Margaret Zhang is not your ordinary type of influencer. In fact, she doesn’t even consider herself as one. Even if she has started blogging at the age of 16, she has always seen herself as a creative who only uses the digital platform to express herself.
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As she propelled herself in the fashion industry back in 2009, Margaret has already experienced transitioning from one creative platform to another. This led her to becoming a multi-hyphenate icon for modern women, successfully establishing herself as a director, photographer, stylist, and model, and even being listed in Forbes Asia’s 30Under30.
When she returned to Manila for a collaboration with The SM Store titled, “FashioniSM,” Margaret took the time off of her busy schedule to share three keys on how to make it in fashion.
Be A Visionary
According to Margaret, “it is important to get a lay of the land and really do research and understand on what area it is that you want to be a part of. But it is also important that you diversify.”
She believes that it is critical for any creative individual to have a vision, and know the type of people you want to work with. “Have a stand on the type of people that you want to work with, the types of publication, brands, or the level of work that you want to do. If you ever feel being sidetrack then it is important to take a step back and reassess,” she explained.
Expose Yourself
Wearing many hats at the same time is not an easy task, and gaining the title multi-hyphenate is definitely not easy. Margaret shared that to be able to get a grasp of various creative platforms, “it’s really important to expose yourself as much as possible to be really proactive about self-educating, whether it’s taking courses or pushing yourself into different fields.”
She said that one way to develop your creative thinking is by going to exhibitions and paying attention. “It doesn’t need to be just in the fashion industry, like get to know what’s going on in the global economy, or how does that inform the way artists see things,” she added.
Substance Will Get You Further
Margaret has always seen that there is no formula in style. “It’s just self-expression. What you’re wearing is just an extension of you, so if there’s not enough of you to express, then the end result is never going to be super strong,” she shared.
In terms of having style icons, Margaret said that while it is alright to get inspirations from fashion icons, it’s always going to be your authentic style that will stand out. “In the end, it’s always going to be substance that will get you further as a person [and] as a professional.”
Follow Margaret Zhang on Instagram @margaret__zhang and get to know the world of being a multi-hyphenate.
