Fresh Generation: The Blogger -2

Cali-based Lauren Brown is tapping into the ’90s to bring her blog Fashion Grunge to life. With heavy roots in everything from Nirvana to Winona Ryder, Brown re-interprets the trend of a musical era for a modern fashion audience. When she started the blog in 2008 while studying photography in New York, it was just to indulge in a little bit of nostalgia, and its clean, vacant design really does call back to a simpler, yet stark, time. By day, this indie blog star produces her own fashion editorials – mostly shown on the site – with her two friends. The content also enriches the space between her photos; a blog that is this niche is so worth reading because it stands to keep its powerful presence in light of what the New York Times is now calling “a faux’90s revival.” It’s imitated, but I can never really find much to duplicate it. Maybe I’m biased, but Brown’s Grunge is a guilty pleasure. It offers up obscure and eclectic subject matter similar to style rookie Tavi’s brand of blogging, except less is more here and the irony is digestible. I’ve come to love her Menswear Mondays and references to things like Kate Winslet’s fashion in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And you will too.

What or who inspires you?

So many things inspire me on a daily basis. I get most of my inspiration through the street style seen from all over the world. It sounds strange, but I never really have anyone in mind when I write a post. I’m still writing for me and sharing what motivates and inspires me. People who have the same interests seem to respond to it.

What do you like the write the most about?

I love posting street style and finding inspiring photos through Tumblr, weheartit, and other sites to create a photo collage posts of sorts.You throwback to a very specific era in fashion – to the ’90s.

Was it to do something unique or specifically to serve a market/niche you weren’t finding?

Originally I never thought of creating a blog myself, but I had been reading so many others at the time that my friends said that I should just start my own. So three years later here I am. I felt that there wasn’t really a blog that focused on the grunge aesthetic that was coming back into the fashion scene, so I ran with that niche.

Do you believe in that “you are the brand” philosophy?

For now, it’s just something that I love to do and being able to have an outlet to focus on outside of my day job. It’s fun creating editorials and having a focus, but it’s not my main job to be a “brand” as such.

Were you surprised or shocked by anything when you became a blogger?

I’m shocked when people say they know about my blog. The emails that I get from all over the world are also still a shock to me. It’s also pretty cool that people send me things that they think I would like. I just received an awesome book on the oral history of grunge that I couldn’t wait to read!

How do you feel about the “print vs. web” debate?

I think there is room for both print and web media. I see web media as a supplement to print media. Bloggers aren’t taking over the industry; they are just giving people more access to content daily instead of just once a month like a magazine.

Has blog culture shifted since you started? Are you doing anything differently than when you started?

Blogs have created internet celebrities and given exposure to designers, musicians, and artists faster than ever before, so I think that’s where blogs themselves have shifted. I feel that my blog has stayed pretty consistent though.

Do you see blogging as effortless or is there a science to it?

It’s pretty effortless. I call it the easiest job in the world because I don’t really think if it as work. Your ideal dinner date, past or present: Totally cliché, but I would love to have dinner with Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix. They were both so revolutionary in their periods of music, and I would love to know their thought process in creating music.