A young man from western Sydney with a passion for fashion has revealed how he went from staring wistfully at beautiful clothes in magazines to walking the catwalk in Milan for his favourite brand.
Elias El-Indari, 25, went from being a ‘daggy dresser’ in high school to starting a fashion blog at university – after he realised ‘it’s okay for men to like going shopping’.
‘People used to come up to me and ask me about the clothes I was wearing and where I got them from – there were no male fashion bloggers in Sydney at the time, so I decided to have a go,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
Elias El-Indari, 25, pictured, went from being a ‘daggy dresser’ in high school to starting a fashion blog at university
The successful blogger started with relatively unknown brands but when he moved to Dubai, big labels approached him
Elias – pictured left as a teenager, and right during a summer shoot for his blog – claims ‘every man can look good and feel comfortable in what they’re wearing – no matter what they look like’
The blog started from his parents’ Greenacre home in February 2013 – now he runs it from Dubai and more than 60,000 people check it out every month.
‘My father is very traditional Lebanese, so when I first started he couldn’t understand,’ Elias revealed.
‘He kept saying ”Why are you always dressing up and taking photos?” and didn’t really get it when I told him that it was the new big thing.
‘Now I own two homes in Sydney, I am making great money from the blog and my dad has surpassed my mum – by a long shot – as my biggest fan. But it did take him three years to understand.
‘It meant a lot to me – the only person I look up to, the only person I needed to accept this, has. As the eldest child, and a boy, in a Lebanese family you have big shoes to fill and I didn’t want to make him upset.’
Elias went from wearing the clothes of local, relatively unknown designers, to wearing some of the world’s biggest brands in just a few years.
The 25-year-old (pictured, left) admits he was a ‘daggy dresser’ when he was at high school but found his style at university, where he studied marketing
His father, pictured left, and mother, right, are his ‘biggest fans’ but it took his dad a little bit longer to accept his son could do well in the fashion industry
‘I am short, hairy, and Lebanese which means I have a big nose, but that doesn’t matter because you don’t have to be a tall, blond man to dress well and care about how you look,’ he said
And he says he keeps doing it because men deserve to know they can all look good – they just need to wear the right clothes.
‘I am short, hairy and Lebanese, which means I have a big nose, but that doesn’t matter because you don’t have to be a tall, blond man to dress well and care about how you look,’ he said.
‘I look back now and see how I dressed as a teenager – oh my goodness, I was so daggy.
‘My best advice is for men to look after themselves – keep themselves well-groomed and wear a well-fitted suit. At the end of the day if you look good, you feel confident.
Within the first year of Elias starting his SMF blog, he had 10,000 followers – despite most of the photos being cut off at the shoulders.
‘My best advice is for men to look after themselves – keep themselves well-groomed and wear a well-fitted suit. At the end of the day if you look good, you feel confident’
The blogger now owns 90 pairs of shoes, 20 suits and a lot of cool, casual outfits. Pictured above: What he took with him on a recent trip to Paris
The blogger says he doesn’t just stick to one style because he doesn’t want to limit his audience
‘I left my face out for a long time because it didn’t matter if I was an Arab, if I was English – I could be anyone, which is the whole point.’
Four years on, the blogger – who has a bachelor and masters’ degree in marketing – is wearing clothes he ‘could only dream of’ during his time as the only male intern at a fashion magazine.
‘But I don’t just wear the designer brands – you can look good on any budget, it doesn’t matter if you are in a pair of jeans and a Zara T-shirt.’
Elias’ favourite moment from his last few years running the blog came in January when he was invited to walk the catwalk for Dolce and Gabbana.
‘I have been to every fashion show in Europe since I moved to Dubai – always trying to keep at the forefront,’ he said.
‘But to be invited to be in one – it was amazing.’
And strutting down the slippery runway didn’t disappoint.
Elias’ favourite moment from his last few years running the blog came in January when he was invited to walk the catwalk for Dolce and Gabbana
The ‘boy from Punchbowl’ said he was the only Australian, Lebanese and Arab on the catwalk
Elias with his two sisters at a wedding. The blogger says he still visits Australia a lot because his friends are getting maried
‘It was such a crazy, euphoric feeling. I can take a photo in front of a crowd or in a busy street – but it doesn’t compare to when all the lights and cameras are on you as you are walking down the strip for one of the world’s biggest brands.’
The self-made model smiled as he showed off the suit – despite walking alongside straight-faced models.
‘I was the only smile on the runway – but they did say they wanted us to be ourselves,’ he explained.
Elias’ biggest fan base is still in Australia with about 20,000 people turning to his site for advice every month.
The ‘boy from Punchbowl’ still calls Australia home but said he isn’t likely to come back to live anytime soon.
‘I am still working full-time in Dubai as well as having my blog, which makes good money on its own.
Elias pictured as a child growing up in Sydney’s western suburbs. He now owns two properties in Sydney and plans to expand his portfolio
‘My parents know I have a 10-year plan so I won’t be settling down anytime soon – I want to get more experience in business before going out completely on my own.
‘And I want to get into the European market with my blog – there is still work to be done.’
Elias has two younger sisters and feels like he is doing his family proud – even though he decided to go against the grain and get into fashion instead of becoming a ‘tradie’ or going in to a male-dominated occupation.
More than 37,000 people follow the young Australian on Instagram, where he hands out fashion advice and posts photos of outfits from his blog.
‘My parents know I have a 10-year plan so I won’t he settling down anytime soon – I want to get more experience in business before going out completely on my own’