How do psychology and fashion come together? For Erika Santos, they form the foundation of a unique and impactful career. Brazilian-born and globally recognized, Erika is a prominent Fashion and Travel influencer with over 2 million followers across her social media platforms and the numbers continue to grow.
A familiar face on the covers of top magazines and a regular at all major international Fashion Weeks, Erika balances her dynamic presence as Director of Style at @TidelliOutdoor with a packed schedule of interviews, mentorships, public talks and photo shoots. Yet, she still finds time to engage deeply with her ever-expanding audience.
Beyond social media, Erika shares her insights and passions through the “Influencers Academy,” a school she founded to empower the next generation of creators. Her global speaking engagements reflect her mission: to inspire authenticity, creativity, sustainability and self-care.
Erika’s influence has earned her international recognition, including the World Best Blogger Award by Forbes (2019) and the World Influencer Awards’ Best Blogger (2019). With extensive travel to over 70 countries, and all seven continents, Erika has served as a featured expert for brands, nations and government campaigns, bridging the gap between digital storytelling and real-world impact.
Her life journey spans continents: from Brazil to Greece, where she lived part-time for over a decade, married to a Greek husband, to three years in Los Angeles and back to her home country, Brazil. Her voice resonates with a global audience, advocating for a future where digital platforms offer meaningful solutions to real-life challenges.
Fearless and quick-thinking, Erika thrives in unpredictable environments, whether navigating severe weather, embracing high-speed travel, adapting to local customs or shifting between rugged adventures and luxury experiences. Her storytelling is both entertaining and heartfelt, connecting authentically with diverse demographics around the world.
What motivated you to transition from a career in psychology and consumer behavior to becoming a fashion influencer and blogger?
I was a curious, very creative and funny child born and raised in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. My father, of Italian origin, was the light of my life. My mom was struggling with what we understand better now as being bipolar, with no diagnosis or medication available at the time. While she has always been very strict, aggressive and demanding with me and my sister, she always showed her love through sewing for us.
I lost my dad in a motorcycle accident when he was 47 and I was 15 years old. Three years later, my mom suffered an aneurysm surgery, became paralyzed and has been in a wheelchair ever since. These heartbreaking, personal tragedies have shaped my character and capacity to feel empathy for others. I believe this is why I chose to study psychology in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, making it on my own, to support myself and my mom.
But as I grew up, choosing my fabrics and drawing my clothes for my mom to sew, fashion was always around me, naturally. I was always doing styling jobs for friends’ friends and soon I was being contracted to do styling for Fashion Shows in São Paulo Fashion Week, signing shop windows, visual merchandising, collaborations and marketing campaigns for many brands. As a truly creative person, it seems a very natural choice for me.
Can you describe your journey in the fashion industry and how your background in psychology has influenced your approach to fashion marketing and trends?
Fashion has always naturally appeared in my life. It began with sewing with my mom and turned into 28 years of experience. I climbed the career ladder from the very bottom, starting as a salesperson, to support my studies as a psychologist and progressed to roles in visual merchandising, styling, international buying, Retail Director and Marketing Director for many major international brands. I continued my career track as a fashion correspondent for many years, attending all the major Fashion Weeks around the world, writing for magazines like L’Officiel Brazil, as well as my blog.
As a travel and fashion blogger, traveling has always been part of my work in fashion and I always loved to explore destinations to discover new spots, vintage shopping, cutting-edge spas, restaurants and non-touristic places. For some years now, countries have invited me on official press trips to visit and cover their fashion and culture scenes. And of course, as a fashion lover and former stylist, I always bring fashion with me wherever I go; as we can’t travel naked, although that sounds like fun!
My favorite trips are to places where people usually don’t want to visit because of preconceived ideas or prejudices, that are based on lack of information, one-sided media coverage and complete misunderstanding about what the country and people are really like. It is why I love to support a change perception project, where I can show my audience the reality and what mainstream media does not cover about these perhaps complicated, but fascinating destinations.
You mentioned the importance of relationships in your success. How do you cultivate and maintain these connections within the fashion industry?
My mission as a human being and a truly professional has always been universal, to serve my patients, colleagues and audience wherever I am and in whatever I do. My focus has always been on my relationships and the values threaded through everything I do. I make sure that I am true, honest, humble and real. I guess real is the key word. So, it’s very natural that I have an amazing relationship wherever I’ve been and worked with and it’s because I truly believe that the only way a relationship can be sustainable is being good for both sides. Otherwise, it will naturally die if it’s not nurturing for all evolved. And here it serves for all kinds of relationships: marriage, friendships, family and work.
As a trend forecaster for major brands, what key trends do you see shaping the future of fashion, particularly in relation to sustainability and inclusivity?
There is no time for superficiality anymore. After a long way, it seems that finally people are realizing that authenticity is the way to express yourself and that being you is your biggest strength and the safest place. So, it’s time to support your people and brands and add real value to their lives.
Information is now everywhere. We know the brands that work with underpaid workers. Our bodies naturally don’t like to dress in polyester fabrics and we know the value of using vintage clothes and being sustainable. Everyone has the same pain now. As we speak, I am supporting small businesses, restaurants and new fashion designers without charging for these services. I’ve always done that and will always do it.
