Colossium Magazine March Issue_2019 | Page 57

For instance for this project I had a fair understanding of what was involved and I worked hand in hand with the Colossium team to ensure that the best is put out there for both par- ties. CLS: What are some of the brands you have worked with so far? LHL: I have worked with Vita Mil- ke, Girl Talk, Taxify, Woodin and a lot more. CLS: What style of picture editing do you cringe when you see it on- line? LHL: I think the ones that look like they took off phone or laptop screens. The over smoothing – too much colour, I mean they’re not my thing. I wonder why people settle for those, anyway. CLS: What do you wish you knew before get- ting into the industry you’ve found yourself? LHL: I will say I wish I knew how to make money earlier. However I like to think that although I have always wanted to be in the fashion industry, I didn’t know there will be other avenues such as brand influencing I could explore. I think it’s something with most young people. We mostly start off doing things we like then before you know it, it’s a career by which time you would have perhaps wasted valuable time which you could have financially benefitted from. So not knowing how to make money from branding influencing in the ear- ly days is something I regret but we are going to put our discoveries in a handbook now for the next generation to follow so they wouldn’t have to response to a similar question the way I am now. CLS: I think social media presents a false representation of beauty. What’s your take on that? LHL: I get where you’re coming from, however it is a twisted fact. I don’t know why people assume people are what they show on social media. One time I was going to the barbering 57 | Colossium . March 2019 Fashion you can buy “ but style you can’t buy. You can buy the fanciest clothes but if you’re not stylish you can’t put them together. That’s how I can define them” shop for a cut when I run into one of my Insta- gram followers. On a regular day, I will be in an oversized t-shirts and flip flops; so this person sees me and starts saying I’m fake and all. I mean, the fact that I share photos of me wear- ing fancy clothes on Instagram doesn’t mean I sleep in my heels and makeup. It doesn’t mean I don’t pick trotro or don’t have dark spots.