Simply and Who What Wear held its 7th Simply LA Fashion and Beauty Conference at The Americana at Brand on August 11, 2018. This year’s conference was divided into two tracks, Influencer Track and Digital Marketing Track, where guests got to sit in on panels from the most influential people in their space.
“The ever-changing fashion & beauty industry is much about who you know, which is why I created the SIMPLY conference 7 years ago. To become an influencer, stylist or many other jobs in the industry, you need to meet the right people to get your foot in the door. SIMPLY is a kind place to make those important connections that could change your career path forever,” commented Sarah Boyd, founder of Simply.The morning kicked off with breakfast from sponsors Purely Elizabeth, Peet’s Coffee and delicious acai bowls from Sabazont for VIP ticket holders to begin networking amongst each other before the sessions began. Boyd moderated the keynote conversation with speaker, Emeraude Toubia. The Mexican-Lebanese actress stressed the importance of brushing haters off and people that constantly say you will never be able to achieve your dreams. Both her and Sarah agreed it’s best to surround yourself with people that support you and will push you to “follow the impossible”. Sarah further explained she was fed up with her long-time career in Fashion PR and after continuous venting to her husband, he pushed her to quit that job and start her own business. Just like that Simply was born from some push and support from a loved one to create her own future.
The first panel discussed how to grow your engagement. Sazan Hendrix, influencer and founder of Blessbox, addressed the importance of posting about all of the brand new things youlove and things you like to do and how you never know what influencer opportunity can come from that. Influencer Ale La Chula couldn’t agree more. She shared her recent experience of joining her boyfriend in a blindfolding hamburger eating contest in which they tried to guess where each burger is from. After posting content about the burgers, she was contacted with a partnership deal with McDonald’s.
One of the other great panels was Squad Up: Knowing when to grow and scale your business moderated by Nina Ojeda, founder of Prete. When asked “How do you deal with competition?” Lauren Bushnell, the founder of Dear Rose and Bellevue The label, responded that’s she’s learned to develop thicker skin after her public engagement and breakup and has learned there’s room for everyone. Her advice was to not compare yourself to other IG users and “stay focused, don’t feel the need to do it all. There’s room for everyone!”
In addition to the helpful panels was the Brand Experience which took place on the lawn. Guests indulged in beauty treatments and snacks from various vendors while embracing the California sun. MiniLuxe was on site giving manis and offered a free visit to their salon for two if you posted a photo using #MiniMoments. Ziba Beauty had an eyebrow threading station and also reviews some of their beauty products. I got my brows done by Roubina and I can say hands-down one of the best threading experiences I’ve has a long time. OGX and FHI Heat were tending to all your hair care needs and sampling some of their hair care products and tools.
Lee Rittiner, co-founder of TotaLee, was meeting and greeting beauty lovers at his booth who got to sip on Mocktails and spin the wheel for a chance to win some great hair care products. Endless Summer and Bellevue had pop-ups for the fashion lovers. Suzanne Marchese, founder and designer of Endless Summer, was taking orders for pre-sale for her latest collection while offering free shipping and a 10% discount. Bellevue The Label is the latest fashion line from TV personality, Lauren Bushnell, who rocked a cute white crop top and asymmetrical mini from the collection. Girls got to freshen up their looks with makeup touch-ups from BH Cosmetics who were showcasing their awesome new eyeshadow palettes full of shimmer and bright colors.
Every year the Simply conference gets bigger and better and I’m excited to see what next year has in store!
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