Getting to know them – Influencer Interview: Patisse A Lody
Last week we met up with the lovely and energetic Patisse A Lody, @mspatisse, a Helsinki based stylist, Instagrammer and it-girl. We talked about her relationship to fashion, Instagram and both previous and upcoming collaborations.
We are sitting in the lifestyle & sneakers boutique Good Kicks, a place you chose, how come?
My best friend Ali is the co-owner of the store, so for me this is like a second home. No matter how good or bad my day has been this is a place where I always can drop by to say hi, hang out and meet my friends. It is a place with inspiring people and a great vibe.
Your Instagram account is very fashion oriented, could you tell us about your relationship to fashion?
I think my interest towards fashion has a lot to do with my previous works and studies. I have worked as a model and studied fashion design in Paris, before dropping off to pursue a career within fashion PR. For me it is bigger than just fashion, the way I dress is a way for me to express myself and to stay confident – a way to show people who I am. I want to share a good energy and inspire people!
How do you create Instagram content?
The last year my focus has been on trying to publish beautiful and high-quality pictures. I am not the classic selfie-girl, even though I do take them sometimes. I usually want the pictures to be more meaningful and through them actually share a story. My Instagram content is very fashion oriented, but I also post pictures of my friends, snapshots from my daily life as well as pictures from the styling work I do. Another important aspect in the creating process is to keep it transparent. If somebody has contributed to a photoshoot I want to make sure they get credit for it. Creating with other women, supporting and lifting each other up is very important to me – girl power all the way!
”I usually want the pictures to be more meaningful and through them actually share a story.”
Who follows you and who do you follow?
I have both Finnish and international male and female followers aged 20 and up. I think men follow me based on my looks and women based on my style. Personally, I follow street style accounts from around the world as well as make-up and hairstyle accounts aimed for dark-skinned girls. My favorite accounts at the moment are @styledujour and @colordujour.
Do you have interests that you don’t shown on your Instagram?
I do! On Instagram I only show a fraction of myself. What I decide to share is what I want people to know. I don’t like the idea of people thinking they know me based on what they see on social media – I am so much more than that! I actually stopped blogging because my readers wanted to know parts of my personal life that I was not ready to share, in that sense Instagram suits me much better.
Could you tell us about previous collaborations that you have done?
Lately I have been working with Puma, Diesel, Monki, Kappahl and Vitamin Well. Many of the collaborations have been with clothing brands, but I am more than willing to try something new. For example I would love to work with make-up brands. In Finland there are very few brands that sell make-up for dark-skinned girls and boys. But there is a growing demand, and if somebody was brave enough to start importing I am sure it would be a hit!
Dream collaboration?
I am originally from Congo and I have not visited since I moved to Finland over 20 years ago. For a long time I have been playing with the thought of making a documentary movie, in collaboration with a production company, when I revisit for the first time. I often think about how I could combine my life here and my life there, and what role your location actually plays in who you are and what you do. Exploring this and being able to document it is a collaboration I would love to do!
Photo: Sanni Riihimäki
Text: Sandra Kousa & Matilde Pelkonen