Style Interview with MAIA

Today we are interviewing Maia!! Maia is a Fashion blogger and Youtuber with over 60K subscribers! We're interviewing her on her fashion perspective, advice controversial opinions!

How would you define your personal style?

It's fun, it's Maia. I'm not going to say I "wear everything" or “it's hard to describe” because everyone has things they get drawn to often, but I definitely like to experiment with different aesthetics, colors, and silhouettes. It's a mix of vintage grandma (literally because half my closet is stolen from my grandparents) and modern funk. I wear a lot of monochromatic outfits, I am very picky with the colors I like to see together, and I'm also very picky with patterns, specially because my taste changes a lot and I want to build a long-lasting wardrobe. At the moment, I'm obsessed with red, lace, and flats.

Why is fashion important to you?

It's important to me because, number one, at the end of the day, I do care a bit about how people perceive me in a more “vain” way—as much meaning and deepness as the fashion world can hold, fashion is a vain subject. And number two because it plays a huge role in my self discovery journey. How my taste changes, my openness to feeling comfortable in certain clothes, how bold or discrete I look that day...

How do you use fashion to express yourself?

I think it's the most personal way a person can express themselves artistically. It's direct, you see someone, and they instantly see your outfit, not the poems you write or the canvas you paint or the music you listen to. I have a big eye for visuals, so dressing myself is just a way of making my “character” look visually cool in the visually cool world I want to create. It's like I'm part of the furniture of the world and I want to be a great-looking table. I also love to feel like I can be different Maias - the serious office Maia, the clown Maia, the countryside Maia, the “don't talk to me today” Maia. It allows me to put myself in whatever box I want to be put in, and change that whenever I want.

How has your style evolved?

I used to see clothing a lot more as how other people will perceive me. Now, I sort of use fashion more as art, and my body as simply what is holding the art. This means that sometimes I don't really care if I look more “fat” or more “short” or more “elegant” or more “childish”, I just want to experiment and have fun. That has opened up my possibilities, and it makes shopping a different experience. But as I've grown and as my taste matures, I've also tried purchasing things that will last a longer time in my closet and that I'll love for a long time, which means I'm wearing less patterns or super trendy items these days. 

Unless we're living in a cabin in the woods, we will always be influenced by trends, and that's 200% ok. Trends are not a bad thing—as much as we tend to want to wear unique things, those unique things are usually within a certain spectrum of what's trendy at that moment. The problem with trends is how fast their cycles have become and the impact that has on the planet. Nowadays, when I start to like something super trendy, I try to wait 1 month before I purchase it, and I try to buy not the exact thing that's trendy but a similar second hand item. I don't like the aspect of trends that makes a lot of people dress super super similarly because it takes away what, I think, makes fashion more fun, our individuality. But also, not everyone cares so much about what they wear, and trends are broad guidelines that come from the world's context at a certain time. All of this to say that, I do wear trends, from wearing baggy jeans to buying a pair of Tabis last December. But I try to do it very consciously and add my twist to them.

Who do you take fashion inspo from?

Hum… Usually, it's not someone in specific, simply browsing on Pinterest and on online second hand stores.

But there are some girls I love to follow for street style inspiration, like @vanellimelli, @rebecaoksana, @emmaxwinder, @irisloveunicorns.

What is your greatest strength in fashion?

I actually never thought about that! I think my openness to experimentation beyond what fits my body in a way we would describe as sexy or elegant. But I think everyone's biggest strength is simply having a unique brain that will like unique combinations.

What advice do you have for people venturing into fashion?

Take loads of screenshots of outfits you like, see what common things there are, and then thrift some pieces. Don't feel like you have to belong to one aesthetic, don't question your taste too much. Have fun, wear things that make you feel like the person you want to become and suddenly, you'll be that person. Also, fake it till you make it. My confidence is fake a lot of the times, and it doesn't need to be real. What matters is you're challenging yourself and not putting the opinions of others before your own.

What do you want people to know about you after this interview?

Maybe that if you're reading this, and you're insecure to rock the wardrobe of your dreams, everyone has started like that! I know I have repeated this many times in this interview, but fashion is so fun so allow yourself to have fun! Most of my recent purchases have been 5-10€ in second hand shops, you don't have to spend a lot of money, and even if there aren't thrift shops near where you live, Depop, Vinted and eBay are awesome! I was the girl overthinking what other would think of my clothing and dressing differently depending on the people I was going to see, and I just want to make the world of fashion more accessible and real!

How does your style influence your social media presence?

Right now, probably not as much as I'd like since my most viewed videos are street style videos in New York showing New Yorker outfits. And since I also do interviews and fashion history videos, my personal style is just a fraction of what my social media presence is about. However, I also like that it's not just about me because it takes some pressure off. I do love the comments I get about people reacting to the combinations I make in my virtual lookbooks, or my cheap thrift finds. A community can truly be formed about clothes, and it's really fun.

Favorite controversial fashion piece?

Probably Tabis. I don't think I'll stop loving them once the hype goes away. I love how funky they look!

Does having a platform about fashion change how you feel about it?

Yes! I used to only notice trends through what I saw people wear in my daily life and now in order to create content, I need to research a lot of trend forecasting, different concepts and styles, etc. I also learn a lot about fashion history, which gives me a different perspective on why we wear certain things / why they were invented. I also feel a bigger pressure to shop sustainably because I want to show people how possible and affordable it can be, and I never want to come across as a hypocrite or as putting my desire to have a trendy piece on top of my ethics. Does it happen sometimes? Yes. I'm not claiming to be perfect, and I'm very transparent with my followers, but having an audience, big or small, I want to be a good example.

Make sure to follow her socials!

@maia.gv

@maia.zine

Thank you for tuning in!

yours truly, dylan💋