Seen and Heard in Edmonton

Meet Alyssa Lau, the blogger who shares her unique and striking approach to style at Ordinary People, and the proprietor of New Classics Studios, an online shop for sustainable fashion.

Alyssa started Ordinary People in 2011 with her cousin Kurtis, more or less as something to do. It has since evolved into a fascinating expression of her creativity, “a learning tool for me to discover more about myself,” as she puts it in our conversation, and a full-time gig with her partner Eric Yun.

She is smart about the business side of blogging, and has been able to serve her audience what it’s looking for while managing sponsored posts in a transparent and effective way. A couple of examples we mention are this travel project sponsored by Expedia, and this “lookbook” video.

Her experience with Ordinary People and at local retailer Coup Boutique led her to start New Classics Studios, which keeps her very busy. We talk about that, too, and about Edmonton as a “surprisingly awesome” place to build a business around sustainable fashion.

Have a listen (and please forgive the less-than-ideal sound):

You can also get it in iTunes, on SoundCloud or on Stitcher.

Alyssa recommended the following local bloggers:

• Vickie Laliotis’s Adventures in Fashion (@advinfashion on Instagram, advinfashion on Snapchat)
• Sandy Joe Karpetz’s The Pretty Secrets (@theprettysecrets on Instagram, sandy.joe on Snapchat)
• Lyndsey at Over My Styled Body (@overmystyledbody on Instagram, overmystyledbdy on Snapchat)
• Denim Joy’s A Little Detail (@denimjoy_ on Instagram, alittledetail on Snapchat)

You can find @imalyssalau on Instagram and Twitter. Ordinary People is on YouTube and Facebook. And Alyssa is on Snapchat at alyyyssalauu.

(Usually at the end of the podcast, I say I’ll be back in a week, but in this case, I’ll be back in two weeks. Enjoy the May long weekend, and watch for a new episode on May 30.)

This week’s Seen and Heard in Edmonton is brought to you by Eek Fest, the pop culture fair happening at Servus Place in St. Albert on June 4 and 5.

You’ll find five halls of fun, featuring Lego, comics, collectibles, video games, zombies, Nerf guns, live improv, cosplay and more.

Family passes are on sale now for $39.99; adult weekend passes are $19.99 and kids get in for $8 (plus fees). Get your tickets today!

Musical credits: Beethoven’s Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 2 No. 1, played by Daniel Veesey, from freemusicarchive.com.