On top of the Rainbow

A couple of weeks ago I was reached out by a brand on Instagram and they asked if I would promote their streetwear clothing. I was asked to pay 40 Euro’s and they would send me a whole bunch of clothes to wear and promote on my blog and on Instagram. At first, I was all excited and was on top of the rainbow as this was a surprise and second it seemed too good to be true. A brand was reaching out to me! I have only been blogging for over a year now (my first website kinda went out..poof!!), but then this was a dream come true offer.

I almost instantly said yes, but refrained to sleep on it. The next day I asked back a few questions which seemed reasonable to ask before I was doing any transfer of money. The company seemed to be real as they presented me with a web page with images of the clothing and also on Instagram they seemed to have a large following and there were even some bloggers and lifestyle influencer’s tagged in some of the pics.

I started to check around Instagram as from the website I could not find any useful information and even when I tried to click on the basket at checkout there was no options to buy the clothes online, but rather a message that said to contact only via email, which seems a bit fishy to me. But then my boyfriend and I started to check the hashtags with the name of this company and found many negative comments or sights and claiming this was a fraud. I was a bit disappointed but then decided to write to one of the bloggers who was tagged in a photo. She claimed immediately that she was not aware or informed that her picture was used and when that I was apparently the second person who DM’d her that day asking about this company and said that it was rather odd. I also found on her Instagram sight the alleged photo tagged on the Instagram of the company that had contacted me, but it turned out she was actually modelling or wearing real Yeezy merchandise, a far cry from what I was being offered to promote.

Meanwhile was I was doing my research the company messaged me again only on Instagram as when I asked to drop me an email they said they preferred to talk via Instagram, which again raised my suspicion. I tried to ask them for more information but they agreed to send their bank address to me to transfer the money only after which they would send me the clothes that they had offered. All this was a little too suspicious to me, as when I tried to look up for this company or the name of the person who wrote to me I could not find anything other than the address went back to a small little restaurant somewhere in Groningen, Netherland. They claimed to be a brand new company and therefore could only send me the clothes after I sent across the money, but I just did not get back to them as it was all too suspicious to me!

I love streetwear, it is cool and sophisticated, lets you be who you want to be. In the pictures, I am wearing my brother’s sweatshirt from Umbro, which my sister gifted him a long time ago. It is useful here in Poland where it is colder and therefore a necessity rather than hot and sweaty Indian weather. I hope you like the pictures and do let me know in the comments below if you have had such an experience.

xoxo

Doreen