What appeals to you in fashion?
Fashion is the only way to show people who I truly am and to show them that you should always be yourself, regardless what people think or say. In our daily world we see people hiding their true selves. To me this is a waste of time, because I think that every person is beautiful from his own inside/outside and in his own way. Fashion is the only thing to show people who you are without saying something (sorry for using this quote, but it is absolutely true). Thanks to fashion we can show our inspiration, memories, thoughts, dreams, love and much more. That’s why you should always wear “what you feel”. There is always a story behind the clothes that people wear. With fashion you can be who you want to be, and isn’t that one of the most beautiful things in life?
Can you tell me more about how you ended up in the fashion industry?
At the age of 17 I talked myself into the major Fashion Shows in Paris, Milan, Amsterdam and Jakarta. At the time I had just founded my own company Supongo Estilo and worked as a freelance stylist, model, editor and blogger. It was a pure passion and an exceptional interest in fashion that drove me into this scene. I see fashion as the way to express my inner soul. In the years that followed I have built up an exceptional international network of inspirational people around the globe with one interest in common: Fashion! I have worked together with renowned brands, magazines, famous models and photographers.
Everybody often thinks that a blogger lives a glamorous life. Would you agree with that or is there a downside to this?
Nothing will come of nothing, achieving goals in the fashion industry is only done by working hard. No one has ever been successful by only leading a glamorous life. Do not get me wrong, I love my life! But in order to make dreams come true you must above all be yourself, work hard, be innovative and dare to take risks.
Like I always say: ‘It’s like a rollercoaster you are working till the moon is shining, glitter, glamour and gold , you are on top of the world”.
What kind of feeling do you want to give to your followers of your blog and Instagram?
I want to inspire my followers to always be themselves and to make their dreams come true. We live in a society where not everyone can be themselves, think of religion, culture or sexuality. Through fashion you can just express yourself and every person has the right to do what he or she loves.
Like I always say; ‘’Dress every day like you get murdered in those clothes.’’
What means NAIM Agency to you, and what makes the company so different from other agencies?
NAIM Agency is my new baby. Throughout the years I have traveled around the world and I met many inspirational people. So I build up an international network of inspirational people with one interest in common, which is fashion. Therefore I saw an opportunity to activate this network of people and connect them with each-other. Next to that I wanted to help fashion brands realize their commercial goals and spread their fashion story. I was already doing these kinds of activities, but now the time has come to focus on these services.
What makes the company so different from other agencies?
The diversity from the services we offer to our clients makes us special! We are not only a fashion agency specialized in doing the sales for brands, but we also can do marketing, branding and organize shoots/video.
NAIM Agency provides many services are these interrelated or separate?
All the services we offer are very different, but each service is connected. To create a great brand and to be successful requires more than just a good sales agency. Next to the sales services you need to have great branding and innovative marketing! So everything is clearly linked.
If a label wants to join Naim Agency, what kind of values do they need to have?
We look for professional brands with ambition and growth potential. Typically these brands are already very successful in their own home country and have international ambitions. We like to be diversified among different styles and specialties. But we also make sure that we are able to connect to a faceable market.
What keeps you busy at the moment?
At the moment I am very busy running my blogging business, Supongo Estilo together with NAIM. These two companies supplement each other very well, which is an advantage for brands working together with us. Within NAIM we are currently expanding the brands we work together with. But we are also focusing on sales and marketing strategies for the Autumn and Winter collections of our current brands.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
In 5 years I hope Naim Agency is a large international company, we are working hard on that! We are currently busy with the American and Chinese market, which of course is an important step for our company. Furthermore Supongo Estilo is further evolving and we are working on a completely new image. So stay tuned, so much more is coming.
With love,
Michelle Verpuggi