Meet Clemence Polès

{ On showing her Passerbuys }

Clémence Poles is what we consider a major figure in the creative women landscape in NYC. In less than 2 years, her insightful project Passerbuys, - featuring "Real Recommendations & Real People" - has become the place to gather the lives, thoughts, and favorite spots of all the cool ladies that have passed by her way every day.

Always curious about how those people's day-to-day look like, she has gathered their stories in an uplifting bible through visual glimpses in their lives. While nurturing this curiosity she has always had through her questioning about everyone and everything, but also the different countries she's lived in and her deep passion for photography.

Clémence is real, talks real, and is wonderfully inspiring for whoever dreams of putting his project out there. And we are very delighted she accepted to share a slice of her journey with us.

Hi Clémence, tell us about you!

I was born in Nice, France, and grew up in Dubai before attending college in London. I've always been a curious person, and back in early 00's in Dubai, access to culture was limited. Because of censorship, I had to learn how to use VPNs so I could create a MySpace page, which was prohibited at the time. I grew up watching shows like Seinfeld and Friends which definitely inspired me to move to NYC. Which is funny because none of these shows are actually shot in NYC - it's a constructed Hollywood version of it. I've worked in advertising, film, and tech start-ups. I had a brief stint writing comedy and then started Passerbuys as a passion project. I left my full-time job in January of 2017 so that I could dedicate more time to it, and I've worked with some amazing brands like West Elm, Urban Outfitters, and Sonos. I'm currently working on another market with Urban Outfitters for the holidays that will feature gifts under $100 with proceeds going to hurricane relief.

How did you come up with the idea of Passerbuys?

I'm big on people-watching. More often than not when someone with an interesting look passes me by on the street, I'll wonder about their daily routine, what they like to do or what they are reading. Add that to the fact I was new to NYC and didn't have any girlfriends that could navigate me through the city, I created Passerbuys. I never really trusted Yelp or similar websites, it was always the same recommendations and it's always an editor behind them - I wanted to create a platform where I would gather all the recommendations from real people. It doesn't get more authentic than that.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Podcasts can be the most instant way for me to get inspiration. There are some really good podcasts out there that I really love and would recommend: How I Built This, La Poudre, Les Chemins de la Philosophie, or Still Processing. . I'm a little bit of a self-proclaimed cinephile and I love to go to Film Society of the Lincoln Center or IFC Center , which also has good programming. Above all, I get my inspiration from the women I'm lucky to meet through Passerbuys. It's an inspiration engine!

What's the best advice you would give people who struggle to realize their dreams?

I think it's about having the right mindset: being patient and acknowledging your accomplishments and simply keeping at it. We all have our moments where we are close to giving up, but that's the critical juncture in moving towards your potential. The ones left standing after that moment has passed tend to go on to do the things they want to do.

Where can we find you in NYC?

- Film Society at Lincoln Center
- The Scalino Restaurant in Greenpoint for their Espresso - there is nothing fancy there but for me, it is for me the best one in Brooklyn
- Raoul's in Soho - for their Martinis - if you like to treat yourself

Follow Clémence and Passerbuys on Instagram @clemencepoles and @passerbuys, and check below a few of the hundreds of beautiful portraits from Passerbuys.

{ On showing her Passerbuys }

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