Hadas first left her home country, Israel, to study fashion business in New York. Ever since, she has visited more than 25 countries and has lived as an expat in France and England where she pursued a Master’s degree and is currently planning to get married. Hadas is a genuinely creative person, whose passion for exploring the world and fashion is evident in her three-year-old blog The Fashion Matters — an endless source of inspiration for stylish travellers.
Tell us briefly about your expat life and where you're originally from.
I was born and raised in Israel but left the warm climate and continuous sunshine behind to go to Europe. I first started my expat journey at the age of 21, when I spent a summer in New York studying fashion business. On the last year of my Bachelor degree, I had another opportunity to move abroad — to France — as an exchange student. Following my degree, I knew I wanted to continue studying abroad, and I signed up to do a Masters program in the UK. The rest is history. In the UK I met my now fiancé and decided to move to London to be with him. Being an expat has completely changed my life for the better, and my expat journey has also formed the person I am today.
What brought you to where you are now?
I always wanted to move abroad for the experiences it might bring me. I wanted to learn more about different cultures and see how life is in different places. It was never obvious to me that I'm meant to live where I was born. But, moving abroad was not easy. Especially, being apart from your family, friends, your native language, and everything familiar. However, the key to success in being an expat is to learn how to adapt to your new surroundings, make new friends so that you don't feel lonely, and realise that home can be anywhere you're happy at.
What made you want to start a blog?
I first started blogging back in 2009 out of love for fashion, but only in 2015 I started blogging professionally as a luxury travel blogger. I was at a time of my life that I was travelling a lot and I wanted to have an outlet to share my experiences, photos, and advice. I have been to so many incredible places that shifting the blog's focus from just fashion to travel seems like the best thing to do. Since starting the blog, I've come across so many amazing opportunities that I'm very grateful for.
Tell us what your blog is about and how our readers can make the most of it.
My blog, The Fashion Matters, is a luxury-themed travel and fashion blog. It features travel guides, reviews of stylish locations around the world, my expat life in London and my personal style. Whenever I travel, it is important for me to look stylish and especially feel good about the way I dress. Therefore, a lot of the focus of my blog is how to travel in style. I want to help people get inspired by my travel outfits and see that it is doable to travel looking stylish. On my blog, you can also find some of the most instagramable places in London that I was lucky enough to visit.
What are your next projects in terms of your expat life?
My next big thing is to move to the UK permanently. My fiancé and I are getting married soon, and we are later applying for a UK marriage visa so that we can live together in London. With London as our base, we are planning to continue travelling together as much as we can.
