• An interview with Daniel Bruno Grandl - The Urban Spotter

    Written by Jenny Lacis by Michaela Widergren

    On a street corner, at a crossover or in the crowd that is getting off the bus - Daniel Bruno Grandl finds fashionable people everywhere. Since 2012 he runs the street- style-blog The Urban Spotter, where he publishes photos of people from all around the world.

    Growing up in Germany with his mother running a vintage fashion store and with a great love of photography, Daniel followed his dream and combined these two interests in a blog. This medium currently seems to be the most common in this sphere.

    JL: So Daniel, when and why did you start The Urban Spotter?

    DBG: In 2009 I stumbled upon the blog The Sartorialist and I loved it. Once I moved from Scotland to London in 2012 I started my own blog, which was the birth of theurbanspotter.com.

    JL: What was your vision with the blog when you started? And how easy has it been to follow that vision?

    DBG: I started theurbanspotter.com in order to entertain people with my style images and to become one of the top street style platforms in the world. Such high ambitions have not always been easy for me, especially as one is faced with many challenges as well as doubts at the beginning.

    JL: What did the blogosphere look like when you started and how do you think it has developed over time? 

    DBG: I started rather late with blogging, mid 2012, so the Market back then was already quite competitive. But now, two years after, there are more street style photographers than ever before and the market is becoming more and more saturated. Only those who have a unique point of view and are truly good at what they do will continue to grow.

    JL: Why did you chose to publish your photos in a blog? 

    DBG: I myself like to read blogs and felt that this was a good medium for my content as well. As a blogger there is great flexibility in what and how you publish and you can reach a large audience quickly. It’s just great being able to share my pictures instantly.

    JL: What is the best thing about publishing your work like this; and, what is the drawback?

    DBG: Publishing online is the perfect medium to showcase my photography to a worldwide audience on a day-to-day basis. It is very cost efficient compared to print publishing and it is possible to build up a large audience in a short period of time. No matter where in the world I am, I can quickly upload new images from current fashion shows or events and let the world take part of it nearly instantly.

    JL: What do you think about blog-portals?

    DBG: From a business perspective I think it is a good way to attract a wider audience and thus attract more business opportunities in regards to advertising etcetera.

    J: There have been many predictions about the desertion of the blogs (that people would tire of the phenomenon), why do you think the predictions haven´t been verified?

    DBG: As we live in a fast-moving society, blogs are an ideal platform for anyone who quickly wants to access information regarding their interests. Blogs are very appealing for many readers as they are free and are being updated much more regularly than say a print magazine.

    JL: How long will you continue blogging? And what do you think of the future of the blogs?

    DBG: I have no plans to stop blogging in the near future. I have not been doing this for very long, and things have only just started to take off. I will stop blogging if one day I won’t have fun doing this anymore.

    JL: And what does a “normal” workday look like for you? 

    DBG: Here one has to distinguish between peak and off-peak fashion week times:

    During peak fashion week times I usually get up at 7am, do some editing, prepare some posts for the day and go to the first 9am shows. Usually I go to 4-6 shows depending on how much energy I have as well as on the shows that are on. After that I get back home at around 7pm and start selecting and editing the images from the day.

    During off peak fashion week times my days are completely different. I usually fill my days with networking, meeting up with clients and friends as well as shootings and editing work.

    JL: Is it possible to make a living on your blog?

    DBG: I make a living from my photography.

    JL: What is your plan now with The Urban Spotter?

    DBG: The plan is to continue on the same track, shooting great style and showcasing it on my website. In the future I will travel more, especially outside of Europe and I have plans to shoot more fashion editorials.

    JL: What blogs are you following?

    DBG: To be honest, I am not following that many blogs. I try to focus on my work and constantly think forward regarding future plans and strategies,

    JL: Where in the world are people the best dressers, according to you? And why?

    DBG: It is difficult to say. Many different cities are characterized by a certain set of styles or stereotypes. For example the Italians wear prints and color very well, the French are very chic and elegant, London has a strong heritage in tailoring and punk, in Scandinavia it is all about minimalism and New York is a mix of everything. I personally really like the styles that I see in Copenhagen.

    JL: And as a last question: What are you looking for when you’re on a street style-hunt? 

    DBG: When I take pictures on the street I have certain criteria in my head that act as a guideline for shooting street style. Ultimately these criteria determine whether I can create an aesthetically pleasing picture or not. I prefer taking photos of people who I think are well dressed and have great style or character.

  • An interview with Pernille Teisbaek

    Written by Sofia Chowdhury by Oda Alida

    Pernille Teisbaek is the Danish blogger behind Look De Pernille, a stylist and a streetstyle favourite during fashion weeks all over the world. Which is no wonder at all thanks to her natural Danish glow, amazing sense of style and charming personality. It comes to no surprise that Gina Tricot chose Pernille to be one of the faces of the Scandinavian it-girls campaign for Spring 2015.

