Meet Mr. Gray, the fashion blogger Sam Gray

This post is also available in: Italiano

With this article I want to inaugurate a new column: “Meet the Influencer” where I will interview the male influencers of Instagram, of all nationalities. Today I had the pleasure of interviewing fashion blogger Sam Gray: Mr. Gray.

Samuel is a young enterprising blogger, with a professional and clean image, and an unmistakable English style that I personally really appreciate. I wrote some articles some time ago about fashion on Instagram and on the men’s fashion blogger: somehow with this article I want to continue the study on fashion, and on influencers on Instagram.

I immediately liked his feed, which is why I decided to contact him. Take a look at his gallery to understand what I’m talking about. I think it is important to identify some reference galleries for inspiration.

Sam runs an Instagram page but also a blog and a YouTube channel. I wanted to ask Sam some questions that I present here.

What inspires your style?

I find my inspiration from most places, whether it be a season, the industry or even myself. I think it’s always important to stay on top of your game and make sure you try and develop new ideas. I take motivation and inspiration from the people around me and my audience, who always help suggest new ideas and let me know what they want to see. Sometimes I’ll go back down my feed to see what I was doing months ago and I might see an outfit or photo that I want to dig back out again, or a certain content style that I may want to try out again.

Do you think growing up in the UK helped influence your fashion?

Definitely. I think we’re known for having quite a classic sense of style and I absolutely love the traditional pieces and getting a chance to mix them with newer styles. We also have such diverse weather so we get to layer up in the winter and dress well in the summer.

Who is the most dapper gentleman in the world in your opinion?

There are definitely quite a few gents that I could mention, especially now that men are taking a bigger interest looking after their appearance. I think one of my all time favorite guys has to be Richard Biedel who’s given himself such a good platform within the industry and established his own style that is instantly recognizable and respected.

Did you grow up in London?

No. I was born in Chichester (West Sussex) and then went to study in Guildford. I also spent a little bit of time living and working in the US when I worked for Jack Wills.

What led you to become a fashion blogger?

It was always something that I’ve had a keen interest in, even before starting out myself. Growing up, I always wanted to be an actor and did this for a number of years, however I eventually decided this wasn’t the career path I wanted to pursue and wanted another creative output. I started out by creating content for myself and sharing things that I personally enjoyed, which is still something that I do today.

How do you see yourself in 10 years?

Honestly, I don’t actually know. The industry is constantly evolving and I never got into all of this with an end goal in mind. I always did it for the enjoyment, and will continue to do it as long as I still have a drive and passion for creating content. Of course, I would love to be featured in a world-wide campaign someday or to become the face of a designer brand, but who wouldn’t?

What do you want men to learn from you about how to dress?

I’ve always wanted to promote self confidence via dressing well, and I feel that this isn’t something only women should focus on. You don’t always have to dress overly smart or in a certain way, however I feel when you find a style that makes you feel good, then you should explore it and build a wardrobe you feel good in.

What do you wish men knew about style?

I actually don’t know a lot about tailoring and would definitely love to explore this field a little more over time, truly learning about the fits and construction of suiting. I think it’s a skill that’s being lost over time and as fashion moves towards a sportier influence.

If you could have any designer in the world dress you every day who would it be?

I don’t have a specific designer as I like to mix up my style and aesthetic quite often and feel this is important to keeping things fresh. I do wish I had an unlimited account with Mr. Porter as they sell so many amazing things from most designers.