SOMA Magazine SOMA Spring Fashion Issue Apr 15 | Seite 42

Feature Fashion Influencers Anthony Urbano TEXT BY KAT SMITH Do you blog full-time? Right now I’m not a full-time blogger. What else do you do? During the day I work as a structural engineer in Manhattan. What inspired you to start your blog in the first place? I’ve always had a creative side that I didn’t always get to showcase at my very technical job as a structural engineer. Starting a blog was a way to share my creativity through my personal style, photography, and writing. It was a way to inspire others, but also fulfill my artistic passions. If you could tell your pre-blog self one thing, what would it be? Stop comparing yourself to others. Blogging can feel competitive at times but once you realize you’re all in it together and that everyone’s point of view is unique you’ll realize there’s a place for everyone in the blogosphere. Who are your biggest influencers? My biggest influencers are my friends. Surrounding myself with talented and innovative people with ambition drives me to stay inspired, be creative, have fun, and achieve my goals. If your audience could take only one thing from your blog, what do you hope it would be? Don’t be afraid to be yourself and express yourself whether it’s through personal style or otherwise. Stay true! How has your style changed since developing your blog? I’ve definitely experimented with different looks and found 40 myself wearing things I thought I could never pull off but now am obsessed with. My style is definitely more adventurous and continuously evolving. What can’t you live without? My iPhone and camera! I’m such a visual person. I love taking photographs and making memories. What are some of the challenges you have faced? The main challenge I faced was re-branding my blog. I first started the blog when my boyfriend at the time and I moved in together and we started sharing clothes. It became a men’s fashion blog from a couple’s point of view with the unique twist that we could share the same clothes. After a rough breakup, the blog was just me. It was challenging to reintroduce Closet Freaks as my new solo project and figure out what direction to take it in next. What do you hope to accomplish in the future? Success, love, happiness! I should probably know more specifically how to achieve that but to be honest, I’m just having a fun time figuring it out. I used to pressure myself all the time about it but now I’ve learned to relax and let things happen. Whatever my future holds, I know my blog will have a big role in shaping it. What is your favorite blogging memory? My favorite blogging memory was probably when I got my first invites to NYFW shows. There was a certain “I made it!” feeling that came over me. For someone like myself who didn’t work in fashion at all, being able to sit amongst fellow bloggers and big shot editors in a world that at one point seemed so out of reach was really a great moment for me.