For the lovers of the fresh witty generation of fashion bloggers, graduates of the top fashion universities, Shini Park of Park & Cube is the pioneer of blogging with a twist. From the emerging shoots of her first few posts (mostly with DIY and inspirations from shows) grew into beautifully edited swanlike images and text which is what attracts so many readers to the London-based blog.
Shini Park was born in Seoul, raised in Warsaw, and then moved to London to continue with her fashion studies at Central Saint Martins. She specialises in web design and photography, which is evident in the clear layout and lighted photos that make her blog stand out from the many guys and girls blogging around the world right now. Her posts are from the shows and events around the world- from the Fashion Week in Milan to travel stories from Tokyo, Seoul and Warsaw, among others. Everything from her posts of the flower market with her friends to DIY and high teas seem light and fun- bringing a little bit of light ‘je ne sais quoi’ to the blogging platform.
When did your interest in fashion start?
Probably when I was just coming out of high school and settling into uni… shoes were the new boys! I must clarify though, my interest in ‘fashion’ was more towards experimenting with style, and expressing myself in a sea of art students at CSM.
What fashion background do you have?
None at all! My background is in Graphic design. I’m pretty happy about it too, because it really meant I pursued my blog as pure hobby.
What was the first item of clothing that made you say ‘Wow!’?
I remember seeing a particular pair of lace-up Ann Demeulemeester boots back in 2008 and thinking it was the coolest thing ever.
As a fashion blogger, half of your post would be in writing. What piece of writing has inspired you, struck a chord?
You’re right! As weird as this sounds, I spend as much time writing as I take/edit my photos, which is odd as the blog is basically 90% photos! I’m always inspired by writing style that incorporate good humour in them, in a nonchalant way. I love Margaret (Shine by Three)’s writing, and I frequently read Douglas Coupland’s books – especially JPOD.
When it comes to pictures, how do you edit them?
I take all my photos in RAW format, which are very large in file size, so I always have to spend some time really deciding the photos that I won’t be using – so that’s step one. Then I pick the photos I will use in the blogpost, and lay them out in the order they will appear in the story, then rename the batch. Then the edit begins! I edit them in Camera Raw first, then convert it to JPG, then edit each photo manually in Photoshop using tools like Curves or Dodge/Burn.
Who is your favourite designer?
Mary Katrantzou has been my long time favourite but I’m loving Delpozo more and more as well. Also, Valentino never do wrong in my eyes!
Can you share one piece from your wardrobe that you love most right now?
Probably this jacket right here by Nanushka http://instagram.com/p/kpJ_msomJW/ – I bought the deep khaki one first and fell so deeply in love I had to get another one in Camel! I love how it’s so structured, yet the scalloped pockets hints an element of fun.
Share the best experience you have had from the recent Fashion Weeks.
I love being able to hang out with blogger friends that during the rest of the year live in really really faraway places. So just catching up with them really does give me joy. Otherwise, this was the first season I was given a Burberry ticket, so that was quite an exciting experience on its own (Harry Styles!)
Where do you find ideas for your posts?
Everywhere and anywhere, but mostly in my everyday lifestyle. If I come across a cool restaurant, I shoot it anyway in case I wanted to write about it later. So most of the times I go about my day with my camera and the posts sort of ‘end up’ happening naturally. Although, I do keep a very strict editorial calendar so it’s not as carefree as I make it sound!
How do you keep organised with posts?
It’s very hard at times, especially when there’s so many topics you cover in the blog (fashion, beauty, travel, food…) but usually I just post what I have and people don’t seem to mind. I guess they’re mostly story-based anyway so it doesn’t take too much organisation in terms of gathering information or assets from brands, for example!
And finally, for a lighter touch, if you could be doing anything in the world right now, where would you be?
If I didn’t have a blog, I’d love to be working with animals and learning about caring for them! Ideally in a safari setting – wishful thinking!
STYLION 