First Generation Fashion: The Culturally Aware Blog to Follow in 2015

First Generation Fashion: The Culturally Aware Blog to Follow in 2015

The First Generation Fashion blog deals with more than just clothes. It’s about culture. It’s about food. It’s about diversity, in the world’s melting pot. Stories from real women�"you guessed it, first-generation Americans living in New York City�"infuse the blog with personality.

Founder, writer and photographer, Daniela Kucher felt compelled to marry her passion for fashion with her experiences growing up as a first-generation American. Raised in Brooklyn by Russian parents, Kucher developed a great appreciation for the ethnic diversity that surrounded her at an early age. After completing a Masters program in technical entrepreneurship, she decided it was time to create a one-stop shop for young women interested in exploring New York’s many cultures through fashion, dining and local events. In September 2014, she launched First Generation Fashion. Already the blog is attracting around 8,000 unique visitors per month via Web, 32,000 per month via social media, and has been picked up by Refinery29 and Buzzfeed.

“I noticed that many blogs, websites, and television shows were portraying New York City in a way that I didn’t consider authentic. I wanted to share the sides of New York that I considered relatable,” Kucher told Forbes.

Antonella: From Uruguay to Williamsburg. Photo: First Generation Fashion.

Photo: formal dress short

Nicole: From Ukraine to Greenwich Village. Photo: First Generation Fashion.

Mondalena: From Montenegro to the Upper West Side. Photo: First Generation Fashion.

The process of building her brand hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but she’s made some telling discoveries not only about first generation women, but about her generation as a whole. “I always viewed networking as an intimidating process of leveraging my relationships with older and more experienced people in the industry. The beautiful thing that I’ve discovered is that my peers, who are just starting their careers, have been the most helpful with growing my website. This sends a powerful message. Young professionals have a strong voice and they’re using the Internet as a mechanism for disruption. But you have to believe in your idea whole-heartedly to overcome all of the obstacles and rejections that you will face as an early entrepreneur.”

Perhaps the most unique aspect of this blog is its voice. Kucher ensures a high level of refinement site-wide, but allows her subjects to do much of the talking. There is nothing didactic about it. No one is saying, “Wear this. It’s in.” Or, “Eat here. It’s trendy.” Instead, the women she interviews tell their own personal stories of heritage and lifestyle, weaving in their favorite fashions, eateries, and citywide hot-spots. In addition to asking about their favorite things and places, Kucher asks the women personal questions about their families and home countries. The meaty Q & A interviews that accompany each of her subjects serve to contextualize and complement the striking fashion photography. For instance, Antonella explains the meaning behind her mother’s Uruguayan wedding skirt, and then we see her modelling it. These sorts of anecdotes bring out the charm in clothing.

In their profiles, the ladies reference many spots around the city’s five boroughs: Fiona from China shares her go-to restaurants for authentic cuisine. Mawash from Pakistan talks fashion. Molly from America gives her nightlife picks. To make it easy for her blog followers to explore these places, like Marina’s favorite brunch spot (spoiler: it’s Mari Vanna), for example, Kucher made a city guide, which includes a directory of all these eateries and shops and a Google map for navigation.

And lest we forget about the fashion pieces that carry the blog aesthetically. This month, Kucher launched the shopping part of the site, which allows users to purchase the clothing and accessories chosen and sported by her models. She uses affiliate marketing to do this, linking back to the designers’ websites, but making a small amount of money for each click and redirection to the parent site that a given product gets. “Every time someone clicks, I make a little bit of money. It’s a great way to add that extra layer to my blog while remaining authentic to my brand and the voice of each woman,” she said.

What’s in store for the blog’s future? You can bet there will be plenty more women (and “First Gen Men”…coming soon) profiled, but Kucher plans on expanding her mediums. “I definitely want to incorporate video. While I love telling a story through photos and interviews, it would be great to be able to walk my readers through the diverse neighborhoods of NYC in a Web series. New York City fashion is constantly evolving so we’d never run out of material covering culture and fashion from a real New York perspective.”

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