When Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat drive most buying choices for the new generation of consumers, the next step for most influencers is to shape up social media shopping. Joy Nyargem’s Afrostylicity aims for a revolutionary step forward by connecting e-business with a signature touch.
Afrostylicity, Joy Nyargem’s labor of love since May 2016, provides a compilation of brands and styles for fashion, lifestyle, and travel. Through its lens on Nyargem, the influencer platform provides a relatable lens to African-American followers and aims for a positive look at an evergreen sense of style
“I’ve always been a creative person who loves to share the products and services I discover. With Afrostylicity, I aim to connect my audience with brands through authentic reviews. I also want to unlock a set of people who these brands normally wouldn’t have access to”, says Nyargem.
In its current avatar, the brand leverages its ‘Shop the look’ segment by linking featured brands to their shop links. The brand folio includes streetwear favorites like Shein, Guess, Scoop, among others. The links, which backtrack to pages on Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers, help their audience discover affordable style finds, rather than browse for a select item everywhere.
Who is this audience that the platform has curated over the years? “While we began with a largely female audience, we soon saw the need for content that included men. Cue my partner, Hugh Zei, who has helped Afrostylicity evolve its brand USP – duality in perspectives – both male and female”, she added.
What’s more, the current COVID-19 crisis, which restricts free movement, has given a massive boost to online shopping and social media use. While influencer platforms like Afrostylicity benefit from this windfall, we wait to see how retail brands capitalize on the trend for social media shopping.
Jesslyn Tan has graduated from London School of Arts with a degree in photography and when she returned to America, found herself unemployed for the longest time. Not letting the rejections get to her, she focused on branding himself as an individual, and after slowly building her portfolio and networking, she was able to start his career as a freelancer, work at his own schedule, and also pursue traveling, his other passion. She loves taking portraits of people and exploring the local cuisines of the places he visits.