Date Posted: Wednesday 7th December 2016
DIARY directory recently caught up with Mariko Kuo, a Japanese-Londoner and a corporate lawyer working in the City of London. Her eponymous fashion, travel and lifestyle blog - previously known as Silk and Suits - is an outlet to show that modern women don’t have to dress to fit in and that everyone should dress, first and foremost, for themselves.
UK Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blogger
Recently worked with Boodles Jewellery
"Stay true to yourself & try and have a clearly defined brand identity"
| Date of birth: |
12.12.1985 - age 30 |
| County & country of residence: | London, UK |
| 3 main areas of focus: | fashion, travel, lifestyle |
| 5 specific areas of interest: | lipstick, highlight, wedding decor, homeware, food |
| Skin tone: | Asian |
| Hair colour: | brown |
| Dress size: | 6 |
| Shoe size: | UK 4 |
Listed in DIARY directory in the digital influencers subsection, along with 1000+ categorised influencers for PRs to work with, Mariko shares the reason behind relaunching her site and new YouTube channel; how PR's can best work with influencers; and the danger of solely relying on social channels as opoosed to icorporating traditional blogging platforms.
You’ve just relaunched your blog, tell us why this came about and what’s new…
I decided to relaunch my blog because I felt like I had outgrown my old site and I wanted to make it bigger and better to reflect the success I’ve had so far. I also wanted my new site to have a clear message of what I am about and showcase how modern, professional women can still dress on trend and look good both in the office and out of work. I really hope MARIKOKUO.COM can become a place where woman can feel like self-expression through what you wear can be a powerful tool for success.
Who are your core readers? Break down in area of the world/location
My core readers are females between the age of 25 and 35. They are predominantly UK based and many of the others are based in the US, Australia and Japan.
What have been your favourite sponsored collaborations to date?
It was incredible working with Boodles Jewellery on their Pas De Deux collection. I was wearing £1 million plus of the most exquisite fine jewellery pieces and had a designated security guard for the day. The project was shot at The Savoy as well so the entire day was such a dream!
What's an average day for you?
I absolutely love blogging so I don’t approach this as a second job, but more as a lifestyle choice. During the working week, blogging takes a back seat as it is very important for me to be on top of my day job. Blogging and social media activities are therefore limited to evenings, weekends and any other spare time I have. It is definitely all consuming, but I’ve never thought of this as a chore or something that takes over my entire life. That being said, with social media such a massive element of blogging now, it is very easy to get lost in this virtual world for hours on end. It’s a balancing act and as I value having a personal life as well, I stick to some firm boundaries such as limiting all blogging related activities to 2 hours a day and no phone or IG activities at the dinner table.
"Having a website/blog which the blogger owns outright is a key component to blogging as this is where the blogger can truly express her/himself. And putting my lawyer hat on, it’s quite a risky move just to have social channels for a blogger."
How do you think brands/PRs can work better with influencers?
I think brands and PRs can work better with influencers if they understand how influencers work. I think most influencers are flexible and keen to accommodate specific requests, but it would be really helpful if these requests are provided in the initial brief instead of after the work has been shot/produced.
Do you have a rate card?
For rate cards, please contact my agent, Becky Ringer, at B.Talent.
You’ve just launched your first video on YouTube, is this something you’re going to be focusing a lot more on going forward?
Yes! I am so excited about my first ever video! My goal is to expand this further to personal vlogs, cooking tutorials and interior design tips!
Do you think traditional blogging will fade out eventually, in favour of the likes of YouTube and social platforms?
Social platforms are definitely a major part for bloggers now, but I don’t think this means that traditional blogging will fade out completely. Having a website/blog which the blogger owns outright is a key component to blogging as this is where the blogger can truly express her/himself. And putting my lawyer hat on, it’s quite a risky move just to have social channels for a blogger. This is because whereas bloggers own the IP to everything that is on their site, any work that goes on these social channels are technically owned by the social channels and not the bloggers. What would happen if for example Instagram goes bust (god forbid!) or decides to take down the bloggers’ profile? That blogger could lose everything!
Do you have any professional help for your blog?
I have an agent, Becky, from B.Talent (B Public Relations), who deals with the management side of my blog. She’s a lifesaver!
Tips for other bloggers?
Stay true to yourself and try and have a clearly defined brand identity.
Contact
Mariko Kuo in 'digital influencers'