THE REAL DEAL

CK Magazine CK Magazine
CK Magazine

From follower count to engagement rate, statistics are part and parcel of a digital influencer’s life. However, Xenia Adonts (@xeniaadonts) – who has 1.4 million Instagram followers and counting – does not let herself stress over the numbers. She certainly used to, but the present Xenia is very comfortable in her own skin and would rather post a picture that she adores than one that she believes will be popular.

Authenticity has always been at the core of Xenia’s personal brand. She is a firm believer in staying true to oneself and sets an example with her inimitable sense of style, unfiltered social media feed and down-to-earth personality – a trait that we were able to experience first-hand during our quick chat with her.

The Paris-based creative also had a hand in styling the beautiful cold weather-friendly pieces from our new seasonal collection. To let the bold, sleek and eye-catching designs shine, Xenia paired them with minimalist but sophisticated outfits in black, white and cream. By mixing oversized sweaters and fashionable denim with thigh-high boots and mini bags, she was able to put together modern and effortlessly stylish looks that are perfect for busy days in the city.

CK Magazine
CK Magazine

As someone who frequently works with fashion brands, how do you stay true to your personal style when creating content?

Whenever I work with brands, I make sure that I can express my style and personality through their products. If they do not fit my personal style, I will not be able to post about them in a genuine or authentic manner. In that case, I would much rather decline the job opportunity than force it to happen.

CK Magazine

As someone who frequently works with fashion brands, how do you stay true to your personal style when creating content?

Whenever I work with brands, I make sure that I can express my style and personality through their products. If they do not fit my personal style, I will not be able to post about them in a genuine or authentic manner. In that case, I would much rather decline the job opportunity than force it to happen.

You were born in St. Petersburg, raised in Hamburg, and now works in Paris. What do you think is the best thing about each of these cities and how have they helped cultivate your love for fashion?

I was very young when my parents and I moved from St. Petersburg to Hamburg. Hamburg is a very conservative city but it shaped me the most. Understatement is important to the Hanseatic people and I learnt here that you can always express yourself through the way you dress.

I moved to Paris to work as a consultant and creative content creator because of the city’s outstanding awareness of beauty in culture and fashion. Parisian-chic style is something that has always fascinated me and I am inspired by the French girls and women around me every day.

CK Magazine
CK Magazine

Can you tell us more about how you became a fashion influencer? What do you love most about your work as an influencer now?

Becoming a public figure and doing what I do now was never my intention. Back then, I discovered Instagram as a photo-editing app and would use it to edit photos for my private Facebook page.

It took me a while before I discovered that whenever I edited a picture on Instagram, I was uploading it to the app too. Instagram was not very popular in Germany at that point in time, but I liked it a lot so I started posting my daily life there.

From then on, my followers grew organically. I was lucky to have found and adopted Instagram early – today, the platform works totally different.

CK Magazine

We love how you have styled the pieces that you picked out from CHARLES & KEITH’s Winter 2019 collection. What is your favourite item from the collection and why?

I absolutely love the black-and-white stripe boots. To me, they are an absolute statement piece that will elevate your everyday look.

You have 1.3 million followers on Instagram who look to you for style inspiration. In your opinion, what makes you so popular and highly regarded on social media?

I think the secret is staying true to yourself and not pretending to be someone you are not. It was never my intention to make a living from my Instagram account – sharing pictures of myself came naturally to me. If you have a passion for something, embrace it and success will find you.

Moving forward, are there any important milestones – in work and in life – that you hope to achieve in the near future?

I am working on a very exciting personal project at the moment, which I hope I can reveal very soon. This will lead me in a totally new direction and I cannot wait to share it with the world. Stay tuned!

Shop The Story