Lexy Silverstein: You’ll never believe who I have on this week’s episode of eLEXYfy: The Place for Fashion podcast. She’s a colorful content creator focused on fashion, home decor, vintage, and everything in between. Hi, hi, hi! Welcome, how are you today?
Kiersay: Hello, I am so good! I am so excited to be on this podcast and chatting with you. Honestly, I’ve been looking forward to it all day.
Tell us about yourself
Lexy: So, for those who don’t know you, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Kiersay: Of course. Hi, so yeah, my name is Kiersay, which yes, that is my real name. I feel like I sometimes get questions about that. I am a Canadian content creator and creative studio founder as well, and yeah, I’m just really obsessed with all things colorful, I guess, that’s kind of my main brand that I’ve developed for myself, and yeah, I love fashion, home decor, and all that stuff.
How did you get into fashion?
Lexy: I love it, I love it, I love it. So, how did you first really get into fashion?
Kiersay: I think it was something I always really loved. I literally came out of the womb loving anything fashion. I remember when I was little, I would create Barbie dresses out of toilet paper and tape and try and do all the design and stuff. I was a really creative kid, too, growing up, and I think that kind of just kept it going all through my life. I always got so dressed up for school every day and just kind of really had always done it for me. I just like to see my creativity through my style. So, it’s something that was kind of really always a big part of my life, was just always being overdressed for everything and yeah, kind of transitioned somehow to being my career in a way now.
How did you get started on social media?
Lexy: That’s amazing. So, when you first started social media, did you just kind of have it to have it, and then eventually you started posting more fashion content? Or did you always kind of want to make it into a career?
Kiersay: Yeah, so it’s kind of a bit of a wild story with my social media. So, I had an old account which was my original, original account that I had literally since Instagram started in high school, just like always posted like fashion content, and a lot of that following was like my friends, my family, just a lot of probably more like split demographic of just kind of people who knew me in my lifestyle.
And so, I grew that social media page to about 11k, but last January 2021, it got hacked. I got hacked, and it wasn’t like my main career or anything yet, it’s just like I like to do it with another kind of like hobby or source of income, and it got completely hacked.
It was a complete mess for three weeks, I had to restart, and actually, my social media now is Instagram, TikTok, etc. that I started out last February. So, I have kind of done it more with intent that I loved it, like seeing where it could go, like I had never intended to really have this kind of more as my main career work focused. It kind of just turned into that, but yeah a bit of a wild journey.
Also a blessing in disguise because my personal style completely got reinvented. Like, I only wore neutrals back then, and then…
Lexy: Oh my gosh, yeah, different person. Very different now. That’s crazy. Ah, well, that sucks, but yeah, I mean, I feel like just looking at it and like the positive way, you know, like it and then wow, it ended up being a blessing in disguise like you said.
How did you grow your following in such a short period of time?
Lexy: And so February 2021, that is not a long period of time whatsoever. How did you grow your following in such a short period of time?
Kiersay: Yeah, honestly kind of wild, so it was a pretty slow start in growth. I had a lot of experience in what I was doing, so I kind of knew how to grow, how to work with brands, but I didn’t really hit a huge amount of growth until this past November-December and onwards. Like in November, end of November, I had 3,000 followers on Instagram, and now I have 36k.
So like in the past few months, it’s just been crazy, and I think it’s just like a lot through posting consistently, something that I realized, and I think my growth happened when I really niched down, I think. I realized kind of my personal style or who I was, I think I had a little bit of an eye-opening into the world of colorful fashion. Yeah, that’s kind of how it started to grow, and of course, it’s like everyone says, like Reels are a kind of way, but yeah, it has been a crazy few months of growth, and I’m very thankful.
How did you transition into a colorful maximalist sense of style?
Lexy: So, you said that before you were kind of more of a neutral person with your fashion, so how did you kind of transition into this more colorful maximalist sense of style? How did you realize that that was what you liked, and then how did you start building it into your everyday?
Kiersay: I think a lot of it was like my personal style tied hand in hand was kind of where I was in life, like what I was doing for a career.
So I went to business school and majored and graduated with a finance degree, and then worked investment banking for a summer. Was planning on going to work corporate, go into the finance world, and I think that really influenced me to kind of stay minimal. I kind of wore what I thought other people should wear. You can’t wear flashy colors, you can’t do all of this, especially like being a woman in a male prominent industry. Like bring attention to myself, like get more criticized as well.
So when I transitioned out of that and like went to more entrepreneurship, I worked kind of with startups a lot, to then founding my own creative studio and really going into freelancing full-time, I think it was just like I discovered who I was as a person a little bit more and like hand in hand, I discovered kind of what my personal style was because wearing like neutrals and colors, right, neutrals like black and white, I just thought it wasn’t me, and I like really strange to like wear clothes that I really loved, and I started to kind of experiment with more, and I was like, oh my god, this makes me so happy, and this is why I’m so passionate.
I think about dopamine dressing, which I feel like is a new coined term, but it’s just I started to wear what made me happy, and then I kind of just spiraled in the best type of way into this really colorful maximal fashion because I was like, okay, this is who I am. I think it’s very aligned with my personality, and before.
So just, I think it’s like sometimes discovering who you are, a lot of other things fall into place, and being comfortable with that. That’s kind of how I got into colorful fashion, and still, I think everyone is always on a personal fashion journey to a degree, so yeah, it was fun and crazy. I feel like a different person, which I was kind of back then.
