Molly Roberts, also known by her online handle Mollerina, is one of Ireland's leading fashion and beauty influencers who has created her own community through TikTok.
The fashion industry moves fast, and TikTok is designed to keep up with the pace, with style content creators creating trends and showing relatable ways to create outfits.
Molly's personal journey with style began in college after wearing a uniform throughout her schooling, but now she has amassed a following of over 153,000 who turn to her for her fashion credentials.
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As a child, Molly would create clothing for her dolls using scraps of material, and now has a series on her social media where she plays the character of Moll Doll, dressing herself up to inspire her audience in their style.
"I used to sketch fashion designs (very badly) when I was younger, and I actually participated in a junior fashion designing workshop where I learned to sew," she told RSVP Live.
"Mam would give me old socks and facecloths, and I would chop them up and make clothes for my dolls. I always wanted to be like the girls in the little magazine that came with my grandparents' newspapers, or when I would watch Xpose (RIP), I thought, 'that's genuinely my future.'"
"And now I do different fashion videos like Moll Doll, where I dress myself up like a doll, so I'm still manifesting. One day, I'll get to go to a fashion show in Paris or New York!"
The chopped up wash cloths are a thing of the past, with Molly sharing that much of her inspiration comes form social media now, with TikTok opening up the world of fashion in front of the eyes of its users.
"It definitely opened me up to seeing more fashion and style from all over the world. I think seeing the Swedish girls really influenced me! Also, the New York fashion scene—their style is amazing!" she said.
"TikTok 100% influences fashion trends because it enables certain pieces to go 'viral' in 24 hours, which would take much longer if it was just covered by fashion magazines."
"Even Instagram doesn't move as quickly as TikTok. It's speeding up the trend cycles for sure, because people get tired of trends more quickly as well."
Her personal style journey is still unfolding, and documenting her looks has made her more aware of the cyclical nature of fashion.
"I think my personal style journey truly began during my first year of college. In school, I wore a uniform every day and didn't have money to spend on clothes, so I didn't really develop any personal style."
"But when I started college and had to wear my own clothes, I suddenly became fascinated by fashion. Being in a more diverse environment than where I grew up and seeing all the different styles really opened my eyes to fashion and showing your personality through your clothes."
"I don't think I did anything extraordinary in college, but that's definitely where my personal style started to emerge, that’s when I started my fashion blog anyway in 2016."
"I was a huge fan of big boots then and still am today. I even customized some thigh-highs with elastic so they'd stay up better—I was handy with a needle and thread. I remember when we were all wearing skinny jeans, and I saw people wearing looser jeans. I thought, 'I'll never wear loose jeans in my life,' and now I love baggy jeans. I truly adore them and wear them every day. I can't imagine putting skinny jeans back on my legs."
"But fashion trends are cyclical—they always come back. I'm sure before I'm gone, I'll be in very skinny jeans again, God forbid!"
Follow Molly on Instagram HERE and TikTok HERE.
English (US) ·