The online fashion and Luxury community is a small community of respected influencers within the space and the audiences they have built over the past few years. Today we had a chance to talk to the Australian fashion designer with a self-titled fashion label Jerusha Couture™. Formerly known as Jerusha Baluch, she owned her own boutique for four years and exploded in popularity in 2010 as one of the original members of YouTube’s most fabulous community. This is how she managed to turn a hobby into an enjoyable full-time career with a combined audience of over 200,000 through Youtube and Instagram.
It all started with a Boutique
We all have moments in our life that will go on to determine the trajectory of our futures, whether they are positive or negative. For Jerusha, that moment came when her head design teacher told her that she would never be an expert at anything until she gets out into the field and experiences it.
Jerusha went on to open up her very own fashion boutique in 2010, alongside her iconic godmother Olivia Newton-John who flew in from Los Angeles to open it with a charity auction for her cancer and wellness center. The boutique could be described simply as a palace for fashion and luxury lovers. It was a place where women from all areas of Sydney could come and indulge in fashion. It was truly a place of escape for most of these women to see Jerusha and play amongst the ‘fashion paradise’ as many would call it. So this made it incredibly easy to intertwine her boutique and the world of fashion with social media. Jerusha knew that she wanted to replicate the same boutique-like experience with her audience, taking what she learned as a boutique owner for years and applying the process to her community of online followers.
In the Midst of Creating Jerusha Couture
Anytime you’re doing something new, whether it’s a new hobby or learning a new skill, the first few years are the most crucial. In the first few years of growing her brand, the concept was entirely new for Jerusha and took some time for her to adapt to all the social platforms and their algorithms.
At the time, so many of the platforms were so young and had only just begun; it was almost as if they were innocently naive starting. Most business owners didn’t think the platforms would last or benefit their businesses in any way. Jerusha saw social media platforms in a completely different light. Although she didn’t quite see their potential at the time, she knew it’d be essential to begin building her brand early on. Jerusha Couture grew at the same rate that her followers, customers, and subscribers found themselves dedicated to her content around luxury fashion.
“There was somewhat of a beauty in the unknowing…” said Jerusha Baluch on the start of her social media career as a fashion influencer.
Jerusha spent most of her time growing her online brand and targeting her attention towards her online store rather than towards a standalone boutique. For example, when people asked her after four years why she decided to close her boutique, well, simply put, she had grown a more significant online presence to sell products and make far more income as a social media personality.
Her presence as an early figure within the online fashion community helped Jerusha genuinely catch on to the opportunity ahead. By the mere timing of her starting point and taking massive action, the fashion influencer capitalized on a chance to grow and outlast everyone.
The Future for Jerusha Couture
As for what we can expect with Jerusha Baluch and brand “Jerusha Couture” over the next few years can be broken down into three main areas, such as continuing to grow as a leading figure within the luxury community and truly cementing herself as an expert within the space through constant innovation, improving and building upon the relationships she has formed with brands and companies surrounding luxury fashion. Lastly, leveraging her platform and reach to continue to bring awareness and new lovers of all things Fashion into one of the fastest-growing communities online.