    SC: What do you think makes you a Scandinavian it girl?

    PT: I don’t consider myself as an it-girl, but I’m very flattered that my style and Scandinavian look inspire others even outside of Scandinavian.

    SC: As a stylist, what should people consider when putting together an outfit in the morning if they want to be up-to-date this Spring yet keep it minimal?

    PT: When putting an outfit together for spring it is important to keep working with the layers, mixing different materials and color tones – it will keep your look interesting and in the right combination it will still have a minimal expressing.

    SC: Tell us about the collaboration with Gina Tricot.

    PT: The take on the collaboration was that I got the change to show how I would style the Gina Tricot Spring 2015 collection – how I would add my take on there Scandinavian style. This was a great project for me to work with - and the campaign turned out really great – I am very fond of the result,

    SC: What are your key pieces in the wardrobe that works every year?

    PT: Some key pieces in my wardrobe are a knitted sweater, a pair of jeans and some stilettos to go with this. I definitely found a few items in the Gina Tricot collection that could be new key pieces in my spring wardrobe.

    SC: Tell us about one of the oldest pieces that you own and that you still love and wear.

    PT: My worn-out vintage levi’s jeans that feels like I have had them for forever. They always work for me and I believe they will stay with me to the last thread.

    SC: Being Scandinavian is not only reflected on the outfit, the Scandinavian style also includes the minimal make-up, also known as the “no make up”-make up look. Tell us about your beauty routines and favourites in the cabinet.

    PT: My beauty routines are very simple - every morning I drink a big glass of ice cold water, the go out for a run and after showering I use my La Mer moisturizer. If I need an extra something, I use my tinted moisturizer from Laura Mercier.

    SC: How do you make a Scandinavian and minimal look interesting?

    PT: It is important to keep my looks interesting, for me it is all about playing and mixing different materials to give the layering look that you know I love.

    See the collection at Gina Tricot  (http://www.ginatricot.com/ceu/en/collection/it-girls/ccollection-citgirls-p1.html )  

    ADVERTORIAL

    images courtesy of GINA TRICOT
  • photography by SANDRA MYHRBERG

    An interview with Anna Nordenström

    Written by Michaela Widergren

    Call Me

    Up and coming songbird and writer (Call Me), Anna Nordeström, creates sad and lucid pop music. The sound is young but the voice has got the sound of experience. The album A Sort of Company, just released on the 25th will keep you from feeling alone, or get you feeling lonelier depending on what side of the bed you woke up on. Either way it's a very impressive first record. 

    Anna grew up in the quiet small town of Karlstad, but later on moved to Gothenburg, the second largest city in Sweden, where she started high school in a musically focused class. She quickly became tired and uninterested in it all because of the strong social structures surrounding her. For example she says, “I played a lot of jazz music, but most people were convinced that girls could only sing jazz”. Those kinds of patriarchic rules ruined the fun and joy of music. It wasn't until her move to Stockholm that she felt excepted and found her place in the social contexts. That is also when she started enjoying creating music again; but this time on her own terms.

    MM: So what happened in Stockholm?

    AN: In the beginning not that much. A friend of mine asked me to play at one of his clubs, I think he'd heard me sing or something and I said yes. I didn't have any songs then, but this event gave me a reason to start making music again. I did everything by myself which gave me a freedom I'd never experienced with music before. It was liberating. I performed at the event and in the band Palpitation, which got on stage right after me I found Ilon Vejde who later became my producer.

    MM: What happened after you released your first song on Soundcloud?

    AN: There were a lot of bloggers who wrote about the song and I'd just started talking with Ilon about a collaboration so we decided to start working on one song. We released in on Soundcloud and later got a call from the record label Luxury.

    MM: When all of this started, did you think that music could be an actual career for you?

    AN: No, I just thought it was fun, I had no expectations whatsoever. Of course it became a lot more business when I started working with Ilon, we didn't really know each other then so it was strictly work. Ilon's the one who definitely developed the sound of the record.

    MM: What do you think your music sounds like?

    AN: That's a difficult question, but I think it's quite melancholic, although at the same time there are glimpses of hope. I hope that's what others feel too when they listen to it. As the title of the album says, I hope that the record can be a friend and a company to others.

    MM: What do you think will happen when the record's out?

    AN: I really like the album and that's most important to me. I know my mom and dad will listen to it and that they'll like it. I'm trying not to get too high expectations. I mean, I'd love it if I could work in music business for a long time, but I won't put all of my cards in one place. Mostly I'd like to perform, I'm a tired of sitting in the studio for now.

    MM: So it gets lonely?

    AN: Maybe not lonely but monotone. The thing I really love about music is being on stage and preforming live for an audience.

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