INTERVIEW WITH CLAIRE TERRIO - FASHION CREATOR
Fashion content creation is such a captivating field - to follow the fashion journey and get inspired by the style of a creator is such a magical thing! I first met fashion & lifestyle content creator Claire Terrio on a photo shoot last year and was instantly inspired and captivated by her sense of style and relaxed personality! I recently got to catch up with Claire about her journey to becoming a creator on Instagram and definitely think you’ll get some inspiration from her style and her creative path so far! Without further adieu, here is Claire!
Em: Hey Claire! So great to connect with you! Can we start off by you introducing yourself and what you do on social media?
Claire: My name is Claire and I am 22 years old playing around with content creating and digital marketing as I look to start my career in the field. I recently graduated from Brock University with an Honours BA in Business Communications where I studied all things related to digital marketing and public relations. During my degree, I realized Instagram will likely be a core component of my digital marketing career down the road. I began running my own personal account similar to how I would potentially run an external business account someday as practice for my career and I found it a fun and creative way to develop my own skills professionally as well as pursue my personal passions related to fashion and content creation.
Em: What made you first get into fashion and creating fashion and lifestyle content on Instagram?
Claire: I have always loved fashion but I actually only recently began exploring the possibility of incorporating this passion into my potential career path. Since I began to explore fashion from this perspective, it has taken on an entirely new meaning for me as an inspiring and fulfilling creative outlet. The more creative I got with my content creation and fashion featuring on Instagram the more positive feedback I got from people all over the world interested and inspired by my style. I've really enjoyed contributing to an inclusive, collective community for fashion and content creation on Instagram and I think the more people with passions in this area collaborate, the more creative and inspiring the platform will become for communities interested in this specific niche.
Claire’s post featuring her signature style, photographed by Em was reposted by Urban Outfitters! Check it out!
Em: You definitely have a unique aesthetic style! Are there creators and brands that inspire you?
Claire: As far as brands, I love drawing inspiration from Aritzia for classic essentials and Urban Outfitters for their content. I have a tendency to gravitate to more neutral, preppy styles of clothing and Aritzia feeds this love well, but the bold colours, patterns, prints and textures that Urban Outfitters experiments with really push and inspire me to go outside of my own comfort zone as far as personal style goes both in terms of fashion as well as lifestyle/decor content. That being said I am very passionate about supporting small businesses, so there are a number of small businesses and individual local content creators I try to draw inspiration from and incorporate into my own personal style arsenal. A few small businesses I love include; Harmony Online, Grandma's Basement, The Patch, Eclat Vintage, many of which use sustainable practices and incorporate thrifting into their business models which I appreciate. As far as content creators or celebrities I look to for personal style inspiration to list a few I would include; Emma Leger, Hailey Bieber, Dua Lipa, Negin Mirsalehi, Helen Owen, Jourdan Sloane, Deana Duka, and Sarah Roh.
Em: I definitely see that preppy influence in your photos & love it! When working with a brand or another creator, what are some things you look for?
Claire: When working with/for another brand or creator, there are a few things I look for to ensure the collaboration is a good match for both parties. I enjoy collaborating with creators or brands that coincide with my own personal style/content aesthetically, as I am a creator who prefers to have a cohesive feed that stands alone from its individual posts so, therefore, all new projects/posts must be timed correctly and fit in with the overall aesthetic I am trying to achieve. That being said, creatively it can be exciting to work with/for a new party who pushes the boundaries of my own typical aesthetic, so sometimes I actually go out of my way to look for unlikely collabs in the interest of personal style development. As far as working relationships, I think the value of trust and comfort in this industry can not be ignored, so I also try to ensure all creators or brands I collaborate with are run by people I work well with on a personal level, because anything photography driven will always turn out better if the subject or the parties involved in the shoot are extremely comfortable with one another/themselves.
Em: Agreed! Comfort is key when it comes to collaborations & influencers working with brands! In your opinion, what makes influencer marketing an asset to brands?
Claire: Influencer marketing proved its value to brands a million times over through the pandemic, as online shopping and e-commerce became the primary sales avenue for a lot of businesses who previously had not put much thought or effort into their digital marketing presence. Working from home in the eCommerce industry is the very essence of what an influencer does, so it was the perfect time for brands to dip their feet in the water with influencer marketing strategies and I think many found it to be a lucrative and mutually beneficial marketing tactic for all parties involved, including the brand, the influencers, and the consumers who all stand to gain something out of a successful collaboration. Early adopters have always been an important bracket of consumers to marketing strategists, but through influencer marketing and the Instagram platform, the option is there to incentivize early adopters to take the reins out of the marketer’s hand and drive business themselves; a marketing strategists dream, in theory.
Em: Switching gears here to your personal style now! What are two items in your closet you can't live without?
Claire: You want me to pick just two? Sounds like cruel and unusual punishment to a notorious fashion hoarder with a massive closet and far too many clothes. That being said, fall fashion is upon us and I do have a couple of current essentials. My two fall wardrobe staples for this season are my Slouch Babaton Wool coat from Aritzia. It was an investment but I would highly recommend this coat as you can dress it down with a streetwear look or dress it up and it keeps me so warm and cozy while making any outfit look effortlessly chic. I also am loving my New Balance sneakers for fall streetwear. It feels serendipitous when a super trendy piece is simultaneously comfortable and great quality, allowing you to buy those trendy sneakers and go for walks to the coffee shop feeling super supported and entirely guilt-free about falling victim to recent trends.
Em: YES! Absolutely love that coat! Okay last question here: What is one of your favourite collaborations or shoots you've done?
Claire: Those who know my content know that my collaborations with Harmony Online and the talented and fantastic Miss Emily Rowsell herself have to be my favourite. While my own personal content and aesthetic is more roughly shot and casual, I am a bit of a 'girly girl' at heart. Shooting all the beautiful and dainty pieces of jewellery for Harmony makes me feel pretty and light and it makes me happy shooting all these beautiful things with such a lovely group of women for an awesome local small business.
Em: Dawww! It’s been a pleasure creating with you Claire! Make sure you check out Claire’s style and follow her on Instagram my friends!
Claire modelling for a Harmony shoot photographed by Em Rowsell
