Jaime Ridge, the fashion jet-setter with the enviable wardrobe (and brand partnerships), tells all.
Back in January, Jaime Ridge took a journey through her camera roll and posted her hair evolution over the past few years to her Instagram story.
There was the bleached blonde, the fiery red, the deep chocolate brown and the uber-chic bob, and all were very much of their time. Now in 2019, Jaime has begun to embrace her natural brunette waves and in the world of fashion influencers has certainly found her niche.
So much so that through her blog Dillon Dot and her work in fashion and beauty content creation, brand development and styling, she’s formed partnerships with world-class clientele including Bally, Dior, Gucci, H&M, Tiffany & Co, Tom Ford Beauty and Sephora.
In the global fashion influencer industry (and, yes, it is an industry), Jaime is New Zealand’s go-to woman.
Jaime launched Dillon Dot in November 2015, having already clocked up an impressive number of followers on Instagram (she’s currently on 48K and counting).
She’d been working as a fashion and beauty account manager for an Auckland PR company when she felt like it was time to set out on her own.
And so she left her steady full-time income to focus solely on her blog and styling, basing herself in West Hollywood while travelling the globe to work with brands here, there and everywhere.
“I wanted to travel and to travel with my work – that was really my motivation,” she says.
“I loved my job but I felt like it was time for me to see the world with my work as the driver and the focus – so I did.”
Her roll call of campaign collaborations and brand partners would be enviable to an influencer with 10 times the following of Jaime’s, but the ever-humble 25-year-old says her standing as an international fashion personality is something that “just happened, and so quickly,” with many of the big players having believed in her vision from the very early days.
As a Kiwi, she continues to make it a priority to support our local designers and likewise champions labels that are accessible to a wider audience, as well as those deemed entirely aspirational for most.
“I love being from New Zealand and supporting New Zealand designers and brands,” she says. “We have such talent and I just want the world to see! I feel that even more so now that I’m based overseas.”
What many of her followers may not know is that Jaime graduated from Auckland University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Commerce in Commercial Law and Marketing.
Law is a vastly different field to the one she finds herself in today, but it’s an education she says has helped to foster her dedication and work ethic.
“The awareness and understanding of general business practices has also been a huge help,” she adds.
Like many people who work autonomously, Jaime admits she’s no stranger to self-doubt, but says it’s something that’s inevitable in the creative process for her.
“As I work by myself a lot of the time, I’m in my head, always questioning and wondering if what I’m creating is even bearable, let alone cool, which I find hard. But I’m learning to move past this and just trust myself a little more each time.
It’s important to me to remain true to who I am and the things I genuinely love. Everything I do, create and share is extremely well thought out and genuine – that’s the most important and valued aspect of my work.”
