WOS: IN CONVERSATION WITH ANDREA CHEONG

WOS: In Conversation with Andrea Cheong is the first article of many to come which will see me feature a lot of women who I’ve been lucky enough to encounter in the digital sphere through their journey of sharing their passions. WOS stands for Woman of Substance. Truth be told, this is a series I’ve been meaning to do for a while but kept putting off for one main reason which was I wanted to do so as a columnist in a major magazine outlet. So far, I’ve not been able to realise that dream. Because I didn’t see the sort of creative women that inspired me and many other minority women, I thought it’d be an opportunity to help elevate the voices of hidden talents in the blogging/influencer world but it turns out I failed to take my own advice. One I had given out to one of my subscribers who wasn’t pleased with my thoughts in an article and decided to send me several DMs on Instagram asking that I changed it to suit her needs. My response to her was to politely decline but also encourage her to write a similar article and share her own point of view on the subject matter as opposed to her trying to get me to express hers on a blog that is very much personal to me.

In approaching these magazine outlets, I found myself somewhat trying to make them do something that they frankly couldn’t care less about. After all, I am the one with the dream; the one who has to believe in it enough to realise it with the resources I already have. Granted I may not have their reach, but mine still has to count for something regardless of my limitations. So here we are, at the start of realising a new dream with Andrea Cheong who was kind enough to be my first feature.

Andrea is a lifestyle content creator and writer whom I stumbled upon on Instagram a couple of years ago. I instantly fell in love with her blog as she speaks honestly about things including tried and tested beauty products which I found very useful as her reviews saved me a pretty penny and still does. She’s very passionate about only sharing products she’s used herself so she can provide genuine feedback to her subscribers. A passion that was born out of her struggle to find beauty products that worked for her sometimes complex skin. A journey which saw her spend time and money on products she didn’t need, and now she educates her followers on what works and what doesn’t, amongst other things.

I managed to come up with some questions for Andrea to answer so we can get to know her a little bit more.

Tell us a bit about your blog The Haute Heel and how it came about.

I started The Haute Heel as a fashion and writing portfolio, I was studying Art History at UCL but really wanted to be a fashion editor one day. This was back in 2011, before Instagram.

How did it feel transitioning from journalist to influencer and have you benefited from being on the other side of the table?

So I started off with a journalist background although my experience in social media now far outweighs anything I’ve done with publications. Towards the end of last year and early 2020, I was fortunate enough to work for British Vogue. Going back to an office and having managers was more of a transition than the other way round. I really don’t see myself as an influencer as the word has really changed since I started Instagram and my blog but I understand that’s the terminology people use.

You’re a creative through and through and I particularly love your thought provoking pieces on The Haute Heel. Can you tell us a bit more about your thought process in coming up with such pieces.

Thanks so much! I’m a really emotional person and think faster than I can put words on paper, that’s probably where the ideas come from. One thought piece often gives birth to two others, so it becomes a series etc. One that went viral in 2018, was an open letter in response to a really hateful article published in The Times. That’s a perfect example of what I mean by the emotions. Writing and art is a way to channel this.

Do you feel like social media platforms like Instagram and Tiktok are now overtaking traditional outlets like blogs?

There will always be a space for blogs for the reason that these apps are totally opaque in their inner workings and out of the consumer’s hands. At least with websites, you can control your SEO and the community is more insular. You can focus on your readers or subscribers without being distracted by other people’s numbers. I really feel you can tell the difference between a creative and an influencer this way. No one is better than another but they are different and should be treated as such.

I love how you’ve shown more of your creative talent amid Covid-19. I particularly enjoy watching you paint over on IG. Can you tell us a bit more about your art.

I have always wanted to incorporate more of my art and early on, I actually did post a few of my illustrations on Instagram. There’s the danger that when something becomes your full time income, you start to post what’s trending more than what makes you happy and makes you niche in the first place. Lockdown has been an unstable time for everyone, I found comfort in going ‘back to my roots’ with art. It’s so therapeutic. I was posting it because I thought, “what would I want to see that won’t make me feel worse?”. For a long time I forgot that having an audience means value-adding and I hope it’s something I never lose sight of again! I have an art account @WAIHSTUDIO for commissions, commercial work and more watercolours.

Given your knowledge and expertise in the industry, can you tell us from your perspective what  the future of influencer marketing holds following Covid-19.

