S03 Episode 123 | WHIMSY+ROW, THE INFLUENCER AGE + BUILDING A CONSCIOUS COMMUNITY

In episode 123, Kestrel welcomes Rachel Temko, the founder + creative director of Whimsy+Row, to the show. A lifestyle brand for the creative, adventurous lady, Whimsy+Row not only offer their clothing + goods online, they also have a lovely freestanding store in Venice, California.

"I started Whimsy promoting other brands, and that to me is like - we should all be in this together to spread the word and make everybody aware that this is more of a lifestyle."
-Rachel Temko, Founder + Creative Director of Whimsy+Row

In this episode, Rachel shares her journey toward taking the leap to start her own company, and how much the creative energy of her family has inspired her over the years.

Additionally, Kestrel + Rachel discuss this new age of influencers, and Whimsy+Row's approach to hiring them for their marketing efforts. While Rachel believes you have to use a combination of influencer marketing mixed with more traditional styles today, she sees the extra benefit of receiving valuable content through influencer partnerships.

Rachel also shares more on her larger vision for Whimsy+Row, which involves building an eco-conscious community first, and a fashion brand second.

The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat:

"A Guide To Working With Niche Influencers", article on Business of Fashion that Kestrel mentions "I first want Whimsy+Row to be an eco-conscious community, and second - a clothing brand." "What's great about working with influencers - what I really love - is that you get more content. So, maybe if you didn't get a ton of sales out of the post, you might get some beautiful content that you can repost, and your customers can see firsthand how it looks on a different type of person and body shape, so that's where I think working with influencers can be better than doing paid advertising."  "I mean we think about what we eat all the time and what we consume - why are we not thinking about what we're putting on our largest organ on our body?" "I think the easiest thing we can all do is just reinventing what we already have in our closet." "Now that I only buy sustainable brands or vintage, I find that my stuff lasts longer, and I'm more connected to the pieces that I own."

Article Recommendation
"You Can Quit Feeling Guilty - Sustainability Isn't An All Or Nothing Game" by Sarah Spoljaric for The Good Trade