Post-Covid Fashion and Digitalization: An Interview with a Content Creator Carolina Ogliaro

PH: Christian Vierig | Credit: Getty Images

"I think also that brands will give an intense push to the digital experiences and there will be a new vision of the events, maybe they will also become more exclusive." - Carolina Ogliaro

You describe yourself as a content creator. But many influencers on Instagram may be considered as content creators as well. What makes you special, and how do you stand out in the crowd inside the insta fashion-community?

Carolina: Instagram and the online in general, is a place that has space for everybody and is a great way through which you can express your real self. And I think that this is a key point that can make you stand out in the crowd… being true to yourself is something that people who watch and follow you can feel. My opinion is that you can “lie” for a while but, in the end, how you really are will come out. People who follow you are the ones that can allow us to stay where we are so it is very important being loyal to them. I am always honest and spontaneous on my account, I like thinking that if I could meet one or more of my followers down the street they would tell me “ You are exactly like you are on Instagram”. A lot of them also like my way of shooting and the captions I write and this makes me so much happy, their appreciation, and the ones of my business partners, means a lot to me and is a push of doing always better.

How did you start blogging? What was the main reason which led you to this decision?

Carolina: I opened my blog in 2011 and at that time I had also another job, in a sector very far away from this. I have always had a passion for fashion, photography, art, niche beauty, and writing so I opened my blog on Blogspot as a relief valve. In that space was only me, not a boss, not colleagues, just me expressing myself. In the beginning, I just wrote about things I love but then my readers started asking me to post my outfit (it was the time when the first looks post came out) so I made the experiment of posting my outfits and they were very well received. The first cooperations with the brands arrived and I posted many more outfit articles. Then I opened my Instagram account and after some years I bought my own Internet domain as I wanted to give a more professional look to my partners.

Now my website has more the appearance of a web magazine, I post some outfit posts, interviews and general articles about everything I admire and that takes my attention.

Being an editor and a creative director at the same time is a huge responsibility. How did you come up with the idea of Theworldc.com?

Carolina: Is true that you have a lot of responsibilities, with your team and with the people who follow your journey, but when you do something you love everything is worth, even if you sleep a few, eat a few, have a less social life and less time for yourself, the feeling of waking up and thinking about you are doing what you love the most is priceless. Theworldc.com is, as my Instagram, the expression of myself and of the things I love the most. I wrote about fashion, niche fragrances, luxury, hotels, and trips and I want to expand much more the artistic section.

What is the best in being a digital influencer, and what is the worst?

Carolina: Like every job there are a good side and worst side, the most important thing is always to do your best and feel everything with a positive attitude. When something bad happens is important to take it as a lesson to grow and learn from it. The positive side is more than the worst ones… you can meet a lot of people from different sectors, you can make a lot of experience and every day is different, there is less routine. And the worst thing is that lot of people still today don’t see it as a job but more as a hobby, they don’t see the amount of work that is behind what they see.

You and Sara Tiara have created a capsule collection of the headwear that is usually uncommon among fashion influencers. Why headpieces? Why not clothing or other accessories such as bags, jewelry, or shoes?

Carolina: I love uncommon things and explore unusual paths. I always had a huge passion for every kind, I wore them since I was a child of headpieces and I met Sara by chance during a strong in Portobello road, where she has her shop. I entered as a customer and after a while, we started chatting and she asked me to make this capsule collection. It was one of the most beautiful things in my career! I immediately fell in love with her tiaras and created them with Sara, who is one of the most gentle souls I have ever met, was incredible. Every piece is handmade and can be also customized, we made more casual ones and more eclectic ones, passing by the elegant ones. I need to make things relevant for my soul and also try to be different, so this capsule represents myself at 100% and I really hope you love it as much as we do in creating them!

Carolina Ogliaro X Sara Tiara headwear collection

How do you get ready for the fashion weeks? And how do you foresee their future due to the global pandemic?

Carolina: Fashion weeks are the most intense and wonderful moment of the year! There is always an excitement that never goes down, despite seasons and seasons I attended them I am always so excited when they are coming. I feel like there will be a lot of changes after the Covid-19 but must say that some changes were much needed. The crowd inside some shows was not right, the huge amount of Standing was not right also because the Standing doesn’t have a great view of the show. Also during the presentations, the PR is not able to explain properly the collection to everybody, because if there are 20 people at the presentation and 5 PR they cannot double themselves. I went to some presentations made through an appointment and they were way much better as the PR is only for you for a certain amount of time and can properly introduce you to the collection. The show, the presentations, the events are not “a place to be because they are renowned”, they are a place to be because you genuinely love the brand and the fashion system. Also, I feel it is enough to have a Spring/Summer and a Fall/Winter collection and not pre-collections or cruise-collections and much more… You buy a piece and after 2 months it is already out of fashion. It's not right. The Haute Couture is correct to have an own way of displaying the collections, separated from ready to wear, but it's difficult to have 4 or 6 collections for the customers. I think also that brands will give an intense push to the digital experiences and there will be a new vision of the events, maybe they will also become more exclusive.

What is it like to be a part of such an exciting event during the fashion calendar? Do you remember your first fashion show and how did you feel about it?

Carolina: It is like the icing on the cake. I remember everything about my first fashion show!! It was Vivienne Westwood during Paris Fashion Week and I remember the moment I receive the email where the PR asked me if I want to attend the show… Dame Westwood. Wow, I have still shivers. Still, today is my unmissable show, I will never renounce to it as the brand owns this beautiful memory. I remember the outfit, a dress with the coat with the same print, it was September and I remember my hands shaking to be there. The looks took my breath away and the show was iconic, always avant-garde, and really artistic. Then see Vivienne and Andreas Kronthaler was a huge emotion. During fashion weeks you eat in the weirdest time and sleep just a few hours but I never feel tired, I am like those toys to which you give the rope to load them, I am always too much excited!

Is there a competition among the influencers, or is it more of a friendly environment?

Carolina: A little competition, I think that there is in all jobs, it is important that it has a positive connotation and not negative. Personally writing I love to see other people's success and I have a lot of friends who are influencers, in Italy and worldwide and I adore them! I love going to events with them but also going to lunch, dinner and chat about everything not related to our jobs, this is so wonderful. I love following their journeys and support them. I am also following a lot of upcoming talents, not only in fashion and fragrances but also in different arts sector… painting, sculpture, and photography. This is one of the most beautiful things about social networks… it can connect people worldwide and with different talents.

Do you believe in the power of digital fashion events? What do you think may be the most and the least appealing about them?

Carolina: Yes, I am a true believer of the power of digital and also the press presentations of the next season collections that were presented in a digital way past days, I think the different press offices have done a great job! With the digital, you can check with some quiet the collections but you cannot touch them with your own hands and so you lose the real perception of the fabric. Also, you lose physical contact with other people, you cannot have an easy chat face to face. Losing contact with people is something that scares me a lot, this could never be replaced by the digital.

How do you get inspired to take pictures that you post on Instagram?

Carolina: I follow my instinct, my creative side, and my inner inspiration. I love walking all around and see what is around me… people, nature, and things. I try to let my inspiration flows and melt with what surrounds me. Also, the feelings and the emotions rule great importance, sometimes I read a particular paragraph of a book or a song that let born some thoughts and emotions and I immediately follow them and try to put them in a photo. And in a caption.

Do you have any advice for a beginner-influencer?

Carolina: Believe in yourself and your talent and never be afraid of showing it. Trust the process, you will receive some NO during your path but take them as a lesson to evolve. In this world, there is space for everybody and there are people and brands who are waiting for your talent to come out. Take time also to enjoy your journey.