Lexy: That’s crazy. Before you brought it up, I was gonna mention dopamine dressing, and it is just so interesting how, first of all, the fashion industry literally affects every single human being. On a day-to-day basis, we wear clothes all of the time, whether that’s wearing it to bed, changing throughout the day, wearing it to work, like, you’re always wearing clothes. So even if you think that you’re exempt from the fashion industry, you’re not.
But then also, it’s a whole science, it’s a psychology. Because if you wake up one day and you feel terrible, and you wear sweats and black all day long, you’re going to continue to feel in that terrible mood. But if you legitimately dress in certain colors, certain colors can make you feel different types of ways, and not saying at all that if you wear black throughout the day, you’re going to be in a terrible mood, because black also signifies it can be powerful, it can be moody, it can be other things. It doesn’t necessarily have to be, “Oh, I wore this and now I’m in a shitty mood all day.”
Because black can be like, also empowering. It just kind of depends on, “Oh, if I’m wearing dark sweatpants all day rather than dressing up or wearing something colorful to brighten up my outfit, then like, you will stay in that kind of shitty mood. But if you wear something, basically, like when I wake up in a terrible mood, I’ll be “Okay, what would I wear if I was in the best mood right now?” And then I’ll literally notice that throughout my day because I like my outfit or because I’m wearing a bright color, I’m in a better mood at the end of the day. So, it’s just so crazy. I just love fashion. There’s so much to it.
Kiersay: Yeah, preach. Preach everything you just said. Yeah, I think it’s so important. Color psychology is a huge thing with everything, but within fashion, it’s… that being said too, if you have a full neutral wardrobe or only wear black and white, like that’s, as I was talking to a couple of friends about this, that you can also still, I know dopamine dressing or like dressing to energize yourself, sometimes it’s only seen right now, it’s like colorful, crazy. But to a lot of people, it’s no, like you wear stuff that has a significance to you or that means good and confident. If that’s a very minimal colored wardrobe, you still can have that energized and inspiration and feel good from your wardrobe too. I think it’s important that dopamine fashion and styling and all that isn’t necessarily color.
Lexy: Yeah, you don’t have to wear 18 colors too. It’s whatever you feel good in, and that’s what I say if you’re trying to figure out your style or whatever, don’t necessarily just do what’s trending or certain aesthetics or whatever because like one day, I’ll literally be wearing all black and feel amazing, and then the next day, I’ll be wearing a green sweater with blue pants with crazy earrings and like stuff like that, and so it’s wear whatever makes you feel good and then you physically will feel better.
I mean, it’s just, you know when you don’t like your outfit, you just feel shitty, like it’s that. So, wear whatever you feel the most comfortable in and don’t worry about other people or what’s on trend or all that stuff.
Kiersay: Exactly, I totally totally agree.
Lexy: I feel like that’s like my biggest hope, and it’s oh, what do you do to find your own style? Just, I don’t know, be yourself.
Kiersay: Wear what makes you happy, what you feel good. It takes a while to figure that out because I think sometimes there’s a little bit of a fog of what you think other people think you should be wearing. Once you kind of wipe that away, it gives you a lot of clarity.
Lexy: Definitely. In high school and middle school, I went through that whole fog period of I only cared about what was on trend or what other people were wearing, and I didn’t want to wear anything too out there because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself or I didn’t want to be different. So once I got to, I feel like even maybe my senior year of high school, but mostly when I was in college, I was like, “Why do I care what other people think? I just want to wear what makes me happy.”
Kiersay: Yeah, and also, I think finding a personal style also helps you be less of just trying to seek and wear and also be more sustainable in your personal style and fashion. So I think all of it links together, and it’s like it’s a hard journey. Like, it’s not something that’s easy and quick, so like it takes time.
Lexy: It definitely does. I’ll look back at pictures of me in elementary school, oh my god, she was, I mean even back then, like I was trendy because I’d wear Justice all the time, but I remember from my fifth-grade graduation, I took this, oh god, it was like a yellow – bright yellow – fringe infinity scarf, and I wore it as a top instead of as a scarf, and I was like, “Oh my god, she’s a fashion icon, she’s different,” and that was like elementary school me.
And then I look at pictures of like middle school me and high school me, and I’m like, and not saying that wearing Lululemon is bad in any way shape or form because I still do it to the gym and when I’m lazy and stuff like that or if I’m being a cute soccer mom aesthetic, like I’ll still wear my Lulu, but like I would only specifically wear it because it was on trend and what everyone else was doing, and you can literally see so much change from my young elementary school self to the whole transition of middle school and high school and then finding myself again in college.
So it’s definitely not like an overnight thing, and I feel like it makes sense that it happens in middle school and high school because you start to be more aware of other people and dealing with mean people and stuff like that. So just take your time, figure out who you are, figure out what your style is, and eventually, you’ll feel more comfortable in your own skin and doing things that you love. That’s my skill, thanks for coming to my TED talk.
How did you get into home decor and expressing yourself through your home?
Lexy: Well, anyways, more on the home decor side of things now. I literally remember one of… because I followed you on social, I don’t even know how long ago, but I saw a bunch of your TikToks of you decorating your house. I remember swiping up on your story and being like, “Oh my god, where’d you get this stuff?” You know, Facebook Marketplace and all that jazz. So how did you get into this home decor section of things and not only being colorful with your fashion, but then also expressing that through your home?
