Wwwe Could Be Next: Pascal Grob

Amanda Mooney, a digital kid who spends far too much time in social networks and is addicted to finding fresh talent emerging somewhere between Flickr, Facebook, Tumblr, Lookbook and MySpace. In her weekly column, "Wwwe Could Be Next," Mooney chats with one of these young creatives, to share their work, perspective and advice.

Pascal Grob is a 20-year-old recovering economics major in Zurich now working towards an English/art/fashion degree (don’t you love the freedom of pursuing a focus filled with a few slashes thrown in?). More bent on sharing his voice and eye for fashion and photography than solving the world’s financial troubles, Pascal first caught my attention when Yokoo named him as one of her Lookbook favorites. As a blogger on Fashion Bits and Bobs, he shares youthful, Satorialist-esque photos of street style and as a fresh face on sites like Lookbook and Chictopia, his wardrobe remixes pair vintage blazers with DIY torn paper pocket squares and thick Ray Ban frames with a Greek fisherman hat. On DeviantArt, he shares his shots of street scenes from Zurich, Paris and Thailand. Pascal’s definitely one to watch; and be warned, his posts are as addicting as Tavi’s.

So tell us what you’re madly passionate about.
People, art, photography, fashion and food. I started photographing about two years ago with the main goal to create some kind of visual diary of my life. I soon noticed how much more I preferred film cameras over digital ones and bought myself a rangefinder camera. I rarely leave my house now without it. Photography is a big passion of mine. You wouldn't believe how much time I could spend admiring good photographs.

The other big passion is obviously fashion. I didn’t have any interest in fashion until about half a year ago. It all started when I joined Lookbook.nu and uploaded my first look that got quite some attention (although it was such a mediocre look). Soon afterwards I started subscribing to all kinds of fashion and street style blogs with my Google Reader (which currently counts 161 subscriptions) and I'm adding more every week. With all the positive feedback from my looks on Lookbook and all those personal fashion blogs and street style blogs in mind, I thought I could give it a try myself and I think my blog's doing quite well for that it's only two months old.

I love the way you mix vintage in a way that feels really fresh. Tell us how you’d describe your style.
I'm always trying to look a bit preppy but I don't wanna leave an impression of trying too hard, because I'm not.

How did you start out writing for your blog, sharing your looks on Lookbook and your photographs on DeviantArt?
I started out with DeviantArt to get the attention of other photographers, because I'm also doing street photography, which is basically capturing interesting moments of people on the street or in public places. At one point I started a photography blog, called "Visual Diary," but I gave it up because I couldn't update it often enough due to the fact that I was using film and that I wasn’t shooting many rolls per month. People would have to wait too long for a new entry.

Then I joined Lookbook to reach people who are interested in fashion and to show them my personal style. I was also curious how I would do compared to all those stylish people on there. I was really surprised at how well I did, so I got more secure with time and my style also changed -- it's actually in constant change. Half a year later, I decided to start my own fashion blog, because I wanted to show more than just one small picture of an outfit.

I'm happy about how well my blog started although I'm already getting some hater comments, but I guess that's normal.

What’s the best idea you’ve ever had or your absolute favorite post, photo, etc. you've created so far?
One of my favorite photos is this one. I was able to capture the perfect moment; it appeared as if the whole traffic (even the whole world in this photograph) was waiting for that man to cross the street. If I had waited a few seconds longer to press the shutter, the moment would have been ruined.

How has the web helped you grow the audience for your work or influence your perspective of what’s possible with your work?
It doesn't matter anymore where you live or whether the people are fashion-forward or not in your city, because you can get enough inspiration from the web nowadays. I'm hoping that my blog is some sort of inspiration as well to some people because that's the reason I'm doing it.

I've got lots of photographs on my Facebook profile and I'm posting outfit pictures on Lookbook, Chictopia and Weardrobe.com, although I basically post the same pictures on all three community sites (with some exceptions). I was getting pretty popular on those communities and because those people all have the same interests as me, they're the perfect audience for my blog. So all those different sites were the perfect platforms to promote my blog when it was new.

I'm gonna share all my future photographs on my fashion blog, since they're part of what I do and who I am. But also photography-wise, while the web is just an endless source of inspiration to me, I still prefer to look through a nice photo book.

What’s the best thing and the most frustrating thing about being a young person in the field today?
I think the best thing is that you can start something (like a blog), without the need of having any qualification (like for a job) and you're still making some kind of impact if you're successful. And just having a fashion blog can help to get to know people you otherwise would have never met or connected with. I haven't reached a point of frustration yet -- although I sometimes wish I worked in the fashion industry for real instead of just having a blog. But, maybe that will happen anyway at one point.

Who are some of your other favorite people on Lookbook and DeviantArt? Blogs you're addicted to? Favorite people and places in Zurich?
Some favorite people on Lookbook are Gustav, Shelley, Ricarda, Filippa and Alma.

Most of them are from Sweden, so it's safe to say that I like the style of Swedish people the most.

Scott Schuman and Garance Doré are my king and queen of the street style blogger kingdom, while Yvan Rodic is the prince.

Two friends of mine from Zurich also have a fashion blog: Style Seeking Zurich. I hang out a lot with them and they also helped promote my blog when I started out.

In Zurich, I especially like the Lindenhof and my most favorite shops are Fidelio and Fidelio. They carry great brands from all over the world.

If anyone happens to visit Zurich and needs a tour guide, you can contact me on my blog and I'll gladly show you my hometown.