You Turn The Path Green

Excellence in an off-beat vocation requires fliar and, yes, courage. Here are eight such and their pioneers.

- Stuti Agarwal

FASHION BLOGGERS: There was a time, not too long ago, when blogging was the “in thing”, when everyone was starting a blog about everything—from how to take care of your hamster, to hair-care, stories from around the world, or just stomach trouble. Penning down a personal blog may no longer be all the rage now, but what blogging did was open the doors to a full-time career, one that many are picking up even now. Combine it with the powerhouse marketing tools that are your social media profiles, and you have a seller. And what takes it to a best-seller? A loyal band followers. And nothing generates a better following than fashion.

Fashion bloggers have found a niche of their own—between working for themselves, their love for fashion, and milking the internet and social media for all its worth. Funnily enough, most full-time fashion bloggers chanced upon the career. What started with these fashion addicts posting pictures of their love for style soon became a career when it garnered followers who liked, commented, and even “bought” their suggestions. The traction was enough to invite attention from brands: these bloggers were their local endorsers, and campaigners, who had a personal fan base and connect. Fashion bloggers are now paid well to be the social media face of brands.

One of the biggest names in the industry, Masoom Minwalla, now has brands like Bobbi Brown, Clinique, Tarun Tahiliani, that approach her for a feature. “With social media it’s all about your follower base,” says Minwalla. “What started as barter, focusing on collaborations, are now monetary business deals.” Rasna Bhasin, a fashion blogger herself, says many bloggers have packages. “It could be putting up a certain number of posts, pictures, or name mentions,” she says.