María Martín de Pozuelo has become, in recent months, an essential face on Instagram. His videos, just over a minute long, in which he quickly builds a low cost look of full trend, accumulate in a few hours several million views. Its freshness, naturalness and ability to find a format that goes viral every day are the keys to a success that, a few months ago, caught the attention of María Pombo and the agency that represents her. In fact, many have nicknamed her ‘mini-Pombo’a nickname from which he tries to escape as best he can. “I greatly admire Maria (Pombo) and we get along great, but I would like people to know me by my name,” he confessed during the interview given to ¡HOLA! This is the first one he has done and it is accompanied by this fabulous photo shoot, also the first one she poses for.
© ANDRÉS GAR LUJÁNA flight that our protagonist takes off from our pages, with a firmness and determination unusual in someone of her age —He is only 25 years old—, guarantee of a promising future for which he already has many plans in sight.
—Maria, with almost 3 million likes on TikTok and videos with more than 7 million views on Instagram, have you ever imagined amassing this success?
—The truth is that no. I would never have imagined it, much less so quickly. In the end it was all in one year. I think success has been knowing how to connect with my audience thanks to my naturalness, which in the end is the most important thing and what people feel most identified with. I would say that is the key.
—How did you start on social networks?
—I started a couple of years ago. I had studied Business Administration, something that had nothing to do with fashion, but I had always wanted to dedicate myself to fashion, although I didn’t know where to take it. Talking to my father, a summer in Menorcatold me: “I know that your passion is fashion and I know that you have to do something related to that. Why don’t you start by showing people what you like about fashion, how you dress, your opinions, etc.? “. And that’s how I started on TikTok. I really started uploading fashion videos in general, a bit of what you see, today, also on my social networks. And it was from there that I began to evolve a little, focusing on what I like the most and what works best for me. And that has been a bit of the journey until today.
“One of my references is my grandmother, who has dedicated her entire life to the world of fashion. She had an ‘atelier’ and I remember her working at the dining room table in my house”
© ANDRÉS GAR LUJÁN—At what moment did you realize that this would be your profession?
—More or less, in March of this year when, suddenly, my more exponential growth began as a result of uploading reels on Instagram. It was when the prices began to rise a lot. viewsmy followers, etc…. And there I said: “Wow! I think people like how I do it, what I do and I really think I can focus my career this way.” I, at that time, worked carrying the rJunk Burger social media —her boyfriend’s hamburger chain—and I had to make the decision to give 100% to one of the two things, because it was starting to be very difficult to make it compatible. In the end, I opted for my networks and I was not wrong. It is a personal project and nothing it made me more excited than that.
—Your content, above all, is focused on fashion. Who are your references?
—I would say 100% that it was my grandmother and my mother. My grandmother has dedicated her entire life to the world of fashion. She had a atelier and I remember, perfectly, when he went to Milan for fabrics. She made her own designs at home, while taking care of my sister and me. I remember her at the dining room table in my house, making, sewing… She made all my clothes when I was little and my mother inherited that. My other great style reference has been her. It is what has taught me to lay the foundations that you have to have to then create your style. I am also inspired by other profiles. There are many people who inspire me in the world of fashion. I love look at Pinterest and Instagram, the Nordic style… In the end, it is a bit of a mix of different resources to inspire me on a daily basis, so that every day I have something new to contribute to my networks.
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© ANDRÉS GAR LUJÁN—How do you choose what content to make? Do you think it has evolved a lot since you started?
—The world of social networks is so changing that, in the end, you have to be reinventing yourself almost daily. It is true that I am very clear about my format, but then you really have to join all the trends that exist at the moment, not only in fashion, that is, but also in general trends. These are things that I have learned along the way. Right now, I’m trying to expand my content a little, so that people can get to know me more and see more facets of my life, apart from fashion.
—What is your day to day like? Are you with the phone in your hand all day, or do you know how to disconnect?
