Gloria Chik from Urbanebloc

This week FashionZest interviewed Gloria Chik from Urbanebloc. Gloria, is the creator and director of the successful fashionblog Urbanebloc.com

Jenny: Lets start by hearing a little about yourself… who is Gloria Chik?
Gloria: I’m a girl from Toronto that does a little bit of everything; blogger, writer, I design things, event planner, go-getter, workaholic, music junkie, photo addict, jokestress, fashion, social media buff, I am urbanebloc.com

I do what I love and love what I do – why spend time doing anything that you don’t feel that way about?

Jenny: What led you to write about / be involved in the fashion industry?
Gloria: I really believe in the idea of “writing what you know” – even though I don’t consider myself an expert by any means. Before starting up the blog and getting involved, I was already so in love with discovering new brands, trends, shops, and overall music and culture, it seemed to come more naturally than me writing about oh I don’t know, lightbulbs. I hope it’s working though, it’s a great industry to be in (especially in Toronto).

Jenny: So what is Urbanebloc all about?
Gloria: Well, in pretty terms: urbanebloc aims to be your muse – fashion, culture, and urban life are gathered into a unique collective of imagery and words. here and there.

Pretty much all the things that I love in one place, and then some!

Jenny: How did Urbanebloc start?
Gloria: urbanebloc started because a friend prodded me to do it. And even though I wasn’t sure why it was a good idea, I knew it was one. I always wanted to be a journalist, and I loved graphic design. It was a place that I could test the waters, mesh writing, creative, design, and photography, to create one happy blog.

Jenny: What do you hope to achieve with Urbanebloc?
Gloria: I want to be able to do full fledged shoots one day. I think there’s something so creatively challenging about doing shoots / styling / putting together a story with visuals. I also want to connect people – there’s nothing that makes me happier than to create a community / forum where people can share ideas and provide feedback. That and I just want it to inspire – pretty lofty goals huh?

Jenny: How would you describe your personal style?
Gloria: I’m sure that a lot of people would start off with the idea of “eclectic”. My style is a dash of professional, a smidge experimental (oh, have I had outfits go wrong or what!), girly, and plenty mood driven.

Jenny: Who or what has been your greatest fashion influence?
Gloria: I’d have to say the people around me, other blogs, and that beautiful thing they call “retail therapy”. I also think that Toronto life and boutiques are influencers too.

Jenny: Which is your favorite fashion designer at the moment, and why?
Gloria: NADA showed at Toronto LG Fashion Week, and everyone was smitten with her creations. It’s just such an intricate collection, that’s so obviously a labor of love. It takes some kind of dedication to create the lacey, Victorian style pieces. Loved how romantic they all were! Nadadesigns.com for more details.

Jenny: What current fashion trends do you like and dislike the most at the moment?
Gloria: I’m a fan of the pleated pants right now – the ones that taper with a higher waist and pleat coming down from the waist. They’re part of my go-to work outfit (throw that on with a nice blazer and simple top). I’ve also jumped on the leathery-leggings trend. Cropped shirts are okay in my books (but beware – shopping in it isn’t a good idea in my experience).

Trends that I’d turn away would be the ones that will never die – uggs, crocs, leggings as pants, sweat suits (please, just don’t wear them in public, girls OR guys)…and jeggings (jean leggings) don’t have me sold yet.

Jenny: What would be the one fashion tip you would give to a friend?
Gloria: Play. And play a lot. Play with colours, shapes, sizes (but still flattering), and most importantly style. You don’t want to look back on old photos and realized you owned everything in black or had the same four shirts and four pants in different variations. That’s no way to experiment with style!

Jenny: And finally… as the director of urbanebloc, where do you see the site in 5 years time?
Gloria: Can’t say to be honest – blogs move fast and change fast. I’d love for it to grow and flourish and have a great big happy writer family behind it. And like I mentioned before, I’d love to produce more of my own original rich content (ooo, dorky sounding me comes out at the end of the interview). Other than all that, I just want to keep doing what it is that’s happening right now, because I’m smitten with it!