Many years ago, there were typical answers to the question of, “what do you do for a living?”

The answers would generally fall into specific categories and fields which existed at the time such as wholesale, retail, law, education, medicine, and so on. With today’s technologies as well as the social media universe, however, career opportunities and horizons have expanded for many millennials.

Now, fortunately for today’s generation and so on, there is money to made in areas like blogging and social media. If one is a bit older or out of touch, think of it as an expansion on marketing just geared towards the digital age.

A great success story in this field would be that of Moti Ankari, also known as Metro Man. In 2011, Moti Ankari began branding himself as the Metro Man and since his start, he has had global recognition. Ankari attended Magen David Yeshiva and from there went on to major in advertising and marketing communications at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City, graduating in 2015.

Ankari saw many bloggers around him throughout his college experience who were starting to make names for themselves. Ultimately, Ankari’s sister pushed him to start his very own blog. Unbeknownst to Ankari at the time, this small step would be the start of a wide ranging long term career for him.

While attending FIT and keeping up with his blog and social media accounts, Ankari was additionally looking to the future by getting priceless experiences and exciting connections via his internships and jobs. Among those experiences were internships for Lizzie Grubman PR, Marie Claire, and GQ Magazine.

It was at GQ where Ankari landed his first full time job in the industry assisting the creative director of the male targeted magazine. After that he became a fashion editor at Bloomberg Pursuits, which brought him to his current position as a full time world renowned fashion blogger.

So what would onlookers call such a new and exciting occupation? A company? A business venture?

“When I started my blog The Metro Man six years ago, I wouldn’t have called it either,” remarked Ankari, “Today, I consider myself, Moti Ankari, a brand. At the end of the day you are your own brand.”

Moti has had some massive career altering opportunities from his work as a blogger. He’s traveled far to meet major designers and attend fashion shows around the world. Ankari worked with brands such as Armani, H&M, Land Rover, Ray Ban, Louis Vuitton and much more. One of his favorite experiences was flying to Big Sur to create a video with Ferrari. 

A photo of Ankari posted on his Instagram displaying his chic style and exciting NYC lifestyle. 

Ankari also had the opportunity to design his own shoe line with a good friend he met during his time at FIT who is now also a major fashion blogger Marcel Floruss also known as One Dapper Street. The collection was a success and they are currently working on a second shoe collection for 2018.

A day in the life of a New York City based fashion blogger is never the same as the next, which is what keeps it exciting.

“On a regular day I would wake up, head to the gym and then attend a few meetings, and finally I’d do a photoshoot for my blog and social media channels,” explained Ankari, trying to give a basic layout of a typical day in the life of The Metro Man.

A photo of Ankari featured on his Instagram, sharing his trip to Italy with his 180 thousand followers.

Although Moti doesn’t have traditional kinds of employees, he does have a manager and an agency that help with his upcoming projects and campaigns. He also hires freelance photographers for different projects and shoots. By next year he hopes to hire a full-time photographer.

Moti has been featured in many large publications such as Esquire, Huffington Post, New York Times, V Magazine, GQ, and many more. Today, he is one of the most sought after luxury male fashion bloggers in the field, with 180 thousand followers on Instagram and 200 thousand across all his platforms.

A photo Ankari shared with his Instagram followers of his vacation in Oranjestad, Aruba.

Moti credits his schooling to be a major factor in his success.

“FIT one million percent helps and prepares you for the Fashion world. The network you gain from going to FIT is absolutely incredible,” explained Ankari of his diverse and well rounded college experience, “The publicists and people I work with today are the kids that were in my class. Plus, the opportunities and people you get to meet are great.”

Check out Ankari's blog Metro Man, head to his instagram @MotiAnkari, and check out his men’s shoe collection as well. Overall, be on the look out for Moti Ankari because he is truly unstoppable. 

Frieda Schweky

Frieda@sephardic.org

Frieda Schweky is Sephardic.Org's official community events reporter. For inquiries and to get involved with our site, please contact Frieda via email.