Revisiting the first photos we ever posted to Instagram
image via @jadeleungstylist / instagram
words by Fashion Journal
Valencia throwbacks.
Who remembers the early days of the gram? It was a simpler, sillier, more unhinged time. We hadn’t yet grasped the concept of ‘cringe’ and we hadn’t started comparing our holidays, outfits and breakfasts to the ones posted by our peers, colleagues, frenemies and influencers we’re in parasocial relationships with.
Being a ‘content creator’ in the Wild West era of Instagram meant shooting from the hip, posting that blurry, un-styled pic of your mum’s lasagne straight to the grid and commenting ‘LMFAO’ under cat memes.
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Nowadays, most of what we see on the gram is polished perfection or a curated version of imperfection. Still, if you dig deep enough, you’ll find the gold. Inspired by one FJ editor’s recent trip down memory lane, we asked some of our friends – writers, editors, stylists and designers – to show us their first post on the app (or a screenshot for those who’ve archived) and reflect on how far they’ve come.
Erik Yvon, fashion designer
View this post on Instagram
“This was my first ever IG post, from my first semester grad collection in 2014 – back when I was working as a chef, hustling in the kitchen by day and sewing at night. I was saving every coin to afford fabrics, so trust, this collection came with a lot of blood, sweat, and unpicking. It was inspired by ski resort wear; it’s textural, chaotic, full of clashing patterns and honestly, still so me. i-D magazine spotted this collection and listed me as one to watch, which blew my mind at the time.
Looking back, this post represents more than just a starting point. It was the beginning of learning how to tell stories through clothes – stories that now celebrate and empower queer bodies. My label has evolved since then but that early spirit of experimentation, colour, and honesty still runs through everything I create. It took time to find my voice as a designer, but putting the work out there, however raw, was the first step.”
Zoe Walker Ahwa, Ensemble editor
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“I was late to Instagram, posting my first photo in May 2012 of the whitest fashion image imaginable: a preppy 1983 Ralph Lauren campaign photo from a coffee table book about the brand. I remember being terrified to post to the ‘gram (still am, to be honest), and my early posts were all photos of magazines, books or cats – all with the Kelvin filter. This one almost feels full-circle, with all of the printed media scans that show up on my feed these days.”
Lara Daly, Fashion Journal‘s Features Editor
View this post on Instagram
“My first post in 2014 is a photo of a photo on my laptop of the look I did for my makeup school’s end-of-year theme competition. The theme they gave us was ‘Modern Geisha’ (which on reflection seems… problematic) and I actually won with this look – shout out to my model Kasper, a high school friend who sat very patiently for three hours. I’m pretty sure this was Kasper’s first time modelling (now she’s walking for MiuMiu which is so iconic). I’ve mostly stuck to my original strategy, which was to only use IG for my makeup work – with the exception of some rogue photos of my boyfriend thrown in once a year, lol.”
Molly Griffin, Fashion Journal‘s advertising and partnerships manager
“The year was 2014 and I guess someone must have just told me that wearing a 1kg statement necklace with my public school uniform was not ‘needed’ or perhaps I’d scratched the all important logo on my Mimco coin purse – either way, obviously I was going through it.
This post had no caption so when one of my 64 followers texted me and asked if I was okay I replied “I don’t want to talk about it” even though the Mimco coin purse scratch likely made by my one kilo statement necklace was essentially ruined.”
Kacy Heywood, fashion designer
“I’ve never really had a personal Instagram, it’s always been about my work. My first post is from March 2014 – back then, I primarily focused on leather goods. It’s honestly amazing what ten years of consistent practice can do. I started with only the vaguest idea of how to construct a garment and had absolutely no clue about the business side of running a fashion label. If someone had asked me to explain creative direction, I would’ve responded with really long ‘ummmmmm…'”
Jade Leung, fashion stylist
“My first post was from 2011, this must have been a photo taken on set when the photographer was testing light. I’m not sure many people have seen me with black hair and bangs. The caption is ‘Duck Lungs’ – a combination of the photographers’ last name and a version of mine.”
Daniel Mizzi, writer
“A Ralph Lauren chambray shirt and denim jeans, paired with red-and-blue Nike Cortez trainers – just like the ones Forrest Gump wore. I was sixteen and heading to an ’80s-themed birthday. We had fun back then: Chinatown for cheap cigarettes; coconut rum and Diet Coke. It all feels so long ago now, decades and decades – so distant I’m sure that photo was taken in the ’80s, and that boy is someone else entirely. I haven’t spoken to most of those people in years, perhaps not since that night, but the memory remains untouched.”
Erika Geraerts, writer and founder of Fluff
View this post on Instagram
“I can’t tell you how long this took to scroll back to but how much joy it brought me. My first is a pic from December 27, 2011, of my housemate at the time, Matt, packing ‘lightly’ for a trip. My feed continued to be what I would now liken to a 60 year old’s Facebook feed, with the most poorly taken, random photos I’ve ever seen, including: a bottle of shampoo, a single sock, many, many plates of food (not styled), toilet paper, almond milk, a chair, a growing business, and times with friends, alongside me trying to write witty captions.
It appears to be like an unconscious stream of happenings in my life – which I love, because it took me back to exactly that moment in time. A time where we were just posting for the sake of posting, not for an aesthetic. I still like to think of my IG account as a personal diary entry or photo album of sorts, and going back through these images inspired me to share some of the more unfiltered, random, pointless moments in time.”
Daisy Henry, Fashion Journal‘s Assistant Editor
View this post on Instagram
“My first post was a video from 2013 – over 10 years ago! I absolutely believed Matt Corby might somehow spot me from across Festival Hall and realise he was in love with me (I was 15). I since went on to post many a concert video over the years, all that’s changed is that I wish I still had enough disposable cash to be going to gigs every weekend.”
Annie Enoka, fashion designer
“One of my first posts from my label, AnnieEnoka. I started making one-off, re-purposed tops for fun during Covid with no intention of turning it into a business at the time. The more I kept making, the more friends were asking if they could purchase them. I then started sharing photos of me wearing what I made through Instagram and eventually, selling online through Depop.
It’s crazy to think a fun hobby has now grown into a growing fashion brand. It’s really nice to go back look at my old posts and reflect on how far AnnieEnoka has come today.”
Giulia Brugliera, Fashion Journal‘s Managing Editor
“I still remember my partner telling me about how he’d downloaded this new app called Instagram, how I really should get it, how I’d love it. I replied something like, ‘An app for just photos and captions? Doesn’t Facebook do that?’
I eventually conceded in early 2012, according to the timestamp on my first post, taken while living in Milan as an au pair. Something about the abstract crop, lack of caption and presence of snow in the height of Melbourne’s summer I must have thought was mysterious and ‘arty’. Looking back, it feels very on-brand for me. I’ve always viewed Instagram as a place for digital curation (those who use it for authenticity are lying, imo) plus, without showing my face, it was a low-stakes way to experiment with the platform.”
Jess Grindell, fashion designer
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“This isn’t my first post but it’s the first post along the lines of me being a fashion designer. It’s a screenshot of me on Google Maps at AUT where I studied fashion, working my magic. I guess it did leave a big impact on me because it made me realise I could be iconic without even trying.”
For more social media nostalgia, try this.
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