Since brands and their bucks have started collaborating with Insta-celebs, a debate is raging about the relationships between marketers, influencers and their followers. With so money to be made in blogging and ‘gramming, thousands jump onto the bandwagon every day – some sink, some struggle and some make it big. We look at the journey of one of the pioneers who truly made fashion blogging pay! Alisha Taneja, a 23-year-old American-Indian who broke out of the doctor-engineer mold her parents chose for her, has made a life and living out of her fashion blog – and my god! What an exciting and colorful life it is!
I have spent the last few days tripping on her Instagram account (@saffrononrose) – which by the way stands at 657K – and while at first glance it looks like a standard fashion Insta page, a closer look at the posts and her blog throws up a recurring theme – the life of a non-white, petite, curvy girl who loves fashion – she is using fashion to talk about diversity and inclusive fashion and she’s doing it in style!
In true blogger style, Alisha started her blog as a hobby while studying at UCLA (she graduated with a Political Science degree). The blog just exploded and became a business while she was still studying. She took the plunge after college and went into it full time. I know! It sounds like the standard blogger turned influencer story, but for me what set her apart was how she turned her social media street cred into a full-time business. Her blog (called saffron on rose) and social media channels are just one part of her business; she also does social media marketing for fashion, lifestyle, and healthcare-related brands.
For Alisha blogging and fashion is more than just pretty clothes, ”I want to do something that I love but also help people – I feel like blogging achieves that. Growing up it was always difficult for me to find clothes that fit. My height is 4 -11 so I have very few options. I share these struggles on my blog and empower other petite girls to look and feel their best. I always strive to show diversity on my platform – I feel like I’ve never been in the media and seen my face, so I wish that the media will give girls like me opportunities.”
Amen to that!
I for one would love to see more of Alisha’s eclectic sense of fashion light up my feeds. She is still so young and has so many ideas bubbling inside her. So, here I go clicking follow on her Instagram page, just to see what she comes up with next!
