I remember sitting at the coffee table with my wife, Cristina on a Saturday morning. We had just found out that our three-year-old son was autistic a few months ago. Between driving to different therapy appointments and doctor’s visits, it was becoming clear that my wife’s plan of returning to a traditional workplace wasn’t going to be possible. 

Cristina wanted to find a way to generate income and contribute financially to our home while our son’s therapy continued. She leaned her head close to mine, put her phone in my hand, and asked, “Is it possible for someone like us to build a platform like these women have done?” I smiled and said, “Yes. Let’s make it happen. If we’re going to enter into that world, though, we can’t just do more of the same”

So I compiled a creative brief on the project, putting deep research into her target audience and the niche she was interested in pursuing. I was going to handle creative direction, she was going to style outfits and be the featured talent. I assembled a brand mark, mood board, color palette we would adhere to, and a guide to help flesh out our goals.

We saw success which each new post. Our curated look emphasized what we felt was stylish, elegant, authentic, and aesthetically pleasing. We quickly began to see likes, followers, and comments pour in as those core values resonated with our audience.

As we continued to grow on the platform, we began to share stories about our journey as parents of an autistic child and were shocked to be met with overwhelming compassion from parents who were walking through the same with their differently-abled children.

People come to the account for style that they can find at affordable prices, but our commitment to authenticity has been a huge differentiator in our niche of fashionable influencers. We’ve kept our integrity by not making our life seem “grander than it is” by communicating that creating a look you love doesn’t have to break the bank.

Today, with all of the competition and algorithmic changes that have come to the Instagram platform, @CristinaBloom is stronger than ever with 16,500 followers and we continue to watch our metrics climb higher and higher still.