The LAFASHION Spring

online
by Sara Berkes
Maz Durbin
Founder of the LA-based style and fashion website, Sassenfras,
talks about her “signature” style
Can you tell me a bit about the history of Sassenfras?
Sassenfras was born in April of 2012, in a period of professional
malaise. I was a bit lost, burnt out mentally and just unsure of what
my next move was going to be. It started as an Australian-based
blog with only a handful of readers. Within three months, I saw I
was getting more California-based readers than homegrown ones.
By October of 2012 I was on a plane to LA, meeting with potential
PR firms to find one that could help me grow in the USA.
With a PR firm in place, the site has grown beyond my original
expectations with a healthy and ever-creasing readership, almost
16,000 fans on Facebook, and a raft of interviews and features with
various LA designers
under its belt.
Where does the
name Sassenfras
come from?
I’d love to be able to
tell you it has a deep
significance, but truth
be told I was sitting in
my favorite armchair,
my mind a bit of a
blank when I sounded
it out in my head. I
jumped on Google
straightaway to make
sure I hadn’t heard
it somewhere else. I
couldn’t find any reference
to it anywhere,
and it felt so perfect. It sounded sassy, feminine, and most importantly,
it was memorable.
Have you always been interested in the concept of a
signature style?
I have. The men and women I consider to be style icons all have a
“signature”. For example, Isabella Blow’s signature was an extraordinary
hat (usually designed by her friend and collaborator, Philip
Treacy), Debbie Harry’s is her platinum blonde hair, and with Anna
Wintour, it’s her hair/sunglasses and elegant ladylike attire.
What does having a signature style mean to you?
A signature style is a means of specifically expressing who you are
as an individual. If you regularly update your look with trends, then
you’re expressing a general love for fashion and that is perfectly
fine. A signature style is powerful, because it’s expressing your loves,
passions, and interests. It becomes your own unique identifier.
It’s important because when your personality and your style are
aligned, it creates a powerful confidence. A signature style says to
the world that you know who you are and are not afraid to express
it on your own terms.
How did you move from graphic design to the creation
of Sassenfras?
Fashion and graphic design are both visual languages so it seemed a
natural progression. The idea of creating a blog or a website wasn’t
daunting because I’d already
done those. The
creation of captivating
images using type,
color, and photography
is what I love to do.
Combining that love
with an almost lifelong
investment in reading
and learning about
fashion made sense to
me.
What are your
future goals for
Sassenfras?
I want Sassenfras to be
the go-to website for
women who are ready
to become style icons
in their own right. I want the website to be a place of inspiration,
where individual women of all ages, sizes, shapes, and ethnicities
are valued and celebrated for their style. I think what we all want
in life is to be remembered and valued for who we are. I want
Sassenfras to be a place where lovers of style can come to find
those pieces that will make them burst with confidence. Our style
is just one way to become what I think all of us most wish to be:
extraordinary.
Photo by Ellie Luna styled by Tiana Freeman for Freeman x Bell
Do you feel that Los Angeles has a special kind of
style or is influential for you?
Absolutely! It’s not that LA produces one particular kind of style,
it’s that it is the ultimate style melting pot. From Los Feliz to
Downtown you will see wonderfully diverse and confident self-expression
from men and women alike.
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LA FASHION SPRING 2014 thelosangelesfashion.com