Welcome to Favorite Follow, a brand new sequence highlighting NYLON’s favourite creators and the tales behind a few of their most memorable content material.
Scrolling by means of Instagram can typically really feel monotonous, particularly with regards to vogue inspiration. One model or merchandise can take off on the platform and shortly sufficient, you’re seeing very comparable outfits and content material again and again. Following somebody like artistic director and self-proclaimed “sock-fluencer” Gia Seo, nevertheless, is a breath of recent air in your feed. Her match pics are full of colours, textures, and patterns that really feel like a success of dopamine to your eyeballs, and her easygoing method to getting dressed feels attainable, too.
“Outside of particular issues that I’ve to publish for work, I actually attempt to present the massive image of who I’m as an individual. I’d actually love for somebody to satisfy me and say, ‘oh, you might be precisely who you might be on-line as you might be in actual life’ as a result of that is actually the way it must be,” says Seo, who’s based mostly in New York and likewise runs her personal artistic company known as Department Of.
As her firm expands, Seo goals to deal with championing each younger creatives and marginalized communities. “At the forefront of what we do, we attempt to present areas and voices for the underrepresented, particularly within the BIPOC group,” she says. “We attempt to give again alternatives to younger creatives who may not have entry to among the sources that I’m lucky sufficient to have entry to now.”
Teaming up with UGG for its newest marketing campaign was a simple choice for Seo. “I’ve all the time had actually beloved the model and the ethos of who they’re since I used to be 12 or 13, after which extra not too long ago with the actually superior collaborations and the illustration of those younger and unbelievable designers,” she says, noting Telfar, Eckhaus Latta, and Y/Project as examples.
The latter’s partnership with UGG resulted in a pair of viral-worthy thigh-high boots, which have been noticed on Rihanna and Dua Lipa, and Seo had the prospect to strive a pair on for herself throughout her picture shoot with the model, together with its newly launched ready-to-wear assortment.
“It was freezing chilly that day however I undoubtedly did not really feel it as a result of the UGG jacket and the pullover sweater have been fairly heat,” remembers Seo. “And that is being stated in all honesty from an Alaskan who grew up in destructive 70-degree climate.”
Below, Seo shares a few of her favourite social media posts and outfits, together with particulars on the method, inspiration, and which means behind them.
On Styling (And The Importance Of) Face Masks
“I’m all about personalizing [face masks] and displaying them off. When I used to be capturing this within the winter, I used to be tremendous bundled up and the one place I actually felt like I may exhibit my private fashion was within the colour mixtures of my cool sun shades, or my extra eclectic masks and hats. For most of those masks, I’m sporting a disposable one beneath as a result of, on the finish of the day, they nonetheless must perform. The complete level of getting these masks is as a result of we live in a pandemic. Although it is inspiring and enjoyable to indicate off these seems to be, it’s undoubtedly security first.
“I additionally had so many individuals say to me, ‘oh, I can not acknowledge you together with your masks on anymore.’ Or, ‘I can not acknowledge individuals as a result of they’re sporting masks.’ And I believed to myself, ‘Well, if you cannot acknowledge me for my face, then I hope you possibly can acknowledge me for my fashion.’ So I believed that this could be a enjoyable take a look at to see what number of of my pals may acknowledge me based mostly off of a really small floor space of fashion. It was not profitable, to be trustworthy, but it surely was nonetheless enjoyable to strive.”
On Not Defining Your Always-Evolving Style
“I in all probability will sound like a damaged file right here, however I really feel that it is actually exhausting for me to categorize my fashion. I do not even know what trending vogue classes are anymore. I really feel like I’ve all the time simply dressed completely based mostly on my temper and eventful issues which are occurring in my life. I believe that, as I all the time develop and as my setting modifications, as I develop as a artistic or an individual, so does my fashion.”
On Layering Textures As A “Texturenaut”
“I created @texturenaut as a result of I used to be having loads of nervousness with my private Instagram account. I felt actually pressured by sure stresses in social media and sure manufacturers right here and there, and I actually felt like I used to be dropping my genuine voice and myself on-line. Once I found vogue and colour and sample, I’ve all the time been an enormous supporter of it. I nearly really feel like ‘extra is extra’ is all the time higher, however my one method could be the place I begin, which is with my shoes-and-sock mixture, if I’m sporting socks. I additionally actually love colour principle, and I’ve studied it since faculty. I’m all the time colour principle, logic, and books, particularly if I’m feeling actually uninspired.”
On Becoming A “Sock-fluencer”
“The ‘sock-fluencer’ took place as a result of I spotted that there was a marketplace for individuals having the ability to specify what they have been influencing. I believed that was so fascinating as a result of after I first began Instagram, there weren’t actually influencers, I assume, in that method. It was extra like manufacturers or merchandise that have been being pushed, however not likely individuals pushing the product, so to talk. When I turned labeled an influencer, I wished to know if I have been to specify the form of affect I used to be doing, whether or not it’s meals or media or a particular product, would this create traction?
“This got here from an genuine place, although, as a result of I even have all the time collected socks. It was the one factor my mom would actually permit me to purchase anytime we visited someplace. And so, at some point, I simply modified my identify to the sockfluencer, and it caught. I started working with loads of actually superior sock manufacturers, really, on a artistic degree and likewise simply on an Instagram degree. It’s actually superb what the web can present.”
On Dressing To “Look Good, Feel Good”
“This [fit pic] was within the again alley of my former condominium in Williamsburg. And, to be trustworthy, that is simply an outfit that I wore exterior and I believed it regarded actually enjoyable so I took a photograph. The gloves are workwear gloves that I put on when I’m constructing units. But I occur to additionally put on them within the winter as a result of they’re lined and fairly heat and sturdy. The ski masks is from a surplus military retailer, and I used to make use of it on a regular basis after I would ski. Both the tie-dye items are from Ganni after which the pants are simply your run-of-the-mill Dickies.
“During this time, I used to be feeling a bit of bit down, and I actually all the time strive to not reside in that second for thus lengthy. So I made a decision that I wished to put on probably the most vibrant and colourful issues I can presumably discover. I actually do consider within the ‘look good, really feel good’ mentality. It’s all the time actually labored for me, even in a few of my tougher moments, so this was certainly one of these moments, What I felt like I used to be simply I began from the underside, however now I’m shining the brightest in a very bizarre method.”
Follow Gia Seo on Instagram.
