Behind the Blog: Street Blogs from the Best in the Business – Part 5

The conclusion to our Behind the Blogs feature joins us with Kevin Ma, founder of Hypebeast, arguably the most well-known, and most frequented site on the subject. We got the chance to discuss with Kevin why he started his site four years ago, how much time and work he continues to immerse in Hypebeast – not even taking time off when on holiday – how his role has changed over time, and much more.

mashKULTURE.net: What inspired you to create a sneaker/streetwear blog?

Kevin Ma: I started Hypebeast approximately four years ago during the height of my sneaker collecting days. Back then, there weren’t many websites talking about sneakers and fashion. The only ones that I knew of was Being Hunted and Freshness. I felt that there was so much information out there that these sites weren’t covering so I decided to start the blog.

mashKULTURE.net: What were the biggest difficulties you encountered starting out?

Kevin Ma: In the beginning, it actually wasn’t really that difficult because my expectations weren’t that high. I started the blog as a hobby and wanted to share with my readers what I found was interesting. Naturally through different sneaker forums and through search engines, the site grew bigger.

mashKULTURE.net: As your site has grown, how much has your daily routine changed?

Kevin Ma: I have gotten a lot more busy these past two years. My daily routine remains mostly the same. I still do a lot of the information sourcing on Hypebeast, but I don’t write much anymore as our editors’ writing skills are much better than mine. Instead, I spend a lot more time running the “business”. I don’t like to call it that, but the reality is that Hypebeast is now a fully functional magazine with employees. With growth comes the responsibility to bring in the revenue to maintain it. Other than trying to find the dough, I also have to work with our web designers to improve the site, I have to overlook our features and interviews, and also have to think of ways to promote the site.

With all these responsibilities, I have been working more than ever now than before. It’s cool though because I enjoy what I do, but it’s tough sometimes because I never get a break. Even when I’m on holidays, I have to work. There is no time to rest.

mashKULTURE.net: How has content on your site changed over the years? Why?

Kevin Ma: The content has definitely changed from being sneaker centric to more fashion geared. A lot of our news is still based around sneakers, but we’re more choosy now on which sneakers we post up. I guess it’s because the more you see, the more you learn. Hypebeast started out talking about all the “hyped” products on the market. Now, it’s more about what actually looks good.

mashKULTURE.net: Do you have any content quotas? Is there a required minimum you set out each day of how many posts to publish? If so, does that ever jeopardize quantity over quality?

Kevin Ma: Nowadays, we don’t really have “content quotas”. At one point, we were trying to get out as much news as possible because everyone was doing the same thing at the time. But now we realize that we should just stick to what we think is cool. Having a ton of content might attract more readers but at the end of the day, it doesn’t help the site because all you’re doing is publishing crap.

mashKULTURE.net: What’s the secret to your website’s success?

Kevin Ma: No secrets really. Just hard work and more hard work.

mashKULTURE.net: How important is social media to your blog(s)?

Kevin Ma: It definitely helps and plays a part in promoting the site. We are actually late on the boat for social networking for Hypebeast, but I’m sure it’s very useful especially for newer sites.

mashKULTURE.net: What are your thoughts on the drastic rise in street culture blogs over the last few years? Do you see any parallels between the growth of streetwear brands and the rise of street culture blogs?

Kevin Ma: I think it’s cool to see more street culture blogs on the internet, and I’m guessing it’s because of more streetwear brands? I’m not sure on this one. But it’s interesting to see what kids are doing with their blogs. If they keep their content original, then there’s a lot they can do with using the internet as their vehicle of promotion. However, there’s also a lot of copycat sites which don’t really help push the culture much.

mashKULTURE.net: How do you think this large number of sites affects street culture itself?

Kevin Ma: I don’t think it’ll affect street culture. People who start sites just because they want to make money won’t succeed because no one will read them. Only the sites that do what they do best will survive.

mashKULTURE.net: What is the biggest mistake these blogs are making if they are making any at all?

Kevin Ma: Depends which blogs you’re talking about. If people are starting blogs just to make money, then no one is going to read them because it’s not authentic. Sure, they can make a couple bucks from visitors via search engines but at the end of the day, those sites don’t help push the culture.

mashKULTURE.net: What advice might you give to them?

Kevin Ma: Start a blog with a different topic than everyone else’s. Better yet, do something else like open a twitter account.

mashKULTURE.net: The current recession can be seen as part of a natural cycle, a form of cleansing as many new, less-creative brands go under, and the streetwear market contracts. Do you feel that the over saturated “street blogosphere” will follow the trend? Where do you see the future of these blogs heading?

Kevin Ma: I think people are currently losing interest in Streetwear already because right now, the market is too saturated and there are too many brands out there. Fashion is a cycle. Streetwear won’t disappear, and only the strong will survive while the weak will perish. Therefore, street blogs will come and go as well. This is why we don’t like to categorize ourselves as a streetwear site. Our site is about fashion we enjoy whether it’s streetwear or high fashion.

mashKULTURE.net: Where do you see the future of your own blog(s) heading? What short and long-term goals have you set?

Kevin Ma: Since blogging is so saturated and everyone’s just copying each other, we’re trying to do some more in-depth features that will actually help promote what or who we think is interesting. Since the financial crisis is upon us, just like any other company, we’re doing what we can to survive in the short run. If everything goes smoothly then we’ll hopefully launch more interactive features on our site.

mashKULTURE.net: Any closing thoughts?

Kevin Ma: Life’s short, do something with it.

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