BNTL Interviews Yuri from Lookbook.nu

Lookbook.nu is one of the webs newest fashion spots with such a diverse following it has already become a site checked by fashion heads across the world!



•Name and Occupation:

Yuri Lee, 24, unemployed :) These days I just work on LOOKBOOK.nu mostly and a little bit of freelance stuff on the side.


•What were you doing before Lookbook.nu?

After I graduated from college in southern California I moved up to San Francisco and worked at an art gallery for a while, and then in retail management. While I was doing that my boyfriend and I created LOOKBOOK.nu as our own little project. It grew faster than we expected, so we both quit our jobs (he was an engineer at one of the larger social networks) and decided to focus on the site. We also do some freelance work together to pay the rent.



•What inspired you to create the site?

It was inspired mostly by street style bloggers (the Sartorialist, Face Hunter, etc.) and WAYWT threads on Superfuture and other fashion forums. We basically wanted to combine the two ideas and showcase the best of various styles from around the world, but from the perspectives of the individuals themselves rather than any single photographer.

I went to an arts school for high school and studied art history in college, and I think it is because of my educational upbringing that I've always seen fashion as a personal art form, just like painting or dancing is. When my boyfriend and I were throwing ideas around for our own site one day, I brought up fashion and we realized that no one had made a site dedicated to the WAYWT concept -- at least not very well -- so we decided to give it a try ourselves.



•Who else is involved?

Just my boyfriend. He writes most of the code but I design the site's look and feel. We work together to on most of the features as well as answering emails and moderating the community, etc.


•With so many WAYWT threads all over the Internet why did you feel the need to create lookbook.nu?

Well when I first noticed the WAYWT phenomenon within all these niche fashion communities it was obvious that sharing outfit photos (and getting inspiration from other talented people) was something people can appreciate. We just wanted to make it more streamlined, more interactive, more browsable, but most of all more global than anything else out there.


•Is there a particular look and style you want people to think of when they think of Lookbook.nu?

Not at all. The goal is to bring as many different "types" of looks and styles as possible underneath one big umbrella. I think fashion is about taking bits and pieces from several sources and making it your own. LB should facilitate experimentation and allow people to be exposed to others who are different in geography, lifestyles, and tastes. I'd rather people think of LOOKBOOK.nu as a diverse gallery where all types of styles can be viewed.



•Do you feel you have competition from other sites which such a diverse range of fashion, style and contributors on your site, if yes who from?

We're such a simple site that I don't really consider us to be competitors with specialist forums like Superfuture, Hypebeast, Style, etc. We are not seeking to replace the communities that our users are already a part of in any way. We just want to provide them with a better way to keep track of their daily fits and express themselves through what they post and hype.

As far as other user generated fashion sites, I think the diversity of styles on LB is one of the things that sets us apart. And honestly I don't worry that much about competition; even if someone has the same idea as you they won't execute it the with the same values and approach that you would...in life, execution is everything!


•Tell us all about your new feature then, is it going to be like a forum?

We released LB culture so that people could talk about stuff other than what they're wearing. A lot of creative people have found their way onto the site so we wanted to give them the ability to interact in different, possibly unexpected ways.



•Why did you want to take the site in that direction?

I don't think the feature represents a change in direction for us. The main purpose of LB is still the same -- to show collectively sorted fashion from aesthetically talented people around the world.


•What's next on your list of things to do?

We have a "sublookbook" feature currently which allows people to post looks to their own user-defined lookbooks, such as MONOCHROME.lookbook.nu (for black and white outfits). We are in the middle of reworking this feature so that people can actually own and moderate their own lookbooks. We think that this will help people connect better with those of similar tastes and form style groups within the larger community (such as indie, nu rave, street, vintage, etc.).


•Is Lookbook.nu the only project you're working on, do you have your fingers in other pies?

LB is my sole focus right now. I am doing some other freelance projects for cash but running the site is truly a 24/7 job, but it's definitely been worth it.


•Shouts and dedications?

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the LB project with an open mind. The entire site has been a grass roots effort and is the product of everyone who has been involved. There are too many people to name but all who helped us spread the word on their own sites and blogs as well as on their events and parties, we really appreciate the love.

Thanks to you as well Witts for doing this interview. It's an honor to be featured on BNTL and we are always looking for more streetwear representation on LB!

Any interested readers feel free to check us out using limited invite code: BNTL

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Yuri lee
yuri@lookbook.nu

Go check out the rest and sign up at www.lookbook.nu