Tip or Skip

Arielle Interviews Jack Harding of OhWowYouWoreThat

Arielle: So tell us a little bit about yourself.

Jack: Well, my name is Jack Harding and I am the owner and founder of OhWowYouWoreThat.com. I’m currently in my last year of a fashion management program offered through George Brown College in Toronto, and I am going to be graduation in April of this upcoming year. I initially started my website as a bit of a joke, to be honest. I wanted to see how much negative hype I could build up by curating a site (at the time on tumblr) that built around outfits that truly made you go, “Oh wow, you wore that?” It was essentially set-up like an anti-satorialist. It was meant to show what not to do, opposed to what was done right.

From there it allowed me to build a great audience, because they were already interested in what I had to provide next. Which is why I launched www.OhWowYouWoreThat.com. I kept the initial name I had made, because in my opinion, it’s not one you easily forget. However, I made some changes to the basis of the website. Instead of simply showing fashion crimes and mishaps, I wanted to help make fashion more approachable, and show people not only what not to do, but how to do it right. I wanted to show brands, products, outfits, and ideas that my viewership (and new readers) could connected with.

I wanted to have something with a bit more substance, than merely a site which shows either good or bad outfits. Luckily, since starting my website back in April of 2012, I have had some fantastic opportunities as a result. I have met with some fantastic people, worked with some of my inspirations, and ultimately, I found my writers voice.

Arielle: What is your favorite product that you’ve found on Tip or Skip?

Jack: My favorite item on Tip or Skip? That is a tough one. Now, I know I should go with something that relates to, or is a fashion item, but I’m not going to. My all time favorite item was one I tipped near the beginning of making my account, it’s the Fab Retro Robot Lamp. I have always had a weird fascination with robot toys, pictures, artwork, etc. I’ve never really had an idea as to why. I even did an entire series in high school of photographs incorporating a robot which looked quite similar to the one I tipped.

Arielle: What inspires you?

Jack: People inspire me. I often get the opportunity to chat with and meet some of the most interesting people, and one thing I have learned form all these interactions is, “Everybody knows something that you do not.” Meaning, there is not a single person on this earth you could not learn from. I find people to be so intriguing, and their stories can make you feel as though anything is possible.

To further elaborate, I’d say that although I have few inspirations in terms of people as a whole, I tend to be inspired by what people are capable of doing. However, there are a few people that I look up to for inspiration in certain areas. Although I have never met her personally, after reading her novels, Kelly Cutrone is someone who inspires me. Reading her life journey, her successes, her defeats, and just knowing that regardless of anything, she wouldn’t let life stand in her way was very inspiring. I like to live in a similar manner; don’t let anyone tell you no, and don’t let anything make something seem impossible. I am inspired in different ways be different people. Certain people inspire me to give back, others to create, other to live life to the fullest, and other to always think. I like to be opent to the fact that anyone can be inspiring.

Arielle: What has been your best moment while working on your blog?

Jack: The best part of working on my blog was the response I had gotten from a person I had interviewed. I wrote an article essentially covering their life story, what they do, who they are, and how they got to where they are today. I was an especially difficult article for me to write, for I found the person to be such an inspiration in my eyes, that I wanted to make sure I got the piece right. It took me weeks to complete, but when it was done, and I sent it their way, I got an email back saying that they were so touched it made them cry. Up until that point I knew that my blog had the ability to influence ideas and decisions, but I never knew that it had the ability to touch someone. It was a really fantastic memory for me and I will never forget it.