An introduction
Monday, December 22, 2014
Hello,
My name is Natasha Colyer and I am the editor of online fashion and lifestyle magazine Seen in the City.
I wanted to write this blog to give a little insight into the weird, wacky and wonderful world of running an online magazine- from writing inspiration and ideas, to a real insight of behind the scenes of a fashion shoot, I really want to share my stories and experiences.
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| Here I am at a recent press event |
How it all began
I came up with the
idea of Seen in the City a year ago now, with the passion to have my own online
magazine having been building up for a good few years.
I have always had a
strong passion for writing and the way it can manipulate and influence
thoughts, feelings and emotions in a way that nothing else can.
I did work experience
for the Sussex Express when I was seventeen, before being offered an internship
for My Chic City- an online fashion and lifestyle magazine in London. This
internship really threw me into the deep end, juggling what felt like a
'proper' job with college work, and the transition from being a student four
days a week to a magazine journalist the other day, was an experience I can't
quite describe.
I got to interview
some incredible people whilst working here, from Peggy Porschen to Kelly Hoppen,
and learnt the true workings of an online fashion magazine, from the glitz and
the glamour to the tedious, the stressful and the downright embarrassing
moments. I had the chance to attend top events and launches, and to let my
creativity run wild in a way I had previously not had such an outlet.
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| One of my articles for My Chic City |
It was also through this opportunity that I got the
chance to intern for Vogue for a month- including working over London Fashion
Week.
To say I was excited about this opportunity was an understatement- the fact
that I would be walking the halls of one of the most prestigious magazines in
the world was overwhelming. I never expected to be offered the position- thousands
of girls apply every week for the chance, and I was told ‘never before’ had
someone below University age been offered the opportunity. However, as the
phone call came in to say they wanted me, I was over the moon.
This internship again, taught me more workings of the
inside of the fashion industry. Certain myths were quelled (yes, Vogue workers
do eat, and yes they have ‘down-days’ where they just wear jeans and a
t-shirt.) and I had the chance to work
in what is one of the most fascinating buildings I had ever been in. Firstly,
there are clothes everywhere- I mean EVERYWHERE- (the corridors were lined with rails and rails
of the most beautiful garments, as is the office floors, walls and storage
cuboards.) Past Vogue covers decorate the walls, and with a beautiful view of
Hanover Square just out of the window I truly felt as though I had reached
fashion-writer heaven. There was a beauty cupboard that seemed larger than my
bedroom, filled with hundreds upon hundreds of samples, and the amount of post,
presents and invites their letterboxes are filled with daily was to be more
than envied. I wallowed in the experience; drinking in that buzzing atmosphere,
that creativity and cherished every task I was given. Of course there were
tedious times too- sorting through the post and updating databases is not
necessarily the most fun, but I was given true responsibility and work too. I
felt so privileged to be trusted with different writing tasks, as well as
controlling their social media- having celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and
Cara Delevigne replying to my tweets was so exciting! I have heard of intern
horror stories- being made to work on your own in a cupboard, being called ‘intern’
and having to sit on the floor due to not being allowed a desk- but I am glad
to say my experience was far from this. The best part of my month by far was
getting to sit front row for London Fashion Week shows- being able to walk
straight in and to ‘row A’ was a real privilege.
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| Vogue building |
I was gutted when the month was up, but so excited to
embark on my own journey. I had worked within the fashion media industry for a
year and two months now and felt ready to get started on my own dream.
In this time I wrote for a number of companies
including Flush the Fashion and Vision Model Management as well as having a
part time blog.
Brainstorming for Seen in the City took a long time.
From coming up with the name (which took a lot longer
than expected, but luckily ended in a ‘Eureka’ moment) to deciding on a hosting
platform, to learning how to build a whole website from scratch, planning
articles, deciding on themes, fonts and a content schedule I felt well and
truly immersed in the Industry.
I discovered just quite how much I had underestimated
the amount of work which would be required (I needed at least 200 articles
before it even launched) to create my business, and there were numerous times I
nearly gave up. In fact without my family and boyfriend to lean on (and cry to
more than a few times) I would not have got where I am now, anywhere near as
quickly.
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| Part of Seen in the City's homepage |
It was the 18th of July 2014 which saw Seen
in the City go live, and was one of the proudest moments of my life.
It was an exceptionally crazy day for me, for it felt
like my baby which I had slaved over and worked on for so many months, was
finally being brought into the world for everyone to see, view and judge.
But the response was overwhelming.
I received over 2,000 views in one day on the launch,
and these continued to rise over the first week. Five months later and I am
averaging at 12,000 unique viewers a month, something I never precedented
within my first year.
I have interviewed some truly inspiring figures, and
recently got asked to sponsor the House of iKons fashion show in not just
London, but Dubai and LA aswell- a truly pivotal moment of my life, having my
brand taken all around the world.
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| Me sponsoring House of iKons show in London- you can see Seen in the City's logo in the background! |
I want this blog to write about some of my thoughts
and feelings, and the funny, different and real moments behind the industry. I
want you to know exactly what goes on, as well as give you some advice, insight
and laughs along the way.
Have a lovely Christmas and new year,
Natasha
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