Kiersay: I think interior design, like home decor, was something I was always aware of growing up because like my mom, she rearranged, I swear, our house every two weeks because she wanted to change up and to make it feel good or different. So I think I kind of became aware of interiors through that. And then I moved into my own apartment probably a year and a half ago and was mentally transitioning careers and wanted to be in my early 20s. I can’t go buy all new furniture, and I was like, “Hey, I have always been a fan of DIYs, and also have grown up doing visual arts.” I was like, “Okay, let’s figure out a way that I can try and thrift everything, and if it’s not cute, let’s make it cute and see what I can do.”
Because like I live in a city that doesn’t, it’s not like New York or LA where there’s so many cool vintage designer types of furniture that pops up, like you really gotta hunt and stay on it. So I just invested a lot of time and energy and trying to find unique pieces or pieces that I could thrift-flip in a sense and build into my colorful dream apartment. And it’s still majorly in the works, I have a lot of DIYs that I need to be doing, but yeah, I think kind of in the same sense, all the colors are bright things or pieces in my apartment that really energize me, and I work from home permanently. So I wanted to curate my space in a way that made me feel happy every day and like excited to work in different spots.
So I think that’s kind of how I fell in love with colorful interiors and everything, and yeah, DIYs are like a therapy for me. It’s like a nice way of expressing my art, I think now. So yeah, it’s a lot to do here as I’m looking at a DIY in process.
Lexy: So that was literally my exact goal when I came to LA. I was like, “I just want to make everything, thrift everything, and then upcycle it, or get it from like Facebook Marketplace, which is secondhand shopping. And also, I want it super colorful or fun,” and that’s how I had this happen.
But I love, love, love, I’m a huge sustainable person. It’s my entire social media presence, talking about thrifting and upcycling and being sustainable. So I absolutely love that you did that, and that’s just so cool.
The pink couch and DIYing apartments
Lexy: Do you have a pink couch now that you DIY’d?
Kiersay: Yeah.
Lexy: I took full inspiration from that and I ended up just getting a pink couch off of Facebook Marketplace, but I was obsessed with yours. It’s so good.
Kiersay: Thank you. Honestly, that’s probably my most viral video that I’ve had. So, for the people who don’t know, I painted my couch a two-tone pink. It was like an old office couch I loved. I got it for like $120 on Facebook Marketplace, and I originally was going to get it reupholstered, but reality check when you get older, everything is so much more expensive than you thought. Like it’s so expensive.
And so, you know what, I could make it myself. I don’t know how to sew, I don’t know how to, I do not trust myself to use a staple gun. I’m like, let’s paint it. There’s ways. It’s still in perfect condition. I got a lot of hate on it. People like, “This is so bad to do. Why aren’t you doing all these different things?” I’m like one, money, two, I’m skilled in this, and why not? Like worst-case scenario I can do it, but yeah, so my couch is two-tone pink. It’s still in great condition. You can paint furniture. You gotta do it right, but yeah. So, I love it. It’s kind of my favorite thing in my apartment, I think.
Lexy: Oh, my God, I was like obsessed with it. And it kind of looks like that on-trend, like what would you call it, like bubble or like a cloud couch thing?
Kiersay: Kind of like curved, a bit. Double bubble vibes.
Lexy: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Kiersay: Originally Gustav Westman, he’s like one of my favorite furniture designers, he posted one that was almost a two-tone. I think it’s like purple and blue, and I was like, “You know what, we do this but like, love pink. Let’s make it.” So yeah, I think that’s a great way for anyone who’s listening, if you’re starting out in a new apartment, don’t try and look for new things. Try and find inspiration with what’s available. Facebook Marketplace everything. Like you have to spend hours sometimes, but there’s a lot of stuff that you can do with it.
Lexy: That’s literally so cool. I remember I just saw that one and I was like, “Oh, I am absolutely obsessed with this.” And that’s so true. One of my favorite accounts will go thrift something or pick something up on the side of the road and then show how they upcycled it and used it, and I’m like, that is like such an art, being able to see something and then see it in a different way. And I think that it’s just so cool to see how people do that.
And I just love seeing the final products of things. I’m a broke college student, and buying stuff new was not necessarily an option for me. And so I loved going through Facebook Marketplace or going to vintage stores and trying to see what I could make something new out of, whether it was painting it like a bright yellow so it matched my room or I don’t know getting rid of like the knobs on certain things and turning them into new ones, like there’s just so much potential with things and there’s so much already out there, so I always suggest going to a vintage store or scrolling on Facebook Marketplace for literally hours. I promise you will find something, and then it’s like an art project; it’s fun.
Kiersay: Exactly. And if people may not be artsy or think that they can do it, I think you definitely can. There are a lot of ways to play with things, as simple as changing the knobs to make it like new. Find people in your city that can do it for less. Say, “Hey, can you spray paint this? I have no idea how.” Then it is possible to furnish your apartment without buying a $700 dresser or something. You can pay someone 50-100 bucks, if they’re your friend, I don’t know. I think there are lots of ways to do it because I know not everyone has that knack for it.
