Top Asian fashion blogger Jessica Wang switches to making home videos, and her iPhone hacks go viral on TikTok
- Unable to fly, Wang shared with 920,000 followers of NotJessFashion on Instagram videos of herself getting dolled up to do chores at home in New York
- Her videos on ‘iPhone tricks most people don‘t know about’ trended on TikTok, as did recent brand collaborations featuring her daughters, aged eight and five
She’s known within New York fashion circles and on social media for taking pictures in enviable locations, from Italy to The Bahamas. But when Jessica Wang’s TikTok post on iPhone hacks went viral in May, the style maven with more than 920,000 Instagram followers found instant fame as a tech guru.
“It was really unexpected,” Wang tells the Post. “I was really just sharing some things I already knew and it gathered such a great response. Some of the videos actually got over 20 million views. I think my audience loves tech just as much as I do.”
Wang, who grew up in Tianjin, China, worked in the finance industry in New York before ditching the corporate world to pursue her passion.
She quickly pivoted to create new content from home, starting a #athomeseries to promote positivity and to inspire her followers to get creative and dress up despite not being able to go out.
Her “hack” posts – she says she doesn't really call them hacks because they're second nature to her – cover everything from photo editing short cuts, to a series on “iPhone tricks most people don't know about”.
In one video, Wang shows viewers how they can prevent people from seeing (either accidentally or on purpose) photos you don't want them to see in your album. In another, she shows how users can screenshot a webpage so that they can scroll through it offline.
‘Rich mom’ Instagram influencer pivots from fashion to education
Wang also explores issues beyond phone features. She creates videos for her followers on how to improve their own social media content – such as how to pose, how to create a great backdrop at a pinch, and versatile style tricks.
As part of her collaboration with Amazon fashion portal The Drop, in June she designed, among several garments, a lavender dress and a white top that could be worn in many different ways.
Sometimes, she sources ideas from her audience. “It's very interesting because my Instagram audience is so used to me posting about fashion and beauty,” she says. “And then there's a whole new world out there on TikTok that's so interested in tech, but then I'm also sharing fashion tips and hacks and even life hacks over there as well.”
The videos are short, but the making-of process can take up to eight hours. She often posts TikTok challenges with her kids which involve changing multiple outfits, make-up and hairstyles.
“I definitely don't enjoy the cleaning up part,” she jokes. “It's always a mess because, right now, my house has become like a studio with clothes everywhere.”
Wang says spending more time at home has allowed her to be more productive and thoroughly brainstorm, produce and edit her content. “It is a lot more work, but the result is so satisfying to see,” she says.
“In this industry you just have to have the ability to adapt to anything. We don't know what's going to happen, but I really I am thankful for all the time that I spent on TikTok,” she says.
“I was able to create a new audience, but also I learned so much through TikTok as well. And right now, I just started using Reels; I'm trying to create more useful content for my Instagram audience as well.”
Her children have featured in her recent brand collaborations as her followers have become curious about what they're up to, from quarantine activities to back-to-school fashion. “If I don't show my kids for a couple of days, they [my followers] will DM me and ask me to show them,” she says. “I think they're more entertaining than me!”
If it wasn't already obvious from the shoots, which often involve coordinated mother-daughter outfits, Wang's daughters love their new roles.
“They call themselves the ‘glam glam’ team,” she laughs. “They see me doing it and they love to dress up too and be on camera, and sometimes they do their own little skits and pretend that they are influencers.”