Emma Chamberlain: The Rise of the Influencer in Fashion
The rise of social media has created an abundance of internet influencers, content creators. Now considered the new generation of celebrities. A large portion of fashion today is consumed through social media via trendsetters, fashionistas and trailblazers. They have emerged from all over the world influencing fashion as we know it. Currently, an influencer that has gained recognition from established fashion houses is YouTuber and Tik-Toker Emma Chamberlain.
Early Days of Emma
Emma posted her first YouTube video on June 2nd 2017. One month later her video titled ‘We All Owe The Dollar Store An Apology’ became viral, making her a micro-celebrity. As a young teen at the time, she was a hot topic and became the new ‘it’ girl on Instagram. Her fashion style was a mixture of punk rock, sports luxe and y2k trends. Followers quickly desired her wardrobe and labelled it as unique.
Emma became known for her love of thrifting and finding authentic vintage pieces to create her outfits. The affordable and attainable fashions she favoured caught the attention of teens all over the world. She became a muse to her followers who used her as a style guide and trend forecaster. Her personality has also shone through her style, making her very relatable via her vlogs.
Notable Style
Her most common thrift finds include a vast range of graphic tees, Levi’s, Dickie’s, and the occasional vintage piece from Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Nike. Her clothes are reasonably inexpensive, (as low as $30 for 10 items) making it perfect for the average teen to afford.
Her everyday looks are centred around comfort yet put-together. She complements her style with a fresh no-makeup face and youthful hair. She confidently wears bright colours and bold print choices inspired by the 90s and balances them with neutral accessories or clothing pieces.
Emma & High Fashion
Emma’s initial approach to fashion was always to experiment with different colours, trends, genres, and androgyny. This experimental approach has been most helpful with her transition into the high fashion lifestyle.
Her first fashion experience was the Louis Vuitton 2017 autumn/winter show in Paris which she attended. Emma grew a strong relationship with the fashion house, sporting many of their pieces throughout her social media and public events. Her gratitude for the brand has led them to work together on numerous occasions, including inviting Emma to her first Met Gala in 2021.
Emma snagged a prime spot at the Gala as she worked with Vogue to interview the guests on the red carpet on their gowns and inspiration.
High Fashion
As Emma increased her brand awareness, she began appearing in magazines, being the cover girl of many. These magazines include Cosmopolitan, W mag, Lucid mag, Forbes, Vogue, Australia, Allure to name a few. Her increased exposure has allowed fashion houses such as Moschino, Off-White, and Fendi to acknowledge her. Emma received many gifts for PR from the houses to promote to her personal audience.
Partnerships
Her love for loungewear is also emulated through her partnership with Calvin Klein. Emma often speaks about how important comfort is to her style. Her love for Calvin was born from her early days of thrifting and finding vintage pieces from the brand. Modelling and creating content for Calvin’s YouTube channel has gained her and Calvin Klein widespread attraction.
Emma Today
Emma has created many fashion lines by herself and in partnership with companies. One of her collaborations includes her sunglasses line with Crap eyewear, which is on-trend as she has expressed her passion for eyewear throughout her YouTube career. For her, accessories can elevate an outfit, whether it’s been thrifted or designer bought.
Another clothing line she has previously launched is her brand High Key, ranging from jackets to hair scrunchies at affordable prices through the Dote app. She now has her own merchandise label which sells comfy loungewear suitable for indoor and outdoor fashion.
From filming videos in the back of her bedroom to walking the red carpet and working with designer brands, Emma Chamberlain has become aspirational. Especially in an age of globalisation. She has proved that anyone can grow their following by being passionate about what they love and staying authentically true to themselves. As this is only the beginning for Emma Chamberlain, we cannot wait to see what else is yet to come!
