brand. One specific example I was told just that – when I was working for a major handbag retailer in a production like capacity (aka helping to actually make and produce the handbags) I was asked not to wear said brand in public or on my blog because I wasn’t an accurate representation of their girl. To which I replied, so I’m on brand enough to work for you as long as its not public and done so behind the scenes okay, I wish I replied with that, honest the whole situation (which is juicy so I’ll leave for another post) caught me off guard including this comment, so I just blinked and didn’t respond.

Anyways, that wasn’t the first time I’ve been told this. Even as I’ve continued to grow, I’ve watched as I’ve expanded in every category from a partnership POV except fashion. I’m rarely on a fashion brands radar for sponsored partnerships, and when I am it’s usually accessory focused. There are very few brands who look to work with me and hire me for fashion focused campaigns. In some cases as recently as last year, a friend of mine would get a collab for a brand they thought was so me and either try and pitch me to the brand directly or give me their information to reach out, and I’ve been turned down. They’ve told my friends oh our styles don’t come in plus or no, she’s not what we’re looking for. I’ve been accidentally cced on emails where the people behind brands are forwarding my information to each other and discussing why I’m not a great fit almost in a mockery tone, content includes anything from her body type isn’t right, what race is she?, maybe if she straightened her hair and sometimes gets nasty with comments like: lol no we don’t do plus, too chubby or no we’re looking for someone with more of a mainstream look. All of those to me read as not skinny enough, not white enough and therefore not a fit for us.

I’m not saying the fashion industry is racist or body-type-ist? Or I don’t know, maybe I am lol. But for whatever reason I am not someone who they find valuable to sell clothing. This is also true in terms of events – I rarely get invited to blogger fashion events. All my friends get invited to events, assume everyone got the invite and I look on social to see they’re all at a fashion party that I wasn’t considered for. Honestly, I don’t care that much but I did want to bring these disconnects to the conversation.

I’m wearing colorful clothing in almost all of my content, 85% of my comments on instagram are asking where a piece is from or commenting about it and I have a high product conversion rate both on social and online – so why aren’t fashion brands looking to hire me. Is it because of something lacking in my content? Or is because I’m either a race or a body type that don’t associate with their industry. For so long I believed it to be the first – thinking I wasn’t delivering valuable enough content, but I have an overwhelming amount of offers in every other category. In fact, fashion collaboration account for less than 10 percent of my sponsored content while clothing is featured in over 95% of the content – so something doesn’t add up here. Again, I’m the last person to blame a lack of success in a area on the way I look – I just don’t operate like that, but I wanted to start a dialogue here.

Another potential reason could be because I don’t really play ball with affiliate programs. Most of you shared that you don’t like using rewardStyle and have an issue with their lack of diversity on their platform. I genuinely agreed so I’ve pretty much stopped using it – I will use it on occasion if I’m sharing something that wont be on the blog so you can shop it but for the most part I opt out. Not only has this resulted in loss a affiliate sales for me (its fine, I’ll live) but also has impacted my collab associated fashion earnings because most of my few fashion collabs came from RewardStyle.

If I never got another fashion collaboration I would be okay with that, I honestly love the brands I get to work with and enjoy operating in a different space than some of my other blogger friends. It’s refreshing that I don’t have any of the same collabs anymore and I LOVE that as a result you are being introduced to different sponsored content instead of just seeing the same brands pushed on your feed.

With all that said, I’m not complaining, I am very thankful for all the sponsored and brand partnerships I’ve been able to participate in and out of the fashion industry. Also, there are some fashion brands who I’ve worked with in the past, and would love to again. Sharing those below, so hopefully it inspires you to support those brands with your consumer dollars. Because in an industry where so many others say no to me for whatever reason, they say yes! Most of them are all about supporting body positivity.

Simply Be || Aerie || Primark || Time & Tru || Old Navy || Amazon Fashion || Topshop || Nordstrom || Milly || Lipault Paris (the bag in these shots) || Nike || Cath Kidston

Modcloth would have been on this list, but sadly after some unfulfilled promises from them on multiple occasions I’ve lost my trust in them as a partner and a consumer. Essentially I did some work for free in exchange for something that they were supposed to provide on their end and never did despite constant follow ups. That happens sometimes when you work to trade on good faith, just part of the business.

Asos another one that would have been on this list, but I’m still trying to get paid for 2 stop motion videos I did for them nearly 3 years ago. They’ve been shuffling me around for years (literally) without resolution. I understand that issues happen, but no one should wait 3 years to get paid for completed work. And if the issue was really financial departments issue as they claim, you would think they would be kind enough to offer me some of their new collabs since or trying to make it right in some other way until its solved but no. I want to believe that they’ll finally fix it, at least they respond to emails but until I get paid I’m not sure I’ll have confidence in them again.

And here are a few brands it might surprise you to know I never worked with, but would love to.

Alice + Olivia – I’ve worked with collabs allowing me to utilize their products or attend their show but never directly with the brand. Would love to work with them in some way.

Carolina Herrara or Christian Siriano – Considering using one or both of these brands in a big way (think wedding) so would love to work with them! I’ve been invited to Christian’s show but never been able to attend due to conflicts.

Forever 21 – I think I shop here more than anyone else because of their curvy / plus selection. I’m not plus but I like to share plus stuff for my followers!

You might be most surprised to know I’ve never done a sponsored collaboration for Kate Spade. I actually reached out a few times including when I was their #3 online seller according to shopstyle. That year, I was continually turned down for both collabs and my request to their fashion week presentation. As a result, I stopped asking and kind of stopped promoting the brand. I rarely wear them anymore.

Tell me – did you like this post? Let me know if you want more things like this.