Lexy: And I feel like your pink couch now would be if you were to resell it or if there was like a brand selling, like you said, the designer, the home decor person that you really like, I feel like that could be so expensive because it’s so cool and it’s so out there, and it’s pink, which is not a very common color, I feel like, for furniture. But people want stuff like that. I feel like that could be sold for really expensive, and you’re like, “I just made it.” That’s so cool.
Kiersay: I think it’s fun. It makes me excited to have people over. “Where’s your couch from?” “I made it.” You almost have your apartment like your own personal art gallery in a way that you can showcase some stuff that you’re super proud of.
New York Fashion Week
Lexy: Talking more about it, let’s get into New York Fashion Week. So you recently went to New York Fashion Week. We were actually there at the same time but didn’t get to meet, but it’s okay because next time. We’re putting it out there. We’re going to go to New York Fashion Week at the end of the year. Maybe we’ll go to Paris Fashion Week and London Fashion Week, too. Why not just put it out there.
Kiersay: All the fashion weeks, fingers crossed. Let the universe take that away.
Lexy: It’ll happen. We’re making it happen. But how was that experience? Did you go to shows, or did you just meet up with people in New York? Tell us about the entire experience.
Kiersay: So, me and my best friend Andy, who are both in the content creator fashion industry, both kind of spontaneously booked tickets and thought, “Let’s see what we can get into, and if anything, let’s go just so we can meet and hang out with people who we know in New York and kind of see how it works.”
So it’s a little bit tricky also being Canadian because I think if you’re in a city like New York or L.A. or even just in the states in general, there’s a lot more connections in the industry or also just being, if you have a talent manager or agency, I think there are just a lot of ways that you have more connections. But we are just the most random Canadians ever to fly over, I think. Not relevant, but you just don’t know as many people.
So, we went, and I work with Nicole Miller, who’s an incredible designer and brand, so I had a photoshoot with them, and then we had invites to the Flying Solo show, which is a lot of emerging designers, but other than that, we really didn’t have anything, any big shows to do.
And I think that’s also something to let people know, too. A lot of people can be in the city during fashion week or go to things, but it’s so hard often unless you’re really in the fashion industry or have those connections, like a creator that adds a lot of value. I would love to ask about your experience after because I know you’ve had a really cool one.
So, I think because I went and I did go to some things, but I wouldn’t say I attended all these shows. I think that’s a big misconception that can also be on social media. If I’m going, I’m not going to be front row in every single show because I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t be right now at this point in my career.
So, it was a lot of just networking and seeing how it works. We did get into the LaQuan Smith after-party, which is one of the craziest experiences because LaQuan Smith is one of my favorite designers.
Lexy: Oh my gosh
Kiersay: So that was amazing. But yeah, just went to see how everything worked and met a lot of people and really good connections. I think that was a huge thing for us to see because now for September Fashion Week, we know how it works a lot more. A lot of things are last minute or like you really have to figure out ways in which you can add value for a brand, because these events are planned so far in advance. Like it’s careers even to just make these shows happen. So, really like figuring out that. So yeah, it was a bit of a wild experience. Definitely didn’t go to as many shows as I wanted to, but I met a lot of people.
And how was your experience again? Yeah, so sad we didn’t get to meet up. You were so busy.
Lexy: So so busy. Okay, like we said, next time, next time. But yeah, just to touch really quickly before I get into my experience on some things you said, I definitely completely agree. I feel like so many people that do go to New York Fashion Week, it is a very common misconception that, “Oh my god, they’re going to every single show because they’re in New York during that time.” And that’s not necessarily the case.
I had someone on my podcast a few weeks ago that she went to London Fashion Week and she ended up getting photographed for Vogue. Because she literally, what she did was she booked the flight to London, she just went and then she stood outside of a bunch of shows and she ended up getting photographs by all these different photographers. But she didn’t go to a single show, but she still ended up on Vogue.
So, if you want to go to New York Fashion Week, honestly, like you could just go and then see what happens once you get there. And then if not, like you had a cute little getaway at New York for a little bit, like why not just do it?
But yeah, so my experience was very crazy. I, like you said, everything so last minute. I had a friend that was my roommate last year and she actually modeled for Coach two years in a row at New York Fashion Week. And she was like, you don’t even find out until right before that you’re modeling, which is insane to me. And then I had someone else who was on my podcast and she had like a month to prepare an entire collection for her to show at New York Fashion Week, which I’m like, oh my god, like I was stressed going there as a content creator, let alone designing things a month beforehand. That’s insane.
So it is a super last-minute thing. So, if you’re also looking to go, I suggest reaching out to brands honestly pretty last minute because they might have not known until a few weeks before that they were going to be there.
But I went with Art Hearts Fashion, where they’re like the second biggest venue, I think they said. I went to like seven shows, all in one night, but it was all in the one place, which was actually super convenient because I was like “Oh my god, I don’t have to go hop from place to place to place to place.”
So I saw a bunch of cool people there, which was cool. And then they actually had a designer that was at LA Fashion Week, which I also went to LA Fashion Week with my school and I didn’t actually have a chance because LA Fashion makes a lot, like New York Fashion Week, where they have a lot of different venues. So I saw images of this designer but I didn’t get to see her actual show, so it was really cool to actually be able to see her show this time.
And then the second night I was there, I was invited to a private showing of the sustainable brand called Tombago. I just completely messed that up. And I was invited by Red Carpet Green Dress, which is one of my jobs. I help run their social media and they’re a sustainable red carpet brand. Definitely go check them out. They’re really cool.
