CheriChictopia's Chic Blog

Recently, quite a few people have asked Helen how she came up with the idea for Chictopia. Here is her story.

Helen has been around three web companies and knew that she had a talent for understanding user experience and building great websites. Two of the websites she managed have been nominated for the Webby award, the Oscar of website design and navigation. It’s always been her dream to make a website on her own.

Last October, Helen came across this old issue of Time magazine, lying around the corner of her night stand. It was the issue that named “You” as the person of the year. The story basically centered around the new digital age, where you, the individual, can change and shape the world by putting your music talent on Myspace, or your film production talent on YouTube. It got her thinking about other talents out there that haven’t been explored. The answer she came to was fashion.

Like film and music, the fashion industry has traditionally been dictated by major brands, whether high end or mass produced, the inspiration of what we wear is mainly comes fashion magazines or television commercials. The images professionally shot, models hand-picked, personas elaborately fabricated. Basically, we are all dressing the way Banana Republic and J Crew’s design team envisioned.

But what about you? The individual who has the talent to be on the design team for Prada but has not yet been discovered. The person who sets trends and creates new styles among your community? Why isn’t there a portal for fashion icons to be discovered? After all, like film and music, fashion is another form of expression, based on individuality.

So Helen got out her laptop and started drawing using Microsoft Paint. The wire frames of a website that would ultimately become the new fashion destination. Chictopia, style created for the people, by the people.

To the left is a group of girls that she sees as style-icons-to-be.
Some have already been featured by well known websites like Teen Vogue, or Whowhatweardaily, some are still to be discovered. But one thing is for sure. They are all influential; not just within the walls of Chictopia, but amongst their own community, and the ever expanding circle of people who appreciate individual style and authenticity.

From top left
1st row:
fashiontoast,
lulu,
fashionfake
2nd row:
Lindarr,
Annabel,
nymaan