Interview with Noyemi Pia and Alexandra Atach. NEWGEN magazine May'21 issue.
Noyemi Pia is a fashion globetrotter at the age of 10. This creative entrepreneur showcases her style, with her mother Alexandra Atach behind the lens, on their eponymous style blog.
Alexandra Atach and Noyemi Pia are a collaborative mother and daughter duo. Together they travel the globe, exploring the world of fashion in Paris, London, Milan, Florence, Hollywood, Istanbul, and other fun and exotic locations. This professional collaborative work can be found in magazines, kid’s fashion shows, haute couture events, and social media. We caught up with the dynamic duo and asked them about their pursuit of style and fashion.
Noyemi Pia is a fashion globetrotter at the age of 10. This creative entrepreneur showcases her style, with her mother Alexandra Atach behind the lens, on their eponymous style blog.
Alexandra Atach and Noyemi Pia are a collaborative mother and daughter duo. Together they travel the globe, exploring the world of fashion in Paris, London, Milan, Florence, Hollywood, Istanbul, and other fun and exotic locations. This professional collaborative work can be found in magazines, kid’s fashion shows, haute couture events, and social media. We caught up with the dynamic duo and asked them about their pursuit of style and fashion.
Alexandra, you certainly have an interesting story! How did it all start?
Before my daughter was born, I was a professional photographer and image maker. I worked for several magazines in Europe as a columnist, stylist, and image maker - fashion was always in my blood. When my daughter Noyemi Pia was born, I became interested in kid’s fashion. Noyemi is 10 years old now, so the story continues. Only now, it's our story.
How did Noyemi start modeling? Is she enrolled in a modeling agency?
No, Noyemi is not represented by any modeling agency. When she was born, we moved to another country, and I couldn’t continue my job. As a new mother, I naturally spent all my time with my baby. Of course, I wanted to capture every step of motherhood. Living far away from my family, I started to post her pictures on Instagram, to share our life moments with our family. To our surprise and delight, our pictures also got noticed by the public and fashion brands, and we started to get advertising offers.
So Noyemi got into modeling in a very natural way, she literally grew up in front of the camera.
So, Noyemi Pia is not just a kid model?
Well, modeling is just part of the job. She gets invited to model for fashion photos, campaigns, catalogs, and events, but our content centers around telling an interesting story about a beautiful lifestyle that tastefully incorporates stylish clothing.
The project “Noyemi Pia” was inspired by Noyemi - as I mentioned before, she is my muse and idea contributor. I would say that Noyemi is not just a kid model, but more of a visual storyteller, blogger, and influencer.
Is Noyemi really into all of this?
Yes, of course! She enjoys it! This work gives her the opportunity to explore the world of fashion, to travel and have uniquely fun experiences. With work comes play!
This blog is about Noyemi’s life through the fashion eye.
Sometimes we look for content and sometimes content finds us. One time, while traveling across Italy for a photo project, we went on a horseback ride in Tuscany, and this became content. Another time, we were in Disneyland on a Halloween night, and while having a blast we spontaneously created some wonderful content. Later, we were invited to an exquisite Paris fashion show and magic ensued. Throughout all of this, Noyemi understood and appreciated these opportunities with maturity beyond her years.
We work as a team and we coordinate everything based on our schedules and interests. We truly collaborate, discussing ideas together. Above all, I never push her to do anything she does not like, even though she is a very patient and hard-working person. I take this as an opportunity to teach her to be a real Boss Girl.
What’s your experience working with brands and how many brands we are talking about?
We are talking around 70 brands, and we only work with brands that we truly love. Our blog is a showcase of our lifestyle; we never accept something that violates our sense of style. We worked on some one-time projects, however most of our collaborations and projects are long term repeat clients. I think this sense of continuity works the best for the brand and the influencer. Through the years we became good friends with most of the people we worked with.
How did the pandemic affect you and your business?
Past year was really difficult for everyone! We really missed travel, as it was a big part of our life and blog, but we used our creativity at home and it brought us even closer together. A lot of brands had difficulties with producing content and filming new projects, but as we are a family, we were able to continue our work. So essentially, the pandemic didn’t affect our business that much, and we even got some additional unexpected projects.
Also, despite everything, we were able to travel to the USA this December, where we filmed two cool projects in Hollywood.
How were you able to travel?
We are a very international family, currently we live in Turkey, but our second home is in California. That is how we were able to organize this trip, with all the precautions and tests, of course. Life goes on, and there is no time to lose.
In your own words, how would you describe your personal style?
Appropriateness and relevance are key, we always strive to reach that elusive balance - staying fashionably trendy while being appropriate for a child. I love designer fashion, but it has to be worn effortlessly and always tell a story. I believe that image has to draw and fixate attention. If it fails to do that, it didn’t do its job. That’s how I take my photos, I want people to watch them twice.
What does Noyemi do besides modeling?
Noyemi is an equestrian girl, and all her free time she spends with horses. She already speaks 4 languages and is currently learning French. She studies in a bilingual school with a double educational program – that takes a lot of her time as well.
Do you collect anything?
We collect good memories and freeze them in our photos. Noyemi also collects Schleich and Breyer horses and accessories.
What are your plans for the future? Does Noyemi want to continue modeling?
Blogging is a big part of our life today, but it will remain so only as long as we are both enjoying it.
I don’t think she will be a model, but maybe she will continue blogging on her own when she grows up. We support Noyemi in all of her beginnings. I know this experience will help her in life, no matter what she chooses.
Any advice for the beginner models and bloggers?
I think this market is oversaturated right now, so the only way to be successful is to be yourself and enjoy what you are doing! Never try to copy others, grow your own creative vision, educate yourself. Also respecting the child must be an important consideration for mothers and agents behind the accounts. Responsible adults need to make responsible decisions on how to appropriately dress the model, what to post and who to work with. Show business is very aggressive and often inappropriate, and it is up to the adults to protect the children, and not to exploit for those likes and follower numbers. Sadly, not everyone understands this.
