Q&A WITH FOUNDER ERIN EAGLE: THE STORY OF A STYLE SET
How I built A Style Set from 0 to over 300,000 followers and cultivated a community around fashion.
Q: LET’S START FROM THE BEGINNING: HOW AND WHEN DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR A STYLE SET?
A: It all began in 2015, almost 10 years ago. I was a high school student looking for a creative outlet that combined my love for fashion and creativity. I started a fashion account @inthesejeans as a way to document my outfits and share my personal style. In the early days of Inthesejeans, I would create outfit flatlays, physically putting outfits together and photographing them. I loved making the outfits look visually pleasing and thought the entire creative process was so fun.
Fast forward to college, I was still consistently posting content on this account. When Covid hit, I dedicated more time to creating fashion videos on TikTok, and my accounts started to grow rapidly. I was receiving requests to personally style my followers – so I started a virtual personal styling service. Clients would send me their Pinterest board and style wants/needs, and I would send back a full document with outfit ideas and links to shop. As I promoted the service, I quickly had a waitlist of hundreds waiting to be styled, and I couldn’t keep up.
I had an idea: continue styling, but make it more accessible to the general public. Learn people’s needs, stay up-to-date on the latest fashion trends, and combine all this data so that I can style a full community rather than just one person at a time. And so, A Style Set was born in November 2020.
Q: HOW DID YOU GROW THE A STYLE SET COMMUNITY?
A: It started with posting outfit ideas daily on the A Style Set Instagram. I cross-promoted the account with @inthesejeans, which helped to build a loyal community from the start. I also made sure that our community got to be involved in everything, answering daily polls, choosing the types of outfits I would post, and giving their feedback. The turning point was when I started creating style guides. I launched our website and posted specific in-depth style guides with outfit ideas and links to shop. Initially, only followers of our Instagram would get access to the style guides, which helped our audience grow even more rapidly than ever before.
In 2022, I started A Style Set Man, the men’s version of our account. This allowed us to reach a new demographic and experiment with men’s fashion.
I have found that the key to growth is interacting with the community, posting consistently, and constantly innovating and trying out new ideas.
Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT RUNNING A STYLE SET?
A: To be honest, I love it all – I am so grateful for A Style Set and this community. I love seeing how the content has evolved and thinking of creative ways to showcase the latest trends. My absolute favorite part, though, is getting to connect with a worldwide audience. Seeing people from all around the globe sharing their outfits, favorite aesthetics, and personal style is the coolest part about A Style Set. I am so inspired by everyone’s style. It’s crazy that no matter how far we are from each other, we’re all connecting over wearing Adidas Gazelles or finding the best pair of baggy jeans. And of course, I love our groupchat and getting to talk to you all (join the chat for girls here and guys here!!)
Q: WHAT’S NEXT?
A: To bring it all full circle, I am so excited to announce that I am launching personal styling again! As I mentioned above, connecting with this community is my favorite part about A Style Set, and I want to connect with you all more personally again. I am now offering two styling options, whether you’re looking for a complete wardrobe revamp or just need a few pieces for a specific occasion. If shopping overwhelms you or you’re just looking for a style upgrade, I am here to help.
Book your styling session here.
Thank you so much for following along and supporting A Style Set. My goal is, and will always be to simplify the shopping experience. I could not do any of it without you, our community, and I am forever grateful!
Xx Erin
