AYLA, DIGITAL AND FASHION PERSONALITY

Picture credits: Ayla Dimitri & Team

Ayla Dimitri is widely recognised as one of the most influential digital and fashion personalities in Indonesia. Known for her eclectic and outstanding sense of style, there's a side to Ayla that one might not know of.  Having only become a full-time digital and fashion personality two years ago, Ayla's courage and journey of becoming who she is today is  a voyage of hard work, determination and passion. Speaking of as one of the industries' frequent voice, Ayla gave an insight to what the skills and experience will help to guide you into the fashion and digital industry.

IT ONLY MATTERS WHEN YOU START

I remembered really wanting to make fashion a career a few years ago but it wasn't an occupation that earned an approval easily. Before the digital boom and this whole wave of the importance of bloggers, fashion to many was just for fun, and wasn't exactly one that you could carve out as a career. I started out my higher education thinking that I'd end up working for a creative advertising agency or a design house. During my time at school, I was given a chance in getting my hands into as many different roles of creatives as possible; be it product design or graphic design. From that learning experience, what really struck me was print media. I was so mesmerized by these magazines from abroad which were rich in content and so inspirational. It was this spark that led me towards my first foray into the fashion and media industry. The key to reaching your ultimate goal is simple — work around it and it really doesn’t count until you start.

Picture credits: Ghiboo.com

SKILLS DEVELOP OVER TIME
While still at school, my dad encouraged me to take on as many different working experience as possible. This led to different roles across industries like working at Haagen Daz as an ice-cream scooper and waitress, and then in the finance industry as a junior consultant. Upon graduating, I started working as a fashion editor in SUB magazine and was a part-time visual merchandiser in The Goods Department. It was here that shaped my early career in the media industry. In the midst of all this, I kept going at styling projects for my own interest — be it celebrity styling (Andien for her album "Gemintang", Raisa's first music video "Serba Salah") , or as a contributor in Soap or a stylist for Gogirl magazines amongst many others. During these few years, I slowly built my work portfolio in the fashion and media industry. I moved to Elle Indonesia after a year at SUB to become a fashion writer, stylist and an associate fashion editor. Being in the fashion media industry is not as glamorous at it seems, it requires strong work ethics, determination and hard work to continue on. You have to learn how to be capable and wear hats that you might never think of wearing. My position at Elle Indonesia ultimately led to the position of becoming the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Style.com Indonesia. It takes time to realize what your passion is and what you're good at. Be patient and never be afraid to learn.

Picture credits: The Shonet

ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD

If you told me a few years back, I'd become who I am today — I'd dismiss that idea easily. Most times, life has a funny way of working out. While at Style.com, I continued my passion in becoming a bridge between fashion, digital media and readers. It was during this tenure that allowed my career path to point to what it has become today. I made one of the scariest decisions in my life two years ago — that is becoming a full-time fashion and digital influencer. Fear can bring out the worst or the best in people but what matters is to always keep your chin up. Never regret and never look back.

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

Having been working for many organizations upon graduating, I’ve learned to be accountable and be responsible over things that are beyond my job scope. Don’t be afraid to go beyond what you’re required. Lucky enough, I discovered my passion — fashion and creative —early in my life. This love for fashion and creative kept me going, even when I’m tired or when I feel like giving up. My past experience has also taught me how to manage tight deadlines and deal with stressful situations. These skills come with experience, and the more you do go through such uncomfortable situations, the more you will learn.