If you live in the Lake Nona area and haven’t heard her name yet, you’ve likely been living underneath a rock for the past few years as this “Orlando Influencer” has been taking social media and the internet by storm through her very aesthetically pleasing fashion Instagram account and blog, inspiring all of us in the Nonahood to add a little more style to our lives.

Alpa’s interest in fashion started when she was young and growing up in Paris, France. One of the biggest hubs for innovative fashion, design and creativity, she found herself constantly exposed to new and beautiful designs and daydreaming when she would one day be able to buy all of the beautiful clothing.

“I started dressing up on my own at a very early age and buying my own clothes with my pocket money where all the other kids would buy toys,” says Alpa on the subject.

After leaving France and moving to the Lake Nona area four years ago, while starting her blog and Instagram, Alpa’s popularity has been gaining traction since she first posted back in 2013.

“I initially started this as a hobby, and just after posting about 200 photos, I got reposted by big brands that made me gain a lot of followers, and that’s how my profile got visibility [from] the fashion brands,” says Alpa.

This visibility from high fashion brands brought a plethora of opportunity for Alpa in the fashion industry around the Orlando area and across North America. She’s been able to work on a variety of exciting projects such as collaborating with Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, and Salvatore Ferragamo as well as internationally acclaimed brands such as MAC, Burberry, Makeup Forever, and Bare Minerals.

“I could not believe it,” says Alpa. “It came to me as a surprise that one day I’d be able to partner with such a well-known enterprise.”

Yet, even in all her success and popularity, Alpa still faces challenges in maintaining her blog and Instagram as the world of bloggers is rapidly expanding and changing. Bloggers have to make sure to continue to be innovative and creative while thinking of what their personal audience wants to see according to the current fashion trends.

A minor challenge all influencers go through is getting a photographer for their shoots so that they have up-to-date and relevant content for their followers.

“I am lucky enough to have my best friend take my photos so we can work out the schedule, but sometimes it doesn’t and you are stuck between the deadline from the brand and having no content, so that is stressful.”

Even Alpa has had incidents where she’s suffered some fashion mishaps, helping us all to know that not even the biggest fashion influencers are immune from fashion accidents. “I confidently arrived to an event and one of my sandal strap[s] broke. Well, bare feet it was!” Alpa jokes.

When asked about her personal fashion icon, Alpa credits Coco Chanel because she is a person who “stuck to her style her whole life, which gave her a distinct style. She was a confident women with herself and her creations. She created timeless designs such as suits for women and the little black dress while making sure it was comfortable for women. I love her style and what she projected through it.”

With all her popularity and rising success with various brands, Alpa continues to stand by the motivation she’s had since beginning the journey of creating her blog and Instagram account.

“My goal when I started blogging was to influence the fashion industry in Orlando and an attempt to make Orlando ladies implement that French chic touch to their daily outfit,” Alpa states. “I always believed that first impression matters and that you never know who you are going to meet, so always dress acceptably to the situation.”

For those looking to build their own social media following and to develop themselves on the internet as a brand, whether through fashion or other pursuits, Alpa offers this advice:

“I think the more you try to go for a bigger following, the more you will overstress and actually have a reverse effect. It’s a vicious cycle, and a lot of girls are falling into it, unfortunately. The advice I would give is remember why you started influencing on social media. If it’s to become Insta-Famous, then I suggest you quit and move on to something more reliable. Now, if you genuinely feel like you have something to offer and it could be in any field, not just fashion, then keep your content real and creative, be patient because all hard work is rewarded somehow, be humble, be consistent, have a business mindset, and be social.”

Nowadays, though Alpa is focusing on her blog more than her fashion consulting, she insists that her doors are still open if you’d like to contact her for advice on finding your own personal style and how to look your very best, no matter your body type, confidence, or any other influencing factor in your personal fashion experiences (alpa.rama@gmail.com).

Alpa was able to offer me some wonderful advice for my personal fashion (being very tall and narrow, I often find it difficult to find clothing that fits to my height) that I found to be incredibly helpful in applying to my everyday looks, and I’m certain she’d be willing to do the same for you!

You can find more of Alpa’s fashion content on her blog at http://www.aparisianinamerica.com/ or on her Instagram @alpa.rama.