“Fashion is often mocked by the general public. Hopefully I can go some way to changing that,” says Lau (aka Susie Bubble) of her upcoming reportage for BBC World News, where she will bring global fashion weeks to a new audience – people who may not actually be interested in them (“That’s the challenge!”). A spearhead of fashion in the digital era, Lau has long since transcended the title of blogger to become a distinctive and respected voice in the industry, whether Instagramming to her legions of followers or writing for The Business of Fashion.
What was your defining pop culture moment of 2014?
Susie Lau: Azzedine Alaïa singing with Rossy de Palma at his home, in front of Apple’s senior VP of design Jonathan Ive, at the most surreal dinner party I’ve attended. Tech met fashion… but not in the way you’d think…
How would you sum up what you do in a sentence?
Susie Lau: I self-publish stuff about fashion, and somehow that has led me to do other stuff too.
Sum up what we can expect from you in 2015.
Susie Lau: A book.
What can we expect in your upcoming work with the BBC?
Susie Lau: It’s not a series, just more fashion coverage on BBC World News during fashion weeks. It’s one of those odd channels that somehow gets watched by, like, 70 million people at any given moment in time. We’re actually still figuring out format. It’s tricky when fashion isn’t a subject that the BBC covers extensively.
What are you most excited about showing fashion fans on the programme?
Susie Lau: It’s not really aimed at hardcore fans, but an audience that maybe isn’t interested in fashion at all. That’s the challenge. TV gives you the power to engage with people beyond your reach through your blog, and I want to try and strike a balance between presenting fashion how I’d like to see it and ensuring people aren’t alienated by the subject matter.
How do you feel about being on TV?
Susie Lau: TV is more noisy these days. It’s not like you’re limited to four channels. I see it like any other platform except without the freedom to be too niche in content creation. That’s a refreshing boundary, I guess, when you’re coming from blogging.
Will it be vastly different to what Jeanne Beker did on FashionTV?
Susie Lau: It could never reach those dizzy heights! For a start, the BBC has a very different audience and I’ll have to learn how to think about fashion in a way that many people can relate to it – not dumbing it down, but making it at the very least accessible. Fashion is often mocked by the general public (especially in the UK). Hopefully I can go some way to changing that.
What’s the most exciting thing about the music/film/fashion industry today?
Susie Lau: Doing it yourself and doing it better than how it’s been done. That can make for a lot of arrogant twats, but at least there’s output going on.
What new skill did you learn this year?
Susie Lau: Tile grouting.
Who’s an unsung cultural hero that you discovered this year?
Susie Lau: I didn’t discover her this year, but she has blown up hugely because of several documentaries and exhibitions – photographer Vivian Maier and her thousands and thousands of observant pictures. I’ve yet to see a vaguely bad shot.
What’s the most surprising thing we’d find out if we looked at your phone?
Susie Lau: I don’t actually have that many apps considering this is supposed to be my field. I think about 85 per cent of them are mostly quite useless…
Who should have been at number one on the Dazed 100?
Susie Lau: TJ Miller, who stars in HBO series Silicon Valley – just because I like the way he says “Aviato”. Actually, can I vote for Mike Judge as well?
Twitter: @SusieBubble | Instagram: @SusieBubble
Lead image: Susie Lau, courtesy of StyleBubble.co.uk
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