The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Erika enjoying fruits of success in Big Apple
GLENBEIGH NATIVE MAKING HER NAME IN US FASHION CAPITAL
THE curious case of Glenbeigh woman Erika Fox’s remarkable rise up the rungs of the fashion ladder continued over the weekend as the former student of the ISK in Killorglin showcased her luxurious New York City lifestyle to her army of online followers, which currently stands at impressive 100,000 people... and growing!
The 25-year old, who graduated with a Business degree from NUIG and who now works full-time on her Retro Flame Fashion & Lifestyle Website, has recently been named as one of the ‘Top 20 New York Style Bloggers’ and was also named by the website ‘Irish Central’ as one of the ‘Top 40 Digital Influencers’ in the United States.
It is a very long way from her primary school days in Glenbeigh and she admits that while it certainly hasn’t been a straightforward jouney, right now she couldn’t be happier.
“I first came to New York on a summer J1 Visa when I was in college and I ended up coming here the following summer as well because I loved it so much! I interned for free at different fashion & PR companies both summers,” said Erika talking to The Kerryman on Monday.
“I worked hard, made contacts and eventually moved back here full-time on the Graduate Visa. I knew it wouldn’t be the easiest move I would ever make but I knew I would never find anywhere which gave me as much energy and motivation as New York City.”
“After a few months of this, I managed to secure a full-time fashion job at US company Vince Camuto and continued to work on my own business, Retro Flame, on the side at the weekends and in the evenings. About a year and a half ago, I was approached by an agency who wanted to represent me/ Retro Flame and this really gave me the push and the confidence to keep building and developing my own brand,” she said.
The big moment in Erika’s fledgling business and fashion career came just last March when she took the daunting step to work full-time on her blog, a decision that has paid off already.
“I’m absolutely loving every single min- ute so far and, admittedly, it hasn’t been the most straight-forward of journeys but it’s been a fun one to say the least! I now work full-time for myself here in NYC and my sister, Kaelin, joined the team in October.”
“Retro Flame started out as just a hobby for me when I was in college but it has now grown to be much more than that. I now collaborate with a wide range of brands to help promote products I love and I can honestly say every day is different. I also just recently made the move over to Youtube (Retro Flame) where I publish two new videos every week.”
Speaking about the remarkable and sometimes surreal journey that she has taken from one of the quietest areas in Kerry to the hustle and bustle of ‘The City That Never Sleeps’, she says that it’s not something that ever strikes her.
“You know, the thing about me is that I’m always working towards the next goal, so sometimes I forget to even notice how far I’ve come. But honestly, I just couldn’t be happier. I always knew I wanted to work for myself and to be able to wake up every day in NYC and truly love what I do is something I’ll be forever grateful for.”
Erika says that she has big goals for 2017 and, if her success over the past few years are anything to go by, we might be hearing a lot more of this fiery-haired girl from South Kerry in the years to come.
“My list of goals is endless! I’m hoping to do even more travelling around the world and, in terms of career, I’m more focused than ever to keep expanding my own brand, Retro Flame. This year, I’ll continue to add new categories, useful content and even more members to the Retro Flame team,” she said.
You can follow Erika on her numerous social media platforms via: Blog: www.retro-flame.com, Instagram: @ retroflame, Twitter: @retroflame, Snapchat: @retroflame1