Words by Sophia Razvi
It’s safe to assume that the majority of us are spending a heck more time online these days. And whilst, yes, it is important to unplug, switch off and explore a world of possibilities outside of the internet - we have an opportunity to take control of the content we are consuming and ensure our time spent online is meaningful. With that in mind, we wanted to share some of our favourite Instagram accounts that are currently bringing us joy.
Cecilie has been taking cooking tips from @antoni of the Fab Five variety during lockdown. Antoni’s ‘Quar Eye: Cooking Lessons in Quarantine’ series have injected new life into the kitchen. Whilst Charlotte has found solace in @danielwfletcher's account, as the designer places new focus on community and resourcefulness in these troubling times.
Number one on Nathan’s list is actor/comedian @bennydrama7 aka Benito Skinner. Think Kardashian parodies and a whole lot of horoscope characterisation (and we all know how passionate Nathan feels about horoscopes!). And with all styling opportunities on hold, Nathan has turned to Animal Crossing to express their creativity. Their fashion account @tomnooksdripstagram was recently featured on Forbes online, don't you know?
No Insta feed is complete without a healthy dose of memes. Nicky has been keeping her comedy in the industry thanks to the iconic efforts of @freddiemade. Whilst Hedvig looks to @garyjanetti for some royally good satire. Writer/producer Gary Janetti has developed a penchant for taking Royal Family-related news stories and turning them into Prince George-related memes. For some content that ‘feels like a hug’, we can recommend @ketnipz. We had the pleasure of chatting with Harry Hambley, the boy behind the account, in our recent Armani Exchange exclusive, where Harry explained his journey from classroom doodles to becoming one of Instagram’s favourite illustrators and amassing 1.5 million followers.
For Sophia, laughter is golden to staying sane at the moment. And as long as @casey_frey_ and @thekalenallen have active accounts, the internet will be OKAY. You may recognise dancer/comedian Casey Frey for his over-the-top videos, whilst Kalen Allen is a regular on The Ellen Show. Kalen is all kinds of hilarious - the briefest of scrolls through his profile will show you that - however we discovered new depths to the viral sensation during our conversation with him last year.
Singer-songwriter @alecbenjamin continues to put smiles on our faces through his gentle and honest reminders that we're all human. We recommend giving his mini-series a watch, 'The Story Behind the Story', where he shares meanings behind songs from his upcoming album.
We’ve also been holding close @zakabel’s daily live streams over this period - a great reminder of why we enjoyed him in issue 12. Every day at 6pm Zak treats Instagram to a series of covers and original music, reminding us of the joy of sharing. @jakebugg also continues to soothe the soul, armed with a guitar in his IGTV uploads (and if you find yourself wanting even more, you can always purchase a copy of our Issue 14 cover featuring the man himself).
And last but most certainly not least, there's internet star/entrepreneur @connorfranta. Quarantine or no quarantine, Connor consistently brings us joy thanks to his infectious charm and pretty feed - and we're particularly loving his recent baking endeavours. Connor Franta also featured in Issue 14 so there's a double reason to dive in.
So there you go. These are the accounts we’re vicariously living through at the moment. We hope they bring you joy like they have us.
