In simple words, Style Bloggers of Color is a network that celebrates diversity in the style blogosphere. Having picked up a lot of momentum since the first Style Bloggers of Color conference in June, inquiring minds want to know who is the culprit behind this one-of-a-kind network. She is none other than Mattie James, who you may know as the founder of both Mattieologie.com and Atlanta Style Bloggers.
via Mattieologie
SBOC: Style Bloggers of Color has picked up some major momentum since the Style Bloggers of Color Conference in June. For those who do not know, can you tell us what Style Bloggers of Color is all about?
MJ: Style Bloggers of Color is a community that celebrates diversity in the style blogosphere. As a style blogger myself, I noticed there wasn’t a place for it so instead of complaining about it, I created it.
SBOC: How or where did you get the idea to create Style Bloggers of Color?
MJ: To be honest, it came from a place of void with this particular demographic. In February, I was looking for more bloggers like myself when I headed to NYFW. I hosted a mixer called Bold, Beautiful & Blogging and so many were enthusiastic about the reason behind it. So I took it & ran with it. Community has always been the most important part of blogging to me. Of course, sites like IFB & Blog Trends inspire.
SBOC: Once you got the idea, what steps did you take to take it from simply an idea to making it a reality?
MJ: After the mixer, I started writing down all my ideas and got aggressive about learning about other style bloggers of color I may not know. I bought the domain and went into planning mode for the conference.
Claire Sulmers of The Fashion Bomb, Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista and Kristen Cotrell-Henderson of Lily Kai Vintage at the inaugural SBOC Awards.
SBOC: After successfully launching Style Bloggers of Color in February, you went on to plan and host the first Style Bloggers of Color conference. What inspired you to put that together and what did you expect from the conference?
MJ: My mentor Stacey Ferguson runs Blogalicious and does an amazing job. After attending IFB in February, I thought putting together something similar was needed and would be beneficial to the SBOC community. Although Lucky FABB & IFB are great conferences, I wasn’t seeing the likes of Christen (Divas and Dorks), Tia (Shake Your Beauty) or others who are relevant to the style blogosphere. I wanted to make sure that other voices were heard. It was certainly an ambitious feat but I’m excited for next year!
SBOC: Now that Style Bloggers of Color is in full swing, what can we expect next?
MJ: Well my focus for the first six months that SBOC existed was the conference. Now that it’s over, the remainder of the year is about amazingly resourceful content that will help the bloggers in our community grow.
SBOC: What advice do you have for style bloggers, whether they are just beginning or trying to become established bloggers?
MJ: Do your research, work hard, be consistent & have fun! There are so many blogs out these days which is the perfect opportunity to stand out and focus on your individuality. It’s what makes you different that sets you apart. That’s what blogging colorfully is all about. That’s why Style Bloggers of Color was started.