Red carpets, premieres, and galas have their own personalities. You wouldn’t wear to the Grammys what you would wear to the Oscars. In the age of TikTok and viral likability, no one understands this more than influencers. On the eve of The Root’s annual 100 Gala, we caught up with a few digital (and real life) trendsetters to get their thoughts on going viral, setting trends, and choosing the right looks.
On Wearing What You Want
Blake Newby, originally from Detroit, talks Fendi philosophy on the phone with her mother and great-aunt when she’s not guiding her followers on the latest trends. You’ve also seen her on Good Morning America giving beauty commentary. With her family’s COGIC (the Church of God in Christ) roots, Newby’s fashion pedigree includes hats and furs. “The women I’ve always seen growing up have taken the maximalist approach,” Blake says of her upbringing.”
Get your tickets now!
It’s not too late to show off your style on Dec. 6. On dressing for an occasion, she advises, “stay true to what you want to wear.” She adds, “If I see something, I’m like, “that’s the one.” I nail it down, I’ll accessorize it. I then create the entire look around it.”
When Jenee’ Naylor, previously known as HighLowLuxxe first started as an influencer, she admitted that there was pressure to peacock, as she put it; to get the attention of the street style photographers. “But now I’m like, I’m going to wear what I love,” she says. Jenee’ plans her looks in advance. “My goal is to look like I threw it on even if I didn’t. I love tailoring and structured pieces, with a little glam and a little edge.” You can rock your edgy accessories at The Root 100 Tuesday by grabbing your tickets here.
On Not Doing Too Much
George Myrie, known on Instagram as Stuylin, was once approached by a groom after a wedding he attended for being too well-dressed. The Bed-Stuy Brooklyn-bred influencer and designer of the burgeoning brand ThGrpPrjct learned quickly how to not do too much.
“The irony of this topic is,” George explains, “when folks see me out, they think it is a façade, but I didn’t start doing this because I want to promote clothing or items. These are my actual clothes. I’ve been doing this for a long time,” the influencer and designer says. His impressive collection of archive clothing includes Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren that hasn’t been seen in years.
“I am a girl who loves a bunch of statement pieces,” Blake admits, but in reference to doing too much, she drops this gem, “Take one off before you leave. We all want to put on our best things before we leave but take one off. Just one.”
On Emotion and Vibes
You’ve seen Broderick Hunter on the Max hit show “Insecure” and billboards all over the world as a model, but when he began sharing his grooming and vibe-based style regimens, he developed an audience of loyal followers that kept coming back for more.
“A lot of my influence came when people saw the intention I put behind my work,” Broderick says.
The model doesn’t wear anything that doesn’t make him feel good, both mentally, and physically. “When it comes to clothing items, I think about if they’re feeding me or draining me. Even loungewear, certain items, I put on to see if they make me feel the same. Some items may not have the same effect they had when I originally put them on.”
Blake says that she doesn’t take her platform lightly. She considers it a responsibility as she does with dressing, “When I show up, I look good and I feel good.”
On the other hand, Jenee starts with passion. “I always start with how I feel,” she says. “A lot of intentionality goes into it. Being prepared on all the right fronts.”
Intentionality is essential—according to George. “Everything I do is purposeful and functional. It looks aesthetically pleasing, but at the end of the day, it feels good.”
On Rising Above the Disparities
Jenee’ Naylor’s biggest accomplishment is the realization that she’s able to employ herself and her husband as an influencer. Originally from St. Louis, the former Target employee wasn’t surprised that she’d be doing what she’s doing now. That said, all the influencers can agree, there are disparities in this industry—as with all industries; and work still needs to be done.
“It is very clear to me that I am at a disadvantage. I can see that, with my peers who are of different races—there’s more analytics needed when considering Black influencers, and more that I have to prove than people in the same category as me to get the job,” Jenee says.
“Other Black influencers and I talk about it all the time. A lot of us are tokenized. We are left out of the narrative. It is something that I hope will evolve or change over the years. Unfortunately, the pendulum is swinging back to what it was before George Floyd and Breonna Taylor,” Blake says.
“There’s always going to be that difficult conversation of Black artists getting the same as white artists. The respect comes down to whether others will respect the gifts,” Broderick says.
According to marketing trend website, Insider Intelligence, the U.S. is expected to spend $5.8 billion on influencer marketing with 82.7% of the marketers in the industry targeting influencers directly. This number seems small compared to the $75.08 billion overall in social ad spend, but influencer marketing is growing at a faster rate according to Insider—solidifying, again, influencers as the most viable of the socials.
James R. Sanders is a New York based freelance fashion editor and celebrity stylist. He’s written for Vogue and GQ and has styled clients for the Grammy’s, NAACP Image Awards, and Golden Globes.