Emma Chamberlain is a name that most people are familiar with if they’ve watched videos on the platform of Youtube. She’s an influencer who began her career on Youtube at only 16 years old. An easily relatable high school student, her quirky editing and honest documentation of her life took off in a way that I’m sure she never imagined it would. The fact that she was so honest and open with her life drew a lot of people to her videos, and she proceeded to gain many subscribers. Currently, Emma’s channel boasts 11.9 million subscribers. She used to post frequently, but since her evolution from an influencer to the fashion world’s darling (plus other pursuits), she’s taken to posting perhaps once or twice a month. Of course, she participates on other channels for their content. For example, she recently gave a house tour on Architectural Digest which racked up 7.2 million views. 

Today, she is an ambassador of Louis Vuitton and has attended Paris Fashion Week three times. She was also invited to the Met Gala as a host for Vogue. If some people don’t recognize Emma’s name attached to fashion, they may recognize it attached to coffee. She began her own coffee brand, Chamberlain Coffee, which is committed to giving customers organic, delicious, sustainable coffee in 2019. Her podcast, Anything Goes, began in 2019 as well, in which Emma discusses anything and everything on her mind as the name might suggest. 

There has been backlash about Emma and other influencers being invited to what used to be considered “elite events”. In an interview with V magazine, Emma said this about the changing definition of celebrity and what that could mean for the fashion world: “In a sense, the fashion world itself has been around forever and influencers and digital celebrities are very new and haven’t necessarily earned their stripes yet … I understand that kind of discomfort from people who have been into fashion since they were younger (where) maybe it was before this was all a thing and seeing digital influencers come in feels wrong. At the same time, the world of fashion and fame has to evolve in order for it to grow, so this is a natural part of that and it only makes sense.”

Again, this age of media and her soaring success proves that pretty much anyone is capable of doing great things and achieving unthinkable accomplishments if they just put themselves out there. It may seem difficult to think of influencers as typical entrepreneurs, but they are really just investing in themselves as a business. Some do go on to start more normal types of businesses with the platform of followers that they have built. 

From a normal high school teenager to walking red carpets, Emma