Adeline Rapon is one of the first French influencer I followed when blogging wasn’t yet a thing. She stood out because rather than a blogger, an influencer or an instagrammer, I would define her as a creative. A jeweler by profession, Adeline is also an influencer and is part of a DJ band called The Pigalle Sisterhood. Going through her feed is a pleasure for the eye. A gifted photographer, she takes amazing self-portraits but not only. A real creative, her Instagram is an invitation to her universe in which you will find her favourite books, some Art Nouveau inspiration, thought-provoking captions and Insta stories, and of course the life of a very cool Parisienne. I caught up with her to talk about how she manages to wear so many hats, how she started on internet and how she deals with Instagram changes.
Rare are the influencers that make me think, make me want to read and simply make me curious, but Adeline does. I think nowadays, influencers look all the same but I think Adeline is the perfect example on how you can stand out from the crowd. So if you’re struggling to make your Instagram more interesting, this interview is made for you.
Hi Adeline, can you introduce yourself?
I’m a 28 years old jeweller and blogger and instagrammer born and raised in Paris.
How and why did you start posting pictures online?
I started uploading pictures and set up my blogspot very early, right after we got internet at home, it must have been in 2005 or something. At the time, they were more private diaries, we posted on blogs but talked to ourselves and close friends. And then it got bigger when I subscribed to Lookbook.nu, because I loved to share outfits with other people from all over the world. And that’s where people started to ask me to open my own fashion blog, and then I went to instagram… and stopped blogging ahem….
Between photography, being a dj and a jewellery designer you have many talents. How would you define yourself?
I don’t want to have any regrets in my life, I want to live as much things as possible and want to enjoy being young and having the energy for not choosing over all those choices. Which means I can be very tired, and don’t really have time for myself alone. But I love it, it actually makes me feel very free.
Since you have many strings to your arch, how do you make time for each of your activity?
I’m working the whole day from tuesday to saturday, and my blogging activities are from sunday to monday. When I go home after work I usually try to answer my emails and post the pictures I did during the weekend. On Saturdays when I DJ with my buddies The Pigalle Sisterhood, I actually work from 10am to 5am but I love it !
You are a prolific creative, what can we find on your desk ?
My apartment is too small for me to have a desk, so it is all a desk!
You are a jeweller for Benoît Joaillier as well as their communication maven. Can you tell us how your experience as an influencer impacts your job?
It helps a lot to understand how communication works, what people want to see, how social media help building an image. I’m very proud and feel fulfilled to see that what I do around my own self can be used for my passion and work.
As a jeweller, people might expect to see more jewellery on your Instagram but there isn’t much about it. Why?
Because when I tried to show that, people weren’t actually responsive, and because mostly I don’t have the time to take pictures at work. In there I’m not an influencer, I’m a colleague and have the same responsibilities, I’m not supposed to act differently. Also, I’m working on jewels that customers ordered and every item has been designed on command, so I don’t think it’s a good idea to show what’s supposed to belong to them.
Now going back to your influencer hat, your Instagram is one of a kind to me. It’s like a visual journal of a creative with thought-provoking captions. Do you plan your content or you just post the way you want?
I used to try to think ahead, like how the image would interact next to the others, but now I just want to be how I usually am, a bit messy with a lot to show or to say. I don’t have a lot of pictures of me, because I mostly forget to ask and don’t have the time or the light, and I like to dress for me now, after years of dressing for the pictures.
You are part of these influencers that don’t go to fashion weeks but instead partner with a few brands. Why did you make that choice?
Because fashion weeks bore me haha! But mostly because I’m working, and that I don’t feel like I should really be there. I’m not working in the fashion industry, I’m just a blogger that still works sometimes with a freedom that I like. Every brand I’m working with has a link with me, and mostly it’s brands I’m working with for years.
From Tumblr to Blogspot and Instagram, you seem to change platform quite seamlessly. How do you do this?
I had my blogspot since I was 18, and actually didn’t recognize myself in it anymore. I also changed my way of living after breaking up with my boyfriend, and felt kind of locked up in this image that wasn’t myself even before that. I tried to build something new with the Tumblr but didn’t have the time that I used to before, so Instagram was convenient to me, and still is.
Speaking of change, what do you think about Instagram last changes? Do they have an impact on your account?
The algorithm is something that can mess a lot how you feel about what you’re sharing. I know mine is quite bad, that the number of people seeing my posts is very low, and I’ve been questioned once about this, the girl thought I bought my followers (which is not the case). It bothered me a lot once, but now I’m just trying not to care about it, and post what I like and not what I think people would like. And that makes me feel way better.