Right now, serious influencers should support the market and provide real and valuable information, encourage discussions and invite psychologists and health professionals to promote emotional support for the people. This is the moment to use our voices to support all those whom we truly believe. This is the real power of the digital era and it is our responsibility to use it for a good cause. The influencers who are not doing this right now didn’t understand what is happening worldwide.
What challenges did you face when starting your blog and how did you overcome them to establish your presence in the fashion community?
Like any human being, I struggled with all family beliefs, media and religion manipulation and especially being a woman, I always had to prove myself and be very brave to say what I think, even if it wasn’t the thought of the majority. Many times, I was so afraid to do that. It was a very long way to believe in my talents and gifts.
So, it is like a psychological journey. There is a lot of healing needed for our souls.
Be your authentic self. The context is always linked to what is happening worldwide. Now, for example, everyone has the same pain and fears, everyone is on a post-traumatic anxiety after pandemic and talk about this and with suggestions about how to deal with the anxiety crisis, how to leave all manipulation of the markets and be your true self and consume what really makes you express yourself are the key factors. Fashion should be about this.
So, for any market, including fashion, not being your true self and looking for solutions and value outside yourself is just something very alienating right now and causes a lot of pain. So, if I can offer a message of encouragement, it is:
Dress whatever makes you feel really you. Express yourself with what makes you shine bright. Be yourself.
How do you balance your various roles—such as blogger, public relations consultant and trend forecaster—while promoting wellness and fitness?
Working in psychology and fashion for more than 28 years has made me a witness to the evolution that took place between then and now. It is an eye-opening experience, and amazingly, people are finally coming to an understanding that we are all in a service business, doesn’t matter which service or product you work with. It is all about the truth, the relationship and respect that we develop with the customer. If your company doesn’t have that, you will struggle sooner or later and online shopping is exposing this right now.
Now, I am the Director of Style of a huge company of luxury outdoor furniture @tidellioutdoor with more than 50 stores worldwide and I continue to work as a psychologist as well.
Consumers and patients truly appreciate the value of truth, creativity and share in the mission and vision of a brand and its professionals and can see whether it is committed to its core values and not just the marketing behind it. The consumers demand sustainable corporate and personal behavior and they only choose to associate with the brands and professionals that can truly match their values. The power of information is the light of new times!
Wellness and fitness were always part of my life and self-care. Inertia generates diseases for the body and mind. It’s extremely crucial to move your body, eat healthy and have moments of pleasure daily to build a sustainable healthy life.
You don’t achieve what you desire. You achieve what you are vibrating in. That’s why it’s essential to elevate your vibration. To let go of what doesn’t serve you anymore. And opening space for what brings you genuine joy and happiness. Return to your essence is the only way to realize what really matters.
What has been the most rewarding experience for you as a fashion correspondent during Fashion Weeks worldwide?
So many amazing moments and highlights. It has been an honor to work and dress in many fashion designers’ clothes. And so important as well are the photographs that register with art these moments as Fatti Arantes, Irma Photo, Arthur Ferreira and Jude, among others.
If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring fashion influencers looking to make their mark, what would it be?
Be true. Be honest with yourself first. I’ve always been a hard worker, but I worked especially hard on my social media for so many years, experiencing both success and failure. I have dealt with so many ups and downs, swallowed my pride so many times, but I never ever gave up on being consistent in my service to my community and patients.
I encourage my fellow influencers and patients to tell their true story, show who they are. Establish a genuine connection with the self, the other and the audience and really care and respect one another. We are building a huge community of awakening and sincere empathy and these values will influence our decisions from now on.
In what ways do you hope to use your platform to advocate for social causes, and how do you integrate these messages into your fashion content?
With all the changes happening right now, I understand my responsibility to grow and support my community and patients. I decided to organize sessions and master classes, free of charge, for all interested emerging influencers and individuals who want to develop themselves.
There is an urgency, a paradigm shift happening right now and now is the time to connect with your people from heart to heart with empathy and truth. Now is the time to be real and show your true self. There is no more room for superficiality.
And I am an animal protector. Pets are one of the causes I support. I have always been involved in supporting serious animal NGOs in Brazil, and I have contributed to all their campaigns for adoption and neutering. Last year alone, using my media channels, I was able to help facilitate 187 adoptions, 365 fixes and 18 tons of dog and cat food for donations. I do this wherever I am and even when I am traveling. I can’t see an animal on the street and do nothing.
Looking ahead, where do you envision your personal brand evolving in the next five years, especially regarding your engagement with global audiences?
I am right now developing a visionary technique to treat trauma and blockages with music and shadow work and soon I will be forming amazing professionals worldwide.
I envision organizing more sessions, talks, discussions, workshops, small group trips and retreats around the world, always in a very elegant and fashionable way in the most beautiful places of the world, Greece being one of them. Despite using online tools and resources, I truly believe in the energy of personal encounter: eyes with eyes, heart with heart in a genuine hug.
There’s so much to share about and what really gives me true happiness is to collaborate with the personal and professional growth of amazing creative individuals that say YES to themselves and give permission to their bodies to be themselves and embody the pleasure of just being.“