The dictionary describes the word “goal” as the result of achievement toward which effort is directed.  I think this word perfectly describes Noelly Sam of Miss.Sly blogzine. From a young age, Noelly knew she was destined for something bigger, a career where she could call the shots while doing what she loves. Being mesmerized by the fashion scene from a young age (as most of us were), Noelly took her love of the industry combined with the -then budding- world of social media to create Miss.Sly blogzine, an online magazine about the glamorous world of the Canadian fashion industry. Since its debut five years, ago Miss. Sly has gone on to gain a loyal following by not only Canadian fashionistas, but readers from all around the globe. How do I know this? Sam has created Fashion Unfold, a monthly twitter debate hosted by the entrepreneur. Every second Tuesday of every month, you can find the hashtag #fashionunfold trending on twitter as dozens of bloggers from around the world share and discuss their ideas. I recently had a chance to ask Noelly about her site and here is what she had to say about it…

Style Nine to Five: What inspired you to get into the fashion industry?
 
Noelly Sam: I think it was only a matter of time. I’ve always been drawn to fashion in a way, from haute couture shows I’d watch on TV, to beautiful glossies I’ve been collecting for over ten years now. The world of Fashion and beauty had always fascinated me. Growing up, I was the eccentric kid who would get in trouble for turning my parents clothes into DIY projects. So when blogging got in the picture with glimpses of what a career in Fashion could be, I jumped in without hesitation.

SNTF: When did you decide to take your love of fashion to the next level and start MISS SLY?
 
Noelly Sam: Starting MISS SLY was actually an unexpected turn of events. Friends and family had always told me that I should get paid for giving my unsolicited opinion on people’s sense of style or lack thereof – I was living in Ottawa back then, not the most fashionable place. But what really started everything was a trip to Toronto where I went to attend the ELLE Magazine showcase. There I took pictures and talked to designers, brands reps, picked business cards, sipped on bubbly, ate sweet treats… things bloggers normally do, only I wasn’t blogging just yet. At some point, one of the event organizers pulled me aside and asked me if I was a journalist, I said no and thought I was in trouble, but then she asked me if I was interested to come back and meet more fashion designers, so I said yes and she handed me a pair of VIP tickets to come back the next day. From that point everything went super fast, I met more fashion and TV personalities, took hundreds pictures and returned to Ottawa with tons of goodies bags. The adrenaline rush I felt during that event was an experience I wanted to share with others, so I decided to set up an online page to post everything and this is how MISS SLY was born.

SNTF: Did you always know that this is what you wanted to do with your life? if not, what inspired you?
 
Noelly Sam: Fashion blogging is very new so I didn’t know that things were going to unfold the way they did, but I always knew that I’d be my own boss in something related to beauty and communications. Thanks to internet and social medias, it is now possible. I had a full time job when I started MISS SLY five years ago, so I used my vacations to go attend Fashion weeks in Toronto and Montreal, that’s how committed I was. I soon realized that it was more than a hobby for me and as life would have it, I lost the job a year after creating MISS SLY, and took it as an opportunity to focus on it 100%. A crazy and bold decision I don’t regret but recognized how totally insane it was.

SNTF: What challenges, if any, did you face while starting MISS SLY Blogzine?
 
Noelly Sam: Of course there were some challenges. The toughest one at the beginning was to balance blogging with my day job; I often had to write my posts late at night, sleep few hours (or none) then go work the next day, it was overwhelming but I didn’t seem to mind. Learning HTML was another challenge, it was all gibberish to me so I had to spend a lot of time learning the basics. Another challenge that took me a while to master was the art of saying NO to people. This was difficult because when you first start, you tend to want it all and you definitely underestimate the workload and your own limits. I learnt this one the hard way and I am so glad those days are behind me.

SNTF: Did you take any kind of schooling/internships in order to help you start up MISS SLY?
 
Noelly Sam: I didn’t apply for an internship to start MISS SLY but did apply to FLARE magazine for a writing job, the Editor-in-chief answered me politely, stating that there were no positions available and that they normally hire internally whenever needed. I guess that was my cue to start looking for an internship, but I decided to focus on MISS SLY instead, trusting that opportunities would come in due time. So I never experienced the internship world but I’m sure it would have been a great learning experience.

SNTF: What was the most amazing experience you have had as a result of starting your own blogzine?
 
Noelly Sam: Besides meeting Jean Paul Gaultier, Iman and DKNY PR Girl I’d say winning a trip to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. I was on Twitter (as always) and spotted a tweet about winning a trip to Rio, I filled it up and a month later I was declared the lucky winner of an all paid trip to Rio. Had I not started MISS SLY, I wouldn’t have been on Twitter to catch the tweet from another fashion blogger, so this was pretty amazing, plus I needed the vacations.

SNTF: What inspired you to start the monthly fashion debate on twitter, Fashion[Unfold]?
 
Noelly Sam: On a random Tuesday afternoon back in September 2010, I started a conversation with 2 followers on the state of conceptual/artistic fashion and the struggle of emerging designers to make a living off their Art, by the end of the discussion we were 7. This impromptu exchange lasted about 45 minutes, and was definitely the most intense time I’d ever had on Twitter, so I decided to make it a regular rendez-vous. Fashion[Unfold] was born, it started as a weekly discussion and later evolved into the much anticipated monthly debate with panelists and over 1400 followers that it is now.

SNTF: What advice do you have for any aspiring entrepreneurs?
 
Noelly Sam: Know yourself – in and out, so you won’t have to compromise who you are on your way up.
 
By: Layan Barakat, Toronto 

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