Q&A With the Iconic Fashion Guru, @yvesaintmess
For those of you who don’t already know the account @yvesaintmess, please allow me to introduce you to the fashion guru herself.
Image Courtesy: Zahra
Hello Zahra, please tell our readers a bit about yourself, where you are from, do you go to school (if so what do you study), what your passion is, etc...
Hi everyone! For those of you who don’t know, my name is Zahra, and I’m from Pakistan. I’m currently in my second year of A levels, which is like high school, except it’s the British education system. I study psychology, business, and maths. I love art and get most of my inspiration from fashion, so both things go hand in hand for me!
For those who are not familiar with your account, please tell everyone what exactly @yvesaintmess is, when did it start, how did it start?
I started getting really interested in fashion history in early 2019 and collected a few books on it. Eventually, I turned my old Ariana Grande fan account from 2015 into @yvesaintmess, initially starting this as a fashion history account. I soon realized I could never stick to just posting about old collections, etc., without getting bored. So in May, I started posting like I do now, incorporating current fashion as well. It wasn't until August when I got my first viral post that my account started to grow.
What do you think is the best thing to have come from your account?
I did a post about Dolls Kill, an online retailer, that got over 11,000 likes and the comments were filled with people that had previously supported the company saying that they’ll never shop from there again. It amazed me how a single post reached so many potential future buyers of that company that will now rethink their decision. It made me so happy that even with the relatively small platform I had, I was able to inform people of Dolls Kill’s problematic actions. That was definitely the best thing to happen so far. Secondly, I love that I’ve been able to have conversations with my followers. They’re so funny and appreciative of fashion! Most of the time they’re teaching me new stuff and I absolutely love that.
Where do you find most of your pictures from?
I usually decide on what I’m posting that day off the top of my head and use Pinterest and Tumblr to find the best pictures. I try to never post something straight off of Instagram.
Who is your biggest fashion inspiration?
Alexa Chung and Zoe Kravitz. I think they’re both similar in many ways. They both have the same effortlessly cool “I spent an hour trying to look like I spent 5 minutes on this look” vibe to them. My absolute biggest fashion inspiration has to be Bianca Jagger, however. She was a trailblazer and is still an icon.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
A mix between Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent and 90s Prada.
How do you view the future of fashion in correlation with social media?
So much of your worth in the fashion industry is dependent on your social media following, which is both good and bad. It makes the fashion industry open to deserving young talent who don’t have the usual connections in the industry but also gives influencers like TikTokers that probably have no appreciation of the art opportunities to go to fashion week. For example, TikTokers were invited to Fendi last year, and I can see the trend of inviting these influencers only going up.
Who are your favorite brands, and why?
Saint Laurent (in case the username didn’t give it away), Maison Margiela and Yohji Yamamoto because they successfully blend the lines between womenswear and menswear. I also love Prada, Laquan Smith, and, more recently, I’ve been loving Robert Wun.
What do you value in brands or designers?
The literal only thing I wish more brands did is have ethical practices and not exploit people that live in South Asia, that’s all I’m asking for. For designers: originality (I’m looking at you Virgil Abloh).
What is your goal with your platform?
Whether I reach 500 or 5000 people that day, I always want to call attention to brands or people that are problematic. Secondly, I want to make my Instagram more informative, rather than just posting pretty images. I want to help educate people about fashion history because that’s why I started this account in the first place.
Do you have any advice for young people looking to start something like this or even young people interested in fashion in general?
Be consistent and original. It can be tempting to become generic just to get a few more likes, I’m even guilty of that, but it’s important to differentiate yourself from accounts that already have a large following.
What do you think has been the key to your success on social media?
I always focus on posting something that I haven't seen on Instagram before. Something new will obviously catch a person’s eye if it creeps onto their explore page. Secondly, I try to combine what I want to see on Instagram with what I know other people want to see. For example, people love to see pretty makeup looks, but I don’t want to post looks that can be found on other Instagram accounts. To compensate, I’ll post makeup looks from the runway.
Image Courtesy: Instagram
What are your favorite summer trends?
Social distancing and wearing masks <3
What are some classic pieces you believe everybody should have in their closets?
Besides the obvious white t-shirt and perfect pair of jeans, a good pair of animal print shoes! They tie together any outfit.
Image Courtesy: Zahra
Do you find quarantine has made the world of social media easier or harder to navigate?
Social media can never be easy, but with more free time, I think people are becoming more open to giving it a try, along with starting to support blogs. I also think it’s easier to be consistent with content during this time.
Who are your favorite stylists/photographers/models/etc.?
Stylists: Law Roach and Zerina Akers
Photographers: I love Daniel Arnold’s work
Models: Duckie Thot, Adut Akech, Neelam Gill, Nora Attal, Mica Arganaraz, Alton Mason and Kaia Gerber
Best dressed celebrities?
The obvious! Rihanna & Zendaya, Chloé, and Halle are killing it, and Jaden Smith.
What does style/fashion mean to you?
I fall in and out of love for art, music, etc., but fashion has been the one core passion I've had my entire life. It’s my biggest source of creative satisfaction and happiness.
Thank you so much Zahra <3 To our badass Strike readers, as always, thank you for the love and support.
Strike Out,
Writer: Emma O'leck
Boca Raton