But yeah, so that was really cool too because it wasn’t like an actual runway show, it was a private viewing of it. And they had this cool 3D, like, kind of like virtual reality thing where they showed off their pieces. It was so interesting, but I was expecting at one point for them to come and show the pieces, and it was just the cool artificial intelligence thing which I, like, didn’t, I don’t know, it was just such a different experience from going one night to seeing like the runway shows and then the next night to seeing just like the different kind of ways of like showing off. I don’t know, seeing the different ways that New York Fashion Week does things.
But yeah, and then the third night I went to another seven shows, and it was exhausting. And I, like, throughout the day, I just went from place to place to place to try to get as many pictures as I could, because I hadn’t been to New York in a while. I actually am originally from DC, so I used to go to New York all the time because it’s just like a four-hour train ride, I think. And so I hadn’t gone since I had moved to LA in a really long time, so I was honestly just happy to be back in New York, and my family came up and visited me, and I was happy to see them.
So New York Fashion Week is so cool, it really really is. But it was more about just being there and being surrounded by other fashion people than necessarily getting to be. While I am very grateful obviously that I was able to see the shows and stuff, because that was also amazing, and meeting designers were so cool. But it’s just such a cool experience to be surrounded by other creative people, and I feel like that’s what I mostly took away from New York Fashion Week – like, I just liked meeting people, you know?
Kiersay: It’s nice to be around a lot of creatives with the same kind of passions as you, and thrive and chat. And yeah, kind of on that point, I think you made a great point about just being there to be photographed and stuff. I guess kind of like a quick note, like if anyone listening wants to go to New York Fashion Week or it’s their dream, like literally just go to the city that has Fashion Week during that time, stand outside of venues. Like I remember the first Fashion Week that I went to, I was living in Milan for a semester, five months before COVID. It was a mess because I stayed there for three weeks and then got locked out and booted home, Just go look up all the big show locations, stand in front, and like you get photographed. Yeah, it happened in New York too. Like my friend and I just got on, I don’t know, like Getty Images.
Lexy: That’s so cool, so cool.
Kiersay: Yeah, like go to the locations, chat with people. You never know who you’re talking to, try and go to shows. Like literally just go with the mindset of like you have nothing literally to lose.
Lexy: Yeah, no literally. Because that’s what I remember after New York Fashion Week, not the recent one that we were both at, but the one right before that. I remember everyone on TikTok was commenting about how they were having FOMO, and I want you guys to know that it’s something that you could do as well.
I literally didn’t know that I was going to the Tombago private showing, I think, until the day of, and so I’m like everything, like once you’re there, it’s so fast, and like once you also get invited to one show, you’re already on the list of people invited in New York Fashion Week, so it is pretty easy. You can be like reach out to brands and be, “Hey, like, I went to this show, could I also go to your show?” And I’m just like, reach out to brands, like reach out to like venues, like try, because once you are there, like I said, everything’s so fast.
And then again, if you don’t get invited to a show, like that’s not the end of the world, because you’re still in New York Fashion Week. Like, you’re still there, you’re still in the environment. I was walking around and I would see like six feet tall models everywhere I went, and it was, I remember I was wearing, me and my mom were taking pictures of one of my outfits, and this man walks by and he goes, “New York Fashion Week.” And everyone just knows it’s not only about the shows, it’s about being there that week in the environment.
So if you don’t get invited to a show, honestly, just go to New York.
Kiersay: All the street style. It’s the time of year when people can take more risks sometimes and really push, I think, personal style or like what they’ve kind of been in their mind, especially coming from a town where there’s not a lot of bold fashion. Like, I would literally, I wish I could just park a little chair outside, like Spring Studios or any street, just like watch all the street style because it’s such a great inspiration.
Lexy: Oh my god, yeah.
Kiersay: New York in general, I feel like all the time is, but yeah, Fashion Week is just a different level.
Lexy: No, literally. That’s why I love that account where he just takes pictures of what people are wearing in New York, because I like LA style, but I feel like my style personally is more like New York style, and when I was there, I did feel more like everyone else was also wearing similar things to what I was wearing, and that’s just so cool because sometimes even like I’ll walk around LA and I feel like I’m kind of out of place, like people are fashionable here, it’s just like maybe not my style exactly.
But I was gonna mention, so the other really big difference with LA and New York is you can’t walk around LA as much, like it’s not like a walking city because everything’s like 30 minutes away or if you’re walking, like where I live in downtown LA, it is simply not safe.
But when I was in New York, we would literally, I met up with Rowan, who I believe you met briefly at an event – I forget what event it was – but she was there with Sarita…
Kiersay: I bet it was the Nate app party.
Lexy: Something like that, but anyways, Rowan and I, Rowan’s from Washington DC, and so we were going to meet up and then we didn’t have a chance to in DC, so we ended up meeting up in New York and we were literally just walking around SoHo, and I ran into Andy, your friend, yeah.
Kiersay: Okay, yeah.
