Finding the way
None of these girls started off with ambitions to be influencers. They just happened on a career as one on the way. We gather HILARY FAN, YVETTE KONG, JUSTINE LEE, IRISA WONG and ZELIA ZHONG together to pick their brains over what influence means to them and to see them in action with the newest Louis Vuitton Capucines x Fornasetti collaboration
“Influence means to be your authentic self, showing people what you believe in and using your influence in a positive way. I didn’t really choose to be an influencer. I just post whatever I want on my Instagram. That’s why I don’t really like posting ads – I want to be more genuine and I feel like people like to see that” IRISA WONG
“I think it’s important as an influencer to have a true sense of self and voice. Be open, be honest. To me, influence means having the power to spread or amplify messages about relevant topics or interests, and having a voice and opinion that’s trusted by a group or community” JUSTINE LEE
“At the beginning, I thought Instagram was just a photo-editing app, and I updated daily. I gained followers and at some point I figured I needed something of more substance than just pretty stuff. So, I started ‘Tree hole’ where followers could ask me for advice. There I met an alcoholic, who said he was in pain. I told him to quit drinking bit by bit and after a year he came to me and told me he was feeling so much better. I was so touched that my tiny little effort paid off even without me noticing. I think this is more impactful than putting up thousands of pretty photos online” ZELIA ZHONG
“Within myself, I knew that if I took on more of these projects and participated in more things, I would definitely gain more attention. But I don’t think it came from a place of already wanting to be an influencer. I think [becoming an influencer] has given me a lot of opportunities and it has been a privilege to be able to have influence” HILARY FAN
“My mantra is that if it’s a positive thing then I will give it a try. I think everyone in their 20s can try out different things to see what they like and what they don’t, and I’ve been hugely grateful for fashion opportunities because I feel like it’s an area where I can express myself out of the pool and it’s still very new to me. I only came to this scene perhaps a year ago and I treasure every opportunity I have and I feel excited to work with the brands that I admire” YVETTE KONG
Hair / Zenki at live.once.hair Make-Up / Little White Hair Assistant / Nigo Wan at live.once.hair Make-Up Assistant / Fngmakeup Styling Assistant / Alex Loong Editorial Assistants / Kamakshi Gupta and Carlotta Traverso