I saw a statistic from ParcelForce that found social shopping during COVID-19 increased by 20% in the UK – please fact check that for me haha. I think this ‘new normal’ has polarised shoppers. You see that BooHoo group actually flourished during the pandemic, because they have cheap impulse-buy friendly products that give instant satisfaction. But also I’ve seen lots of entrepreneurs pop up and sell handmade goods, nurturing their talents that they may not have shown people before. I started a sustainable face mask brand with a fashion designer. We nearly sold out on our first day because a lovely Youtuber/ influencer reposted my photo. I can say first hand that more than ever, influencer marketing is essential. But not to always drive sales – the consumer mindset is to look for value not necessarily cheap – so collaborations should:

• show representation and diversity of your product. You may not have hired a BAME model but you can certainly gift/ pay influencers and welcome everyone to your community.

• quality content, many brands can’t produce high quality content without paying potentially thousands for a photographer, location and model. I used to do a bit of consultancy in my last full time job and now have my own called Onli with Lolita (@lolitamas). I can tell you that even with our connections, clients still have to look at 4 figures for a full lookbook shoot with an agency model. Sure you can do it with much less but you’re going to see a difference, so for premium to luxury brands, it is not an option to cut corners. Now it’s so unstable concerning guidelines and working in close proximities, lookbooks can be achieved with content creators from their homes. 

• ROI is different to brand awareness. I was recently on a call with a premium lifestyle brand and I advised going for a TV personality if they wanted sales – although caveat, stats say they should still be on air to get the return. For brand awareness and better leads, you want to go for tastemakers, like high-end influencers, editors and stylists or even models who are activists, for example. 

What advice would you give to influencers looking to build a strong brand in the digital space.

I don’t think I’m the ideal person to give this advice because until recently, I actually didn’t have a good idea of what my brand is. Premium lifestyle? Sure. Editorials? That’s what I love to do. But until I really got into Mindful Monday, focusing on making healthy and conscious shopping decisions, I wasn’t sure what my voice was meant to be used for. I don’t know how relatable this is but until late last year, I had major imposter syndrome. I’ve learnt that as long as you don’t think you’re on a pedestal, talking down to everyone else, it’s ok to own a space and champion a cause. I’m always learning and don’t claim to live a ‘sustainable lifestyle’ but I am working towards it, fashion first. Take your time to find your feet, don’t let managers, engagement rates or peers influence your real passion.

Right! Time for some light hearted questions. What’s your all time favourite song and why?

Well my karaoke go-to is Oops I Did It Again and Baby One More Time. Not sure if it’s my ultimate fav though haha.

If you could create a dream collaboration with any influencer, who would it be and why?

As an artist, it would probably be someone really into design and has a really lovely personality. Probably Xenia Adonts, as she has her own sustainable clothing line. Or Jessie Bush as she’s London-based and collects art. Or Rianne Meijer because who doesn’t love her? As an influencer, I grew from other girls supporting me and reposting me so I am willing to collaborate with anyone with good intentions and a great creative mind.

What book are you reading now?

Murakami, Killing Commendatore. It’s way slower than his other fiction pieces.

Any exciting projects ahead?

Yes! So, I am working on a series of beauty portraits called Self Care. I have sold all but one, so I feel very blessed and supported. It is about the ritual, performance and empowerment that comes with beauty regimes. I am currently working on a larger piece to submit for a fashion illustration award. It’s actually inspired by a really lovely skinfluencer, Donna Bartoli who let me use her photos as reference. I want to give credit where it’s due, nothing is achieved by yourself. 

I also have the sustainable face mask brand, @fleuroselondon which I started because I saw all these face coverings flooding the market. Many aren’t washable, the ones that are may not even be 100% natural fibre. Imagine breathing chemicals and wearing it directly against your face! That may sound really dramatic but then you see the break-outs and skin conditions that people have been posting. Many masks aren’t very aesthetically pleasing either and it might seem like a superficial point but at the end of the day, if it’s beautiful you’re going to feel confident wearing one out and about. We’ve also designed them with a pocket for a filter, which people can use if they feel their environment requires that extra protection. Masks are giving people a degree of freedom back and it’s a product I feel really proud to co-create with my partner Roza, who is a fashion designer.

Thanks for taking out time to read “WOS: In Conversation with Andrea Cheong”. You can find her over on her blog The Haute Heel and on Instagram @fleurandrea.