Lexy: I did. So, and I was following her for a while too because I remember the reason I followed the both of you was because you made like a TikTok of the both of you, so long ago, and I was obsessed with it, and then I just resonated really well with both of your content because I’m also a very colorful content creator, so I just loved your guys’ stuff, and then she does that series where she’ll be like dressing for events that probably won’t happen to me, and a lot of them are like Harry Styles based, and I’m like the biggest Harry Styles fanatic ever, sorry, oh my God. I love following both of you, and then I ran into her, and it was when you and I were messaging about meeting up, and I was like, “Oh my God, actually I don’t know if I’m gonna have time to, if she’s gonna have time to, but we might see each other possibly later.”
So, it was just so interesting because we were, oh, and then we walked around some more, and we were taking pictures, and we ran into, I don’t know if you know Chase, I don’t know where, yes, okay, Chase, and Rowan and Chase are like really close friends, and so I was like, it’s just so funny because like, I mean, you’ll walk around LA, and yes, you’ll run into random celebrities, like I left the beach one time, and they were literally shooting Euphoria, and like Hunter Schafer and Zendaya were like two minutes away from me, and I didn’t know until after I left, but it was so much cooler, or not so much cooler, but it was really cool that in New York, I was just walking around and like running into fellow content creators, which I don’t know if that was just like a New York Fashion Week thing, but it was such a great environment, which again just adds to the whole “just book a ticket”, because it’s a really great networking event to just like run into people and be like, “Oh my God, I follow you on social, oh my God, I follow you,” and it’s just so cool.
Kiersay: Yeah, I know. I think that’s my favorite thing. New York is a massive city, but like the amount of times I’ve randomly run into people. Like I ran into a guy who was one of my friends from my city who moved there and completely walking down the street, heard my name, thought I was like, oh my god, of all the people who live here, like how time and place?
But yeah, it’s just fun to meet, very quickly, other creators. But oh my god, small world. Yeah, I think that was the day that I was going to meet up with one of my other friends and Eddie, I just like separated for a bit.
Lexy: But if only you guys were together that day, I would have met you. But it’s okay. Again, we’ll meet next year during Fashion Week. It’s gonna happen. Or if I’m ever in Canada, I’ll let you know. If you’re in L.A., please let me know. We’ll have to get coffee.
How does the fashion differ in Canada?
Lexy: Speaking of Canada, and you briefly touched on this, so how would you say – I’ve been to Canada once, and I was two, I don’t remember it at all – the fashion differs? Do you feel other people in Canada are very colorful, or do you think that it is completely different? Is it kind of similar? When you were in New York, did you see a really big difference in Canadian fashion and then New York fashion?
Kiersay: Yeah, I don’t know. I think it really depends because Canada is obviously pretty big and like a lot of the big cities kind of definitely have different fashion vibes and aesthetic. Like I live in Calgary, Alberta, so we’re definitely more conservative, I guess. There’s not a lot of bold fashion on the streets a lot. I definitely get stared at if I’m in a full colorful or crazy outfit.
But then you go to places like Vancouver or Toronto, which are kind of, I think, the more well-known cities in Canada, and definitely, there’s a lot of really bold fashion. But then again, I think it really varies place by place. I think definitely like less bold or we don’t really have a city that’s maybe known for kind of crazy fashion or anything like New York is. I think it’s hard to compare a little bit.
I don’t know if you know Sarah Camps. She’s super maximalist. She is from a pretty small town in Ontario. It’s kind of varies. I think it’s yeah, definitely, like where I’m from, a lot more conservative, not cool, fashion. Like you find your people. Like Andy is kind of my other fashion friend in the city, which is my gospel.
Yeah, it’s definitely a lot different. And I think like a lot less, I think, like designers and like emerging small kind of cool shops in a way. I don’t know. It’s hard.
Lexy: No. Yeah, I mean, I feel like that’s like here. I mean, like you could live in some middle of nowhere place and have the most eccentric style out there. So it’s like, yeah, I mean, Canada’s huge. So it’s like, it’s hard to just be like, oh, like is Canada as a whole like fashionable or not? Because it’s like, well, it’s a big place. Like what do you mean? But yeah, that’s so cool
And I feel like my motto is, if I’m wearing an outfit and people aren’t staring at me and giving me dirty looks, the outfit sucks. I need to go home, I need to find something crazy and out there, and then I need to get those dirty looks. Because if I’m not getting those dirty looks, it’s saying something. I fully base my outfits on, did I get a dirty look from a middle-aged woman or just someone else, or did I get a nice look maybe from someone who’s my age and it was like, “Oh my god, I love your outfit,” because I fully base, like, those dirty looks. I don’t take them personally. I’m like, “Oh well, that just means my outfit’s good.”
Kiersay: Yeah, 100% agree. I think that’s such a good mindset to go in because it’s bold, it’s out there, like it’s fun if you get those.
Lexy: Yeah, if you’re getting dirty looks, that’s how you know you’re just a fashion icon.
Kiersay: You’re an icon when you get the stares, good and bad.
What are your goals for the future?
Lexy: So, what are your goals for the future? Do you want to keep up with content creation? Do you want to maybe go more into home decor and stuff like that? What is your five-year goal or one year or next month goal?
Kiersay: I feel like I don’t even know what my one-week goal is. I don’t know, it’s hard. I’ve had a really crazy, I feel like this is so many people with COVID and everything like, really discovered what’s important to you, where your passions are, like, really transitioned away and just incorporated my own company in January. So that’s like the Creative Studio. This is the Keene Studio Inc.
