Edition 1: Reasoning & Research

Part 1: The Reasoning

I developed Karine Klassics with the intention of inspiring young professional women to confidently reflect on their good & bad life milestones through fashion items tailored to them. My primary idea came to fruition as I navigated some of my own accomplishments & challenges. The drastic changes I endured were most evident in the clothes I wore, such as hand-me-downs from relatives, forsaken items from middle & high school, along with pieces I purchased in a pinch during college.. I realized through many conversations with loved ones & strangers alike that I was not alone in my self-actualization nor fashion journeys; countless women were also trying to find the most authentic versions of themselves.

Secondarily, I wanted to introduce a long-form, written series nostalgic of the Internet's early days as a way to share a glimpse of my personal life. Alas, the first segment of Karine Kandids was born. By nurturing the Karine Kandids blog & overarching Karine Klassics hub, I ultimately hope to cultivate a safe, empowering space for knowledge sharing within personal styling & design.

Part 2: The Research

Brainstorming the fundamentals of Karine Klassics holistically was straightforward for me, but as a next step, I wanted to be strategic about how to align with the needs/wants of diverse women in their 20s to mid-30s. Instead of immediately conducting competitive audits/analyses to understand the narratives of similar initiatives, I wanted a bird’s-eye view of the online landscape first.

Given my goal of engaging with generations/age groups who are entering or have somewhat recently entered post-undergraduate adulthood (e.g., Millennials, Gen Zers), I chose to focus on social media for my groundwork.. Through 1) small random sample surveying & 2) desk research, I reached the following conclusions:

• For a given period, coming-of-age populations (i.e., high school & college students) have historically shaped the way digital media is consumed.

  • MySpace (peak ~2005-2008) was the most popular among older Millennials.

  • Facebook (peak ~2009-2012) was the most popular among older & younger Millennials.

  • Instagram (peak ~2015-2019) was the most popular among younger Millennials & older Gen Zers.

  • TikTok (peak ~2020-present) was the most popular among older & younger Gen Zers.

• From the late 2000s/early 2010s to the late 2010s/early 2020s, social media priorities – based on features/updates implemented – have shifted from more conversational to more entertainment-focused &/or self-promotional.

• Many people are craving smaller, intimate online settings, like forum-based platforms (e.g., Reddit, blogs) and & interactions (e.g., comment sections of TikTok/Instagram/Facebook).

Final Thoughts

While my work here is in its earlier stages, the results so far reaffirm Karine Klassics’ mission & my personal mantra of focusing on small details to create big differences. Through my in-depth, data-backed efforts in all aspects of life, I hope to leverage my love of demonstrating & deducting insights as a step towards a more thoughtful, empathetic world.