—I love my daily life, because I really don’t have an established routine. This job is like that: every day is completely different from the last. Yes, it is true that I try to have schedules so that the day really works for me. In the end, it seems not, but it takes a long time, from having an idea to developing it, executing it, and then publishing it. And that has to be every day. It is very important to be constant and, for that, the order in your daily life is crucial.
—In addition to your role as a content creator, are you working on new business avenues, like your other social media colleagues?
—Not right now. Everything has been very fastit’s all very recent and I’m focused on exploiting my social networks and focusing on that. Yes, it is true that I have a very clear idea that I want to carry out in the medium term, but I have not started yet. I have to soak a lot. Besides, it’s something I want be part 100% throughout the process. So, step by step, we are already doing a lot today.
“Talking about the physique of others is something that should be completely prohibited. People don’t realize the damage it can do”
© ANDRÉS GAR LUJÁN—Now that you have signed with the same agency that represents María Pombo, many claim that you are a junior version of her, a ‘mini-Pombo’. What do you think of this comparison?
—Well, I have always said it, that they compare me with María, for me, it’s a pridebecause it has been a reference since I was little. Since we have a bit of the same style, I can understand that comparison, but, on the other hand, I think we are not alike at all, neither physically nor in our type of content. Not even our style, when it comes to dressing, is the same. I get along fantastically with her, but it is true that I would prefer that we be distinguished. Each one has its type of content and there are many ways to differentiate ourselves. I don’t take it badly at all, but I would like to be known by my name and not as ‘mini-Pombo’.
—During the last few fashion weeks, we’ve seen you attend some high-profile shows. What would you say is your dream fulfilled for now and what do you still have to fulfill?
—I had always said that I would love go to the fashion weekboth in Milan and in Paris and New Yorkand this year I have been to Paris and Milan. It has been a dream come true. Incredible, I’m still taking it in. I have been to a few parades and, in the long term, I would like to be able to go to more, although I know that it is very complicated because I know that there are many people who want to go. In any case, I’m sure we’ll make it.
“I love my day to day life, because I don’t really have an established routine. This job is like that: each day is completely different from the previous one”
—What would you have liked to be, if you had not dedicated yourself to networks?
—Since I wasn’t very clear about where I wanted to focus, I couldn’t tell you anything specific. But what I do know is that I would have dedicated myself to fashion, in some way. Maybe I would have liked to work in a fashion magazineor something like that. I think I would have loved it.
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© ANDRÉS GAR LUJÁN‘I try to ignore it’
—Many times, we have seen that you have had to come out to defend yourself from those who accused you of being too thin. How have you handled these criticisms?
—The truth is that it surprises me that, today, with all the information we all have, people can criticize the physique of others. Especially in this sense, when the entire society is aware of the problem with this type of disorder. Assume that because someone is thin, they have a mental illnessit doesn’t enter my head. People don’t realize the damage it can do. It seems like a very complicated topic to me and I try not to talk about it too much, although in practically all my videos there is always someone who comments on it. In the end, I try to ignore it, because I don’t want to hype it up and have my networks become anything like that. In the end, I make fashion and there are many people who write to me, with other body types completely different from mine, who tell me that I also serve as an inspiration to them. You don’t have to carry the same ‘look’ Like me, the idea is that each person recreates or versions it based on what they like, or how each person feels comfortable. In any case, I think that talking about other people’s bodies is something that should be completely prohibited and that Instagram should filter these types of comments, so that no one can post whatever they want on such a serious topic.
—How do you see yourself in a few years?
—I would love to see myself working on this, what I love. Of course, evolving in my work, with new opportunities, new business avenues. I don’t close doors on myself, I consider myself an ambitious person and I would love to continue growing and achieving small goals little by little. And in my personal life, the same. I hope to be surrounded by the same people that I am surrounded by today, because I don’t need more.
“The world of social networks is so changing that, in the end, you have to reinvent yourself almost daily”
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