Interviewed and shot Jamie Wdziekonski of OhJamie (again) for Couturing.
We stood in Trimapee's ex QV store and talked about bloggers, magazine dreams, zine requiems, getting the nod of approval from Oliver Zahm and conquering the world!
Jamie Wdziekonski is a Melbourne based blogger, the face behind OhJamie and man-in-demand in the Australian fashion industry. When he’s not taking photos of his whirlwind life, Jamie works as the PR and social media maven for Strateas.Carlucci – a new label from the creative masterminds behind Trimapee.
Couturing writer Darby caught up with Jamie at Trimapee’s QV store for a few questions and turned the lens on him for a photoshoot. We spoke about bloggers, magazine dreams, getting the nod of approval from Oliver Zahm and conquering the world!
DARBY: Being a blogger/media personality, what do you think of the way new-media platforms are shaping up in the world of fashion?
JAMIE: Bloggers are becoming much more respected now; I guess that’s the word to use. Seeing bloggers [seated in the front row] is nice. Overall, [bloggers are] getting noticed. Especially in Melbourne—back in the day it wasn’t a big thing.
DARBY: Has there been any difficulties or obstacles as a blogger and building up your name?
JAMIE: No, not really. I mean back in the day trying to get a seat at a show or a good seat was difficult but now it’s pretty [much] easier.
DARBY: You’ve been, seen and done a number of things since starting OhJamie. Can you pick a favourite or highlight?
JAMIE: A highlight has probably been getting one of my images in Purple [magazine]. I shot Sophie Willing up in Sydney and sent an email to the online editor and asked if they wanted to use the photo. She said yeah! The most amazing thing is that Oliver (Zahm) has to approve every image; so to have him approve it was really nice.
DARBY: Did you ever think things would skyrocket like this? Your blog has taken off and your name is known.
JAMIE: I guess when I first started OhJamie I wasn’t expecting anything. So anything from there on in is a surprise. To have people come up to you and say “oh I read your blog” is nice. It’s nice to hear that. People actually read it! It’s fun. It started in my bedroom and now it’s taken me to places I never thought it would.
DARBY: Men in fashion, particularly in new roles like street-shooters or bloggers or media moguls, are making headway. So is men’s fashion in general. Have you noticed menswear and in particular, the shift of attention to menswear change face over the years?
JAMIE: I suppose so. I guess one label, or house that’s doing really well is Givenchy. Their clothes are incredible and everyone wants it. I guess when you put that street element of like printed jumpers in with high fashion, everyone can kind of get onto that. Overall, men in fashion don’t get much attention but I guess there’s always a place for them. You’d hope so.
DARBY: What was the hardest part, then, of realizing your interests and blog into something sustainable (like being asked to cover fashion weeks or events)?
JAMIE: The hardest thing about my blog, to me anyway, was finding my aesthetic. If you go back on old posts everything was in colour and especially what I was wearing and how I was shooting. I think now, I’ve really found my place or niche. That was probably the most difficult thing.
DARBY: What’s next?
JAMIE: Ahh, a second zine is on the way. The aim is to go to Paris, I really want to go (and) do Paris. Originally it was New York but that’s not really feasible at the moment. There are people in every city, L.A, New York, London, that I really want to see. If I could do that, that’s the next thing. I’ve done Melbourne. I really want to venture out into the world.
I’d like to extend the zine into a magazine. I’d like to see how that works. It’s kinda funny, you see people moving from magazines to blog. I want to do the opposite. From online to print, it’s just more permanent, tangible. Blog posts get lost—you have to hope people read it.
-D.C
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