My focus is a lot more like graphic design and creative strategy and branding, kind of that sort of thing, as content creation is something that I didn’t really see or know could be more like a full-time career. I was like, “One, I absolutely love doing it.” It’s something I’m so passionate about, like, fashion in general, about being able to show your life and be creative in a bunch of different ways.”
I’ll break it up. I’ll say like my year goal for this year is probably to really just focus a lot more on content creation and build that out, and also basically build my creative studio. I want to get a website out and start getting more clients.
And I think, let’s say, in like three years, I would love to be able to kind of merge the two to have relationships with brands for content creation, but also be able to start coming from a creative strategy point, maybe like, “Hey, I think this would be something that you need to do on your digital channels or what about these types of different social media concepts or campaigns?”
So being able to kind of merge those two. And then, I don’t know, like five years down the road, I think it’s hard to really know because if the industry also changes a lot. But, just love to be able to do content creation but like consulting and strategy still in a creative space.
What I want to do now is I know it’s in something creative and a huge lover of anything startup and entrepreneurship, that’s kind of what I spent my last couple of years doing, working with different startups. So to be able to consult and work, or it’s like my dream to be able to found my own company and build it up as a startup and some crazy idea and have it work out. So, we’ll see. I have always just had 20 million things that I want to do with my life and no idea what i want to do, so we’re just, yeah, we just kind of go with the flow with it.
I was in chem and then I went to finance and then I was startups and now I just work on social media.
Lexy: You’ve lived like 80 lives.
Kiersay: Seriously love loved every one of them. Maybe not as much my finance life, that kind of was in my personal hell, but taught me a lot. But yes, that’s kind of my, I don’t know, for now, kind of what my addiction is.
Lexy: Well, I love it, and you never know where life’s gonna take you. I mean, like three years ago “me” didn’t know that I was gonna be living in a pandemic like a year after, so it’s great to have these goals, and I love to see it, and you’re going to do great and amazing. And yeah, whatever you want to do is going to happen, and I can see it happening, and I definitely see you in a creative space, and you’re just amazing, so I’m excited to see what you do.
Kiersay: Thank you. And can I ask you like what your goals are?
Lexy: Well, I’m still in college, so I was originally studying for merchandising marketing, and then I went more on the merchandising buying route because I currently have four jobs, and each and every one of them is in social media. So I was learning marketing from experience. So I was like, maybe I’ll learn buying more from school because that was my original plan to be a buyer because I was like, “Oh, I’m good at math, and that’s a big part of that,” and then also, like, you get to travel the world and essentially shop for brands. Like, what more could I ask for?
And then I took a bunch of buying classes this last quarter, and I was like, I am just not about it. But I don’t know if that’s because I did have four jobs, and so I was just dealing with a lot at once. Now, I’m thinking more of like the digital marketing – because I get my associate’s degree in like a few weeks – so then for my bachelor’s, I was thinking I would go more into digital marketing, so maybe more on the social media side because that is what all of my jobs are currently. And I really like just doing advertisements and like being creative with stuff like that. Like, I just don’t know. I loved working on Photoshop and Canva and stuff like that and like making ads for my school assignments. So I definitely think marketing is more of like the side I’d want to go to.
But my main goal in life would really just be to promote sustainable fashion in any way, shape, or form that I possibly can. I would love to be like someone that, I don’t know, like brands know like I’m a sustainable person, and like if you’re not sustainable, you’re not working with me. And if you are sustainable, like let’s completely work together. I just love like everything vintage and there’s already so many clothes out there, we don’t need to keep producing more and at the such the fast rate that we are producing it at.
So I would love to go kind of like merge my two loves of social media and sustainability and kind of do what I’m doing now, but make more of a difference and be more of like an environmental advocate person. So I don’t know. I’m really young. I have no idea what the hell I’m doing. I’m 18 years old.
Kiersay: You shook me right now. Oh my god. Okay, yeah, you have as,” I’m like, “yeah, I’m 25 whatever, this is a five-year goal and okay, I’m 30. and like holy sh*t.” and you’re like “No, you, you have time.” Oh my god.
I feel like that always surprises people for some reason. So I graduated high school a year early, so I graduated high school at like 16, I think, and then I was in college at 17. Yeah, and that’s why I’m almost about to get a degree at 18.
Kiersay: I think it’s like people think you’re a lot older because you’ve done so much already in your life and you have a mission, and you are doing all these jobs, and you seem a lot older. I think it’s like, you have your sh*t together.
Lexy: But I don’t, but I don’t. Let’s not mess that up. Let’s not get it twisted. Thank you. I really appreciate that. Thank you. I just like to stay busy, I guess.
Kiersay: I can feel that.
Lexy: Yeah, but so I literally have no idea. I’m like, when I was, I’ve always loved fashion. I obviously always like, I know for sure that’s why I also graduated early, is because I was like, I had already had finished all the credits that I needed to finish and I was like, “Why stay another year and learn about like random like take calculus when I’m like, I don’t need too? I know that I want to do fashion. I’ve always wanted to do fashion.”
I’ll look at videos with me when I was younger and I’m like, “Yeah, how did you guys not know what I was going to go into? Like, it’s so obvious.” So I know for sure fashion is gonna stick. I just, I’m not sure… because I was so adamant about being a buyer and now I’m like, “Oh, I don’t know.”
