Today we’d like to introduce you to Safa Ahmad.
Safa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I know everyone says this, but I’ve loved fashion & dressing up since I was a child! My very first fashion inspirations were Disney princesses. I loved the grandeur & glamour of a good princess dress, & I still love a modern fairytale look! As I got older, I developed my fashion sense to be a bit more obtainable – I quickly learned that tulle wasn’t necessarily appropriate for every occasion; only for most! At 20, I started working for Kate Spade & had a chance to really develop my love for vibrant color stories, novelty accessories, & glitter. I eventually had the opportunity to become a stylist for the brand! During this time, I began experimenting with social media. Instagram had just become the popular thing & all I wanted was my colorful #ootd! As my style evolved, I learned about what made me feel comfortable & happy in how I presented myself to the world. In the past few years particularly, I’ve also made a point to embrace the majestic fashions of my own Pakistani culture & give my ethnicwear looks my own twist! I took my love of color, princesses, whimsy, novelty, culture & glitter & curated all of my favorite things into SafaInWonderland!
Has it been a smooth road?
The journey to being a successful blogger, or rather how I perceive myself to be successful thus far in my blogging adventure, wasn’t always a trail of sparkles & pearls. It can be easy to get complacent or lose focus of one’s bigger picture. When you find something that has worked for a while, & you keep doing it, your growth plateaus very quickly. It’s important to be true to yourself, but also to accept that change and development can be spectacular for your growth as a blogger. It can also be tough in the early stages of developing a blog/following to build partnerships. Brands are businesses, as are bloggers. Each business values its consumers, & each business wants to be thorough in selecting those with whom they partner. Don’t be hard on yourself if collaborations & partnerships aren’t flooding in. Never stop reaching out & developing relationships. Continuing to try after 100 rejections can lead to finding one person who believes in your content & vision. Being reputable doesn’t always come from a huge following – it comes from the character! My biggest piece of advice to young women is, though, to support our fellow women. The world of blogging can be so intensely competitive when it really doesn’t have to be. I love seeing other girls be great & achieve their goals. I firmly believe that if we can’t support one another, we won’t receive the sort of support we need or deserve from anyone else.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Safa In Wonderland – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I don’t often talk about myself. I suppose I could say that what I’m known for is letting my style speak for me. I love styling & arranging a fun outfit. I love creating a story with my clothes. Details are my favorite parts of a great outfit. A few things that make my style uniquely my own are my love of color, my love of traditional Pakistani clothing & that I seek inspiration for unusual places such as Disney movies, literary references & other such interests that are meaningful to me. What I’m most proud of in my personal brand as a blogger is that I stay true to wearing what I love instead of strictly choosing to follow current trends. I feel that my presentation of myself is authentic & true to who I am as a person, which was important to me when I began blogging.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
I’m an avid reader! The moodier the fiction, the more I’ll love the material. The Bell Jar & Catcher in the Rye are two of my favorites! I also love every word John Green has ever written. I’m a huge Harry Potter nerd & went to every single midnight book release, & have read every book in JK Rowling’s Potterverse too many times to remember!
Contact Info:
- Email: safainwonderland@gmail.com
- Instagram: @safainwonderland
Image Credit:
Jason Smelser, Arfa Ahmad, Mansoor Khan
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
