Christopher Senekki is a men’s fashion expert who has a passion for gentleman’s street style attire. Via his Instagram page We Style The Street, Christopher actively engages his growing audience of over 100,000 fans to provide inspiration and free advice on men’s street style fashion.
Christopher answered some questions below.
Hi Christopher, how did you become an expert in men’s street style fashion?
I’ve been a fashion enthusiast for more than 25yrs. Since high school, I was always inspired by gentleman’s fashion and, of course, the gentleman lifestyle. Every now and again, I found a lot of pleasure advising friends and family on clothing and style. Over the years, I have attended numerous men’s fashion shows in London, Paris, and Milan, and observed how class can be harnessed, not only by wearing suits but also by correctly combining more casual street style garments. Since then, I’ve developed a passion for street style fashion which I have now taken to the next level by providing street style fashion advice to thousands of fans around the world.
How did you start We Style The Street?
When Instagram was becoming increasingly popular, I saw an opportunity to expand my fan base and showcase street style fashion to a wider audience. The main objective was to differentiate with the other street style pages that were on the platform, especially in the sense of the personal touch. However, it wasn’t as easy as that. It took a lot of effort to build the fan base, countless interactions via comments and following, engaging with fans on other fashion pages. Within a period of a year of hard work, the page took off, firstly with quantity rather than quality followers. The next step was to get the message across and start delivering more valuable and inspirational content.
What do you like most about using Instagram as a platform for your work?
I like the ability it provides for engaging with fans, not only through visual content but via direct messaging, comments and of course stories. The stories are my favorite communication tool since I can highlight the layouts I believe will have the most impact. Additionally, stories are great for motivating fans to try on new styles themselves and tag our page in their posts.
How do you design and construct your photo layouts?
Regardless of casual or dress clothing, I tend to categorize fashion as either timeless, minimalistic or bold. When designing and preparing layouts, I choose styles from one of our featured models or influencers who follow one of those trends. Moreover, many of the layouts and street style selections are in tune with the latest colors, patterns and styles being showcased by the top designers. In general, I aspire to capture street style motifs which will be influential, eye-catching and inspirational to the page fans.
What piece in your portfolio are you most proud of?
Whilst there are many to choose from, one of the pieces which, at the time, I was thinking maybe a slightly bold move away from street style, was the re-entry of the fedora hat into the men’s fashion scene. So I prepared a layout which included one a shot from one of our featured models with a fedora hat and a casual style suit. I remember being anxious on the response, but the fans actually loved it, and within a few hours, the page was being tagged with numerous posts of our fans wearing fedora hats. It was a great feeling to see how people can be motivated and made to feel confident to perhaps wear something they otherwise may have kept in the closet.
Is there any fashion design style you favor/dislike?
I dislike fashion from the 80s and 90s. Whilst those two decades were incredible in terms of innovation, it seems fashion and styling were left behind. The styles I favor more are those that carry a timeless quality. In other words, if I could select a set up a wardrobe with a set of clothes which I could wear over and over and not have to worry about the latest trends, the white shirt, the ripped blue jeans, the navy suit, the solid color crew tees, etc.
What kind of men best represent your audience?
Through interaction with the page fans, there is a common theme. All aspire to wear street style fashion, yet maintain that gentleman vibe. It’s the type of man that wants to look classy in the casual outfit as well as in the suit, and that’s exactly what I target in the styles portrayed on the page. Additionally, I would characterize the audience as the type of men that aspire to feel good about themselves through their fashionista expression.
How do you give back to fans and share their own efforts on the IG page?
A lot of the audience on our page are aspiring individuals, looking for a boost in confidence via improving the way they look. Knowing all too well the importance confidence can have on men, I make sure to take the time to answer the questions coming through direct messages on the page, and I challenge the audience through stories to put on their best street styles inspired by our layouts, models and influencers. I run this type of challenge once a month and then showcase the posts through a story for our 100,000 fans to see. This is a great motivator, and I have seen many posts of my followers transform to now depict very confident shots which look superb. After all, being confident is what really makes an outfit look great.
Thank you Christopher for your time!
You can follow up with Christopher Senekki via Instagram @westylethestreet/
