Today we have a special guest, Kendra Rowe, a 23-year-old Canadian fashion content creator who has amassed a huge following on social media with her trendy fashion hauls and lifestyle content. She has collaborated with major brands like Fashion Nova, Pretty Little Thing, and Dolls Kill and has gained a reputation for being a confident and empowering role model for young women. In this interview, Kendra shares her journey to becoming a successful content creator, how she manages to create content independently, and how she uses her platform to promote body positivity and social issues. She also talks about her other passions and professional plans for the future.
HELLO KENDRA ROWE, WELCOME TO BLACKBIRD NEWS! PLEASE TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BACKGROUND.
Of course! My name’s Kendra Rowe. I’m a 23 year old Canadian fashion content creator. I’ve been in the influencing community for over 5 years, and I love being able to share my passion for it with the world!
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY TO BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL CONTENT CREATOR AND BUILDING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA EMPIRE?
I started posting on YouTube in late 2018 and amassed to 100k subscribers in just under a month, which was insane. Once I realized the potential I had, creating content became easier and I became way more motivated to do it. From YouTube I began posting more on instagram, as people became more interested in me. It’s been a wild ride, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world! I absolutely love that I do and my community of support.
HOW DID YOU TRANSITION FROM WORKING WITH AN AGENCY TO CREATING CONTENT INDEPENDENTLY AND HAVING FULL CREATIVE CONTROL?
When I started YouTube I had some help, but we had completely different ideas for my branding. It was super easy to get into my own swing of things because I knew the direction I wanted to take my channel. After about a month I was coordinating my entire socials by myself. As my passion for it grew, it got easier and easier to self manage!
YOU’VE WORKED WITH MAJOR FASHION BRANDS LIKE FASHION NOVA, PRETTY LITTLE THING, AND DOLLS KILL. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW THOSE COLLABORATIONS CAME ABOUT AND WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO WORK WITH THEM?
I am so grateful for the amazing brands I’ve gotten the opportunity to work with! I check my business email every morning, and always get so excited when a member from one of my fav brands reaches out wanting to collaborate. These amazing companies give me full creative control so I can pick and choose items from them that best suit me and my brand. Their team members are so sweet and so easy to work with, I’ve never had an issue creating content for them. Fashion Nova is my longest sponsor, and we always come up with the best trends & they allow me to pick whatever items I was to execute our ideas perfectly.
YOUR FASHION HAUL VIDEOS ARE INCREDIBILITY POPULAR; HOW DO YOU CHOOSE WHICH BRANDS TO FEATURE AND WHAT TRENDS TO SHOWCASE?
As someone who creates fashion content, I try to stay up to date on who and what’s popular. When picking brands to showcase, I pick brands that are buzzing and have items that match my style and are trendy! I’m always watching other creators for inspiration as well, seeing what’s popular for them and putting my own style into it.
YOU RECENTLY POSTED VIDEOS HIGHLIGHTING LINGERIE. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR VIEWS ON BODY POSITIVITY AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT?
Lingerie hauls are one of my favs to do because I feel so confident. It sounds cliche, but confidence is the major key to feeling comfortable with who you are and loving yourself. I am all for embracing who you are and loving the body you’ve been given. Seeing women and more so lately, younger girls struggling with their body image makes me sad. Society these days can be hard on us, especially with the power of social media. It’s important to remember that you are your own person, and comparing yourself to others is so harmful to your mind and body. Every human, especially women should feel confident and empowered. We can all do and be anything we want to be, and a major pushing point that helps me feel this way is loving myself and who I am/how I look.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ASPIRING CONTENT CREATORS LOOKING TO BUILD THEIR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA EMPIRE?
I get asked this question a lot in my community and my answer will never change. Consistency is so so important! It takes hard work and dedication, but once you find your niche (fashion, beauty, vlogs) and start posting consistently on a platform, your empire will begin to build. Don’t stress about numbers, just focus on being authentic and everything will fall into place as it should.
IN ADDITION TO FASHION, YOU ALSO ENJOY GAMING, VLOGGING, AND TRAVELLING. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR OTHER PASSIONS AND HOW THEY INFLUENCE YOUR CONTENT?
Ahh travelling is probably my biggest passion and I am thankful I get the chance to see the world! Another passion I have, although broad, is staying active. Moving my body everyday helps with my energy levels and helps me feel motivated to create content! I know that once I’m feeling good, I’ll be able to showcase the best version of myself in my work. I also love shopping, even just browsing online stores. Seeing different styles and what’s popping at the moment definitely influences outfits I put together in my hauls!
HOW DO YOU USE YOUR PLATFORM TO PROMOTE IMPORTANT CAUSES OR SOCIAL ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU?
When I’m made aware of issues circulating the online community, I do my best to share well written statements from other creators that I resonate with. Sharing news articles via instagram stories, for example, is a great, educated way I like to share my values on an ongoing worldly issue. Something that is really important to me and is an ongoing societal issue is body positivity. By creating fashion hauls and showcasing myself and my own body, I try to spread the message that it’s important to love yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin.
WHAT ARE YOUR PROFESSIONAL PLANS FOR THE NEAR FUTURE?
Something that I’m really excited about that’s up and coming for me is acting! It’s been a dream of mine to pursue for a while and I’m super excited that the ball is rolling. In regards to my social media, I am going to continue to create fashion hauls more consistently and keep sharing trends and fun styles!
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?
To anyone reading, don’t forget to be gentle with yourself today and remind yourself to love who you are. You can find me on YouTube @KendraRowe
