Lama Alakeel will be one of the speakers for the Together We Stand panel at the ITP Live 2021 Conference – ‘The Power of Female Influence’ on March 30, 2021. Alakeel will be joined by Nada Baeshan to discuss how female content creators are increasingly using their platforms to discuss social topics important to them.
Lama Alakeel is a Jeddah-based Beauty, Fashion, and Lifestyle Blogger. With a university-background in Fashion Design, this Fashionista has travelled all over the world – including to Dubai, London, and other big cities – to work with internationally renowned brands such as MAC, Tresemme, Puma, BVLGARI, and Harvey Nichols.
Prior to the conference, Alakeel sits down with ITP Live to exclusively discuss her journey becoming a Fashion and Beauty influencer, her experience working with global brands, and her thoughts on the role of social media within a global context.
You have a background in Fashion Design: Can you tell me a little more about that?
“Yes – I have a bachelor’s degree in fashion design. My passion for fashion design started when I was young: I used to have an art book where I constantly drew clothes on the models. Years later – I studied it at university and learned everything from fashion merchandising and retail to fashion show production. While studying, I started a blog in 2012 that focused on fashion-industry related news and topics. However – I got a lot more engagement when I started posting about my fashion designs and looks that I created at university. I eventually transitioned the blog to focus on my life as a fashion student – what I wore, what I did at school, and my fashion process. I started an Instagram in order to market the blog”.
Who was the first brand you worked with – and what did you collaborate on?
“I had my first brand collaboration while I was at university. Cartier flew me out to Dubai for their 2016 Amulette de Cartier campaign”.
What are some of the brands you’ve worked with: how did you build relationships with such internationally renowned brands?
“I have worked with a wide array of brands: for example Jaeger-LeCoultre flew me out to a Venison festival to represent their brand. One brand that I have worked with for a while is Tresemme: I initially signed a contract with them to represent their brand in the Middle East – but I eventually became their first global brand ambassador from the Middle East. There are so many different ways to build brand relationships. I don’t ever reach out to brands – they reach out to me and we take it from there”.
What do you look for when choosing a brand to work with?
“It is extremely important that the brand not only represents me but that I can effectively represent the brand: we need to mutually add value to each other. The core message behind the brand is another aspect that I find extremely important. For example, I love working with Tresemme because they are all about female empowerment and they actually put that into practice: they basically have an all female team – from the models to the photographers”.
What are the key messages / insights that you try to communicate to your audience?
“My key message to all the girls out there is to do something you love – whether it’s a job, a hobby, or your course of study. You should always enjoy the process and never feel like you are working. When I first started out – I didn’t know I could grow my blog and love of fashion into a business: I just pursued what I was passionate about – and it grew from there”.
What role do you think social media plays in fashion today?
“Social media plays a huge role in fashion today. Most fashion brands – big or small – use social media influencers in their marketing strategies: this is because we – as influencers – have a huge effect on consumer purchasing behaviors and we have already built the niche-audiences that they are trying to target”.
What are your thoughts on females increasingly using social media to speak up on a range of issues from mental health and body issues to sexual harassment?
“To an extent – I think it’s good. Hearing someone who is your age with similar interests and lifestyle speak about a social issue is much more relatable than hearing someone like a specialist speak about it: Most of the time, people – especially females – want to listen and take advice from people who they can relate to.
On my platform – I personally don’t like to speak too heavily on social issues: there are just some topics that I don’t want to speak about. However, I am open to talking about body positivity and mental health from time to time – depending on how comfortable I feel”.