Fashion and lifestyle blogger Loretta Hove has managed to make Instagram work for her. But this has just been a stepping stone for her to making it big
This 24-year-old from Zimbabwe with more than 27k followers on Insta has definitely earned her spot on Business Insider’s list of the top Instagram influencers in South Africa of 2018. Not only is her Instagram feed on fleek, but Loretta has also recently started her own blog, where she feels she can express herself and share different aspects of her life more freely. On top of all this, she has her own clothing brand, Xariah, which is aimed at designing affordable high-end fashion with an African touch for the young professional middle class in Africa.
Tell us about the journey you have walked to become such a successful fashion and style influencer and blogger. how did this lead you to create Xariah?
I’ve been into designing and styling since I was a little girl and when Instagram became a thing, I used it to showcase my different looks. With the overwhelmingly positive response, I continued to grow as a style- and fashion influencer and that inspired the formation of Xariah. It isn’t easy balancing the two, as I always have to consider any direct competition with my brand before accepting any fashion deals. However, I’ve been able to discern effectively in a way that works for me as well as my brand.
How do you juggle all your different endeavours and still manage to live your best life?
Usually, I try and assign certain weekdays to certain tasks. For instance, Mondays, Wednesdays and the start of Fridays are for my clothing business, as these tend to be the busiest times for it; Tuesdays, Thursdays and the weekends are for my personal Instagram/blog content creation. These tie into my lifestyle already so I’m fortunate enough to be able to capture these moments in a natural way. And a lot of people don’t know this, but I’m currently studying toward my bachelor’s degree. It’s via distance learning, so I usually allocate evenings to focus on this.
What does ‘living your best life’ mean to you?
‘Living your best life’ to me means living authentically and carefree – truly living for yourself. Living your own life to the fullest, whether it be through taking trips to the Bahamas or as simple as getting straight As in school.
For the full article on Loretta Hove, page through your April issue of ClubX.
