DIARY directory recently caught up with blogging duo HøFSisters. The London-based sisters started their Scandi-style inspired blog just over a year ago, to discuss the challenge of finding fashion to fit tall girls. Hannah and Zoe are passionate about working with sustainable fashion brands, and their backgrounds as a mother and a former city worker ensure that their content stands out.

Sister-duo, UK fashion micro-influencers

Worked with L.K. Bennett, Milli Millu & Next

"Don’t get too hung up on a photo that bombs on Insta!"
 

Listed in DIARY directory in the digital influencers subsection, along with 1500+ categorised influencers for PRs to work with, Hannah and Zoe discuss the blogging lessons they've learnt, the importance of sustainable fashion and why success isn't a numbers game.

How did you both get into blogging? What are your backgrounds in?

Hannah (Pictured left): I was in Finance for 10 years before starting HøFSisters. I had put so much energy into proving myself in my career, I decided instead to channel that directly into something I was really passionate about. So a little over a year ago, Zoe and I started writing about the trials and tribulations of being tall, how we overcame certain sartorial challenges and where we loved to shop. HøFSisters was born! Our first, very short blog was written by Zoe and is still one of my favourites. It is called “ The Sum Total Of My Fashion Future ” and came straight from the heart, as with everything that comes from my beautiful sis.

Zoe (Pictured right): I had given up a career in Publishing when I had my second child 10 years ago, so while Hannah was blazing a trail in the City, I was at home knee-deep in small children! So when Han decided to start something new I was keen to get involved, and we realised we formed a nice balance of creative and business minds. I don’t think either of us imagined we would end up blogging but we’ve definitely enjoyed the journey and are looking forward to seeing where it takes us.

How difficult is it finding fashion brands that work for tall girls?

Our forte at HøFSisters is identifying fantastic under-the-radar names - particularly Scandinavian, Dutch and unisex brands - which tend to come up generous in length. The idea is to broaden the shopping universe for tall women beyond the handful of tall specialists and limited tall ranges on the high street.

As micro-influencers how have you grown your followers on social platforms? (We know lots of influencers have said that Instagram is seeing less engagement recently) Do you have any tips?

Instagram is our primary social media platform - with its ever increasing volume of users, maintaining high engagement levels requires consistently high quality content which offers something a bit different. Our followers tell us that they love our lighthearted approach and we definitely get our highest engagement when we’re having fun! There is so much pouting and posing on social media - that’s not us at all, we just like to have a laugh - not take ourselves too seriously. We also get great boosts by collaborating with other tall bloggers and influencers, as well as being regrammed by major fashion brands. Word of mouth has been one of our most successful growth strategies to date!

As blogging becomes more and more visual, would you ever look at starting a YouTube channel?

Absolutely. Despite early misgivings, we actually love a good Instagram story! We get to be even more silly than normal - the result is less contrived than a still and more representative of who we are. We have a couple of videos in the pipeline (bring on Channel HøF!) which we are super excited about.

What inspires you when writing a blog post and which posts garner the most attention?

We take inspiration from a number of places - from the day-to-day minutiae of our lives to the things that affect us at a more fundamental level (the environment, for example). We also listen to our readers who regularly ask us for style advice for specific events. A recent wedding feature was our most successful blog of all time in terms of views and engagement - everyone struggles with what to wear to a wedding but when you are tall this struggle is compounded! Instagram is a funny one - it’s as much about aesthetic, mood, timing and photographic ability as it is about fashion content - it’s impossible to predict what will do well.

"Do say no to working with brands if their ethos is not aligned with yours"

You state that you care about cost-per-wear and ethical fashion, how does this stance influence and affect the brands that you work with?

Our ethical, or perhaps more aptly, sustainable conscience, primarily centres around having a lean, hard-working wardrobe consisting of a few, high-quality garments. As such, we love working with brands who believe in classic, timeless fashion. For example, if you buy a cashmere coat from Joseph, yes it may be eye-wateringly expensive, but you’re going to wear it forever and always look chic. If you opted for the bright yellow, super cool mac from Zara, you’ll be rocking it this season but next year you’ll probably want to splash out again.

Blogging can, to an extent, be seen as a numbers game, however, we know that numbers don't always measure up to engagement. What does success mean to you and how do you measure it? 

With a niche like tall, it’s definitely not a numbers game. It’s about the emails and messages we get from our followers who love what we do and tell their friends about us. We’re both committed to not being product pushers. The most important thing right now is building a reputable and aspirational yet approachable brand that is informative as well as stylish. Get that right, and the rest will follow.

Who would a dream collaboration be with? 

Joseph! But we would also love to create an affordable, timeless capsule collection with a highly regarded retailer like Marks & Spencer or John Lewis.

What catches your eye in a press release/brand collaboration e-mail? 

We are more likely to consider a brand collaboration if the person emailing has actually been following our Instagram and is able to highlight a few key things that are really important to us - classic, timeless fashion or an ethical stance. We recently collaborated with Pala Sunglasses - not only are they bang on trend and affordable, but every pair of sunglasses sold provides a pair of prescription sunglasses to someone who needs them in the developing world. It’s fashion with a charitable cause at its heart.

Biggest lessons learnt while blogging in the industry? 

Always be yourself. Do say no to working with brands if their ethos is not aligned with yours. Be patient... Don’t get too hung up on a photo that bombs on Insta!

What other bloggers /influencers do you follow and why? 

We are very influenced by Scandinavian style and follow a few Danish bloggers, in particular Pernille Teisbaek. The Danes can pull off anything because of their inner confidence, cool and poise. Even a baggy coat over baggy pants and trainers looks sophisticated in the hands of Danish fashionistas like Pernille and Anine Bing. For our daily dose of envy, we follow Mary Seng - a perfect life in an Instagram feed? For pure comedy, and to remind us never to take ourselves too seriously, we follow Celeste Barber. And for cuteness, we follow @mr.pokee the Hedgehog. Whoever thought a hedgehog could make your heart melt?