Lydia Tsegay is one of the new generation of influencers. She runs the Instagram account @Femmeblk and has been a staple on the Stockholm fashion scene for years. KRULL caught up with her to take a little peek into her world.

Can you give us some background about yourself and how you came to be an influencer?

I didn’t really set out with the aim of becoming an influencer. I started taking pics of myself because I wanted a hobby. I thought photography was interesting and I wanted to learn more about it. I have long been interested in fashion and followed some blogs, especially US and English ones because I could relate more to the women over there as looked more like me (dark-haired and afro hair). This was – and still is –  important to me since they would write about hair, beauty products and other types of subjects that I can relate to. But after a while, I began to wonder why there weren’t so many Afro-Swedes who were blogging and had fashion-inspired Instagram accounts. So I decided to start an account myself to share my style and styling. Over time, my account grew and I began to do more and more collaborations with companies around the world.

What is your relationship to fashion and clothing, and has that relationship changed over time?

I have always had a strong interest in fashion and clothes. When I was little, I wanted to be a designer and was really determined in becoming one. But over time, I decided to keep my interest in fashion a hobby instead.
Over the last 4-5 years, my relationship to fashion and clothes has changed due to my Instagram account and my blog. I’ve always been fashionable, but I don’t think I was as fashionable in the past as I am today and I find it really fun.

Where do you find inspiration and does your background play a role in or inspire your fashion?

I find a lot of inspiration on the streets, so-called street style, and the environment around me as well as in music.
My African background probably doesn’t have a huge impact on my style because I go in the opposite direction fashion-wise. Within African fashion, colours and patterns play a large role, while my style is much more about single-coloured garments such as black, white, beige and red, and not so much prints and patterns. I love the minimalist and Scandinavian style, probably because I’ve always been drawn to simplicity, minimal things and environments. I think this reflects in my personality as I’m calm and rather shy.

Do you consider how to dress in different contexts to be confirmed or accepted?

I definitely do. That’s what’s fun about fashion. You can play around with it and dress in one way when you go to work and in a different way when you go out with friends. But I always stick to my own personal style and never dress into something I don’t feel comfortable with.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to enter this industry?

Be yourself and don’t follow trends. Find something that makes your style unique and run with it. Try to maximize your creativity and stay focused on your goal.

photography ANDREA DAVIS KRONLUND @daviskronlund
styling NINNI TOKALIJA @aboutthatlookstyling
hair & makeup EMELIE WOOD OLSSON @emeliewood
assistant NANA MUCO

model LYDIA TSEGAY @femmeblk

BRANDS:
& OTHER STORIES, BUKVY, CELINE, DAY NIGHT CASUAL, EMILIE BOOK, F.A.S., HOPE, K-OURAGE, LANGAEBLE, LINDEX, MALIN HENNINGSSON, MANGO, NYGÅRDSANNA, PUBLIC DESIRE, REMAKE, SOFIA WEMAN, TAMARIS, ZARA