Rosa Crespo Gets Real About Life as a Luxury Fashion Influencer
Ever wondered how your favorite influencer snags all those designer bags? How her hair looks so perfect? Or maybe simply how she ended up making a living off of being a fashion blogger?
We talked to one of the OG luxury fashion bloggers, Rosa Crespo, all about the blogger/influencer space, her journey, and of course, her hair!
What was the moment that you realized you could be a fashion blogger full-time? Was it something you had been consciously working towards?
I wouldn’t say that I was necessarily working towards doing this full time, but I loved doing it and getting creative with my shoots and outfits. Once brands started reaching out more and I began making money from it was when I took the leap of faith and went full time.
If so, what were the steps you took to get to where you are today?
One piece of advice I give to anyone is to stay authentic to your brand and stay persistent. There will be bumps in the road, but it’s all part of the process.
You specialize in luxury fashion. How did you afford to buy luxury goods to post on the ‘gram before you made it big?
High fashion and luxury has always been my passion, so even before the ‘gram I would ask for pieces like that for my birthday. Becoming a fashion blogger was definitely a huge investment. The bigger I got, the more brands were willing to loan me pieces to shoot content with.
Your followers are constantly asking you for your hair tips, can you share some with us?
I definitely got very lucky with my hair stylists. Ryan Pearl and Melissa from Cutler are amazing and who I trust with my hair. I use lots of different products. My favourites are from L’Oreal and Tresemme. However, I recently started to take Perfectil and I have felt a huge difference! My hair is growing stronger and thicker than ever and I’ve already turned a couple of my friends onto their products and they’re just as happy with the results. Perfectil also makes skin and nail supplements, which I’ve thought about trying too, but the hair one has been really great for me. You’re supposed to see maximum results in 90 days, and I feel that I saw results sooner in my hair feeling thicker and stronger and breaking less when I use hot tools on it.
You’ve lived in London and now live in NYC—how have the places you’ve lived contributed to your style? What trends did you adopt from certain locations?
London 70’s vibes definitely has always inspired my style; plaid, leather jackets, Dr. Martens, hats—definitely played a huge role. Living in West London was the best inspiration and introduction to high end fashion and designers such as McQueen or muses like Kate Moss [who] have always been my source of inspiration. Being in New York City makes me wanna dress more expressively. No need to show off kind of vibe. Less is more. But I was never really into trends, so I tend to adapt everything on my own kind of style and what makes me feel like myself.
Coachella: overrated or better than ever?
Way overrated. Maybe because it was my fourth [year] in a row. I think it has lost its essence. Of course, it’s still a good time.
As an influencer, you get a ton of free products. What are some things you’ve tried that you’ve loved so much that you would buy with your own money (or did end up buying with your own money)?
I do it all the time. I used to travel a lot. And the duty free store at the airport was my favourite because I got so attached to my daily skin and hair routine that if I forgot a product on a trip I would go and immediately buy it because they have become a can’t-live-without. Especially my perfume, my Perfectil hair and skin pills, and my VS lip balm.
What are some negative stereotypes about bloggers/influencers that you find to be untrue?
That we are only what you see on the ‘gram, for instance. It is important that people understand that this is a business and we are not pretending to be or act perfect all the time, but I am trying to inspire people, not tell them my problems every day. Also I hear, “Oh, I should be an influencer and take good photos.” There is so much more that goes into our jobs than just taking photos, it gets very high pressure and stressful.
Any stereotypes that you find to be accurate?
“Do it for the ‘gram.” It is so true. We all have done it at least once or multiple times just to get “the shot.”
It seems like every young woman wants to be an influencer these days. And platforms like Heartbeat and Influenster allow micro-influencers to work with big brands in exchange for products. Do you think the democratization of the influencer space is a good thing or a bad thing?
I think there is always space for everyone in the industry and everyone can inspire [in] their own way. I am so happy that the business can expand to younger generations and I would never think of it as a bad thing.
What are your feelings on “the algorithm?”
The algorithm is a pain in the ass. Sorry for the expression. I know IG is only trying to help us, but I feel like I sometimes get affected by it and I get complaints from my followers saying they don’t see my posts anymore. So that sucks.
Photos by Mike Albanese