Kiersay: I think there’s like a really neat space right now, like a huge opportunity to be in fashion but be like a consultant or a strategist on the ESG side to work with brands and be like from an outside perspective, like come and work with them, be like, “this is how you should pursue sustainability or like tailor programs, like how do you communicate that?” And I really think that is like such an interesting space and there’s gonna be so many more jobs because we need to be more sustainable right now and our fashion industry especially, so I think that’s a really neat space that I could definitely see you in like a really cool innovative position.
Lexy: Thank you. I think that honestly probably would be like other than on the social media side, like I would love to do two things. Like work with sustainable brands and help build them up on social media and just like in general with marketing and everything, but then also work with completely not at all sustainable brands or like luxury brands or designer brands or whatever and then be like, “Okay, so you guys are great. Let’s make you sustainable.”
Because I really think that, yes, it has to do with the consumers and where you’re buying your clothes from and what brands you’re supporting, but it really, really, really starts with the brands and how, and everything with that. Because I’m like, if all brands, like Zara, and I’m trying to think of non-sustainable brands, like Urban Outfitters, I don’t know, whatever, like if the two of them specifically started working so much on their sustainability and like became a sustainable brand, which is not possible to do overnight, but if they like started to really make efforts and we were really seeing that difference, like consumers would essentially be forced to buy sustainably because it’s the only thing provided to them. So, I think that would be great to work with brands that already have a name for themselves, that so many people already shop at, and then be like, “Okay, no, it’s sustainable, so everyone has to shop sustainably.”
Kiersay: Especially from an accessibility standpoint too, like more fast fashion brands being able to start to transform to that like ability for sustainable fashion, which sometimes is not accessible to people, like it’s sometimes a privilege thing to be able to shop from slow, sustainable brands. I think it just increases accessibility as well which yeah, I think a lot of this starts higher up. Higher, yeah, it does. But yeah, that’s totally on point.
The importance of taking risks and challenging yourself
Lexy: Well, anyways, thanks for asking about me. I appreciate that. Is there anything else you would like to tell the listeners before we wrap things up?
Kiersay: I don’t know, I feel like I could literally probably talk for hours about fashion and home and just like chat with you for hours too.
I think something that has really made me find myself and find my personal fashion and everything is just, and even transform my life a lot, is just asking yourself is the risk of being comfortable, kind of like where I’m at, is like that risk scarier? What are the effects of staying comfortable versus actually taking a risk? And what are the risks of that risk?
And I think that’s a huge thing for me that has changed my life a lot. “Okay, I’m comfortable here. What’s scarier? Like taking a risk? Or is it scarier to be in this place?” And I think that transpires a lot into personal style like, okay, is it? I’m comfortable wearing what I’m wearing, but if I want to explore something different, is that going to make me potentially find my style and feel more excited? Or not exploring that is going to make me kind of not happy and expressing my personal self? I don’t know, kind of like around something that if there’s one thing I wanted to share is that, is just really try and get out of your comfort zone if you can with certain things. Like, question everything you know. It’s just like take those risks, like find different things that you can challenge yourself on. That’s where I’ve done a lot of personal discovery and grown a lot and always, and yeah. So, I think that’s one thing I just wanted to share with you who’s listening.
Lexy: No, I love it. I love it. And taking risks doesn’t even have to be going all out one day. Like, if you want to start exploring more of what you think your style is, maybe one day add an accessory that you wouldn’t usually wear, and then the next day add that accessory and maybe some shoes that you wouldn’t usually wear. And then eventually you’ll look back at pictures of yourself and you’ll be like, “Oh my god, like my style has changed so much.”
So I love that. Take risks and yeah, don’t be afraid to kind of go out of your comfort zone. Exactly what you’re saying, because I feel like if you’re always comfortable, I don’t know, like if you’re not taking risks, are you really finding out who you are as a person?
Kiersay: Yeah, and exactly so, they can be little. Like literally, putting on that accessory and it’s a little secret because like if you could go out and 20 people compliment you on that, because you’re also glowing because you’re like excited about trying something new, like I don’t know, I think there’s just like a lot of really unique ways that doing like small things out of your comfort zone can really like change, slowly, who you are.
Where can people find you on social media?
Lexy: I completely agree. Well, thank you so so so much for coming on with me today. Where can people find you on social media?
Kiersay: Yes, so my primary Instagram or just all social handle is @kiersay, so that’s K-I-E-R-S-A-Y. That’s my Instagram, TikTok, whatever, YouTube. So I’m starting on YouTube, I’m going to start, so I’m excited. So Kiersay Murray, so you can also search that if you want. To clarify, my old accounts on Instagram, the one that got hacked, literally Kiersay Murray, not the same person, just @kiersay is where you can find me.
Lexy: I love it, that’s so lucky that you were able to get your name as like your full handle and I love that for you.
Kiersay: I know, it’s fun. I also don’t know why I didn’t do it when I started it out, but I was so thankful because I didn’t have to figure out a way to rework my name, so yeah, just Kiersay worked out really well because it’s so random, randomly, Lexy: But it’s beautiful. I love it, I love the funky names. Well, thank you again so so so much for coming on with me today. Everyone, make sure you follow Kiersay on her socials. And while you’re at it, you can follow me. My Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are all at Lexy Silverstein. That’s L-E-X-Y, Silver like the color, S-T-E-I-N. And remember to make ordinary extraordinary.