How influencer Sneza Jovanovic redefined fashion during lockdown

For Sneza Jovanovic, it was lockdown when she was stood down from Virgin Australia, the world was put on hold and she realised she needed to do something for herself.

While homeschooling her three boys in 2020, the Instagram fashion blogger and influencer said this was the perfect time to start a page about her life-long passion for styling and fashion in hope that she would help other mothers and women who needed some inspiration.  

“At first I used the clothes that I had at home, and shopped a lot online and once we were able to go to shops, it was great to be able to show my community what was new in stores as well,” she said.   

“Never did I think that my page would grow as fast as it did, and of course with that came the brands and their interests in working together. Today, I am very lucky to say that I have a full time job that I absolutely love.” 

Jovanovic was the winner for Best Fashion & Style Creator from the 2022 AiMCO Awards, with entries now open for the 2023 awards.  

Jovanovic believes that more and more people are embracing her approach, with a growing number of fashion brands realising that influencer-based marketing is the way to go. 

Many styling creators have created a loyal, genuine and engaging community, which has in a way become like "an online shop window front" for many brands, she said.   

“My audience of mothers and women rely on my inspiration and advice as they might be stuck on new ideas or might need some help with putting looks together. Besides getting advice on how to style, our followers are also finding out where to shop for those looks and trends," said Jovanovic.

When it comes to selecting which brands Jovanovic partners with, her initial thought is what her followers would like to see. 

“Does the brand align with my niche and what I am presenting to them? Would they want to wear it? Next, I look at what I like, what my style is and the style that led my community to follow me in the first place” she said.   

“Once all these factors align, I am happy to work with that brand. This is the reason why I won't accept any brand that reaches out. There are lots of lovely brands that I have had to respectfully decline as they didn't resonate with my style, niche and my audience.”  

Jovanovic doesn’t just work on Instagram, but across other social platforms as well. Last year, she joined TikTok and has recently opened a Threads and Facebook account.  

“As Instagram is keeping me quite busy with brand work and engaging with followers, all the while trying to have that family/work life balance, I mostly post the same content to all platforms,” she said.  

The rapid growth and emergence of AI within the industry has been a positive shift for Jovanovic.  

She said there is much to explore with AI and is looking forward to learning more about it and using it to her benefit.  

“I love that with AI, I'm able to analyse my audience data to provide further insights into demographics and the interests of my followers. I have also recently started using it when I need some inspiration for my captions and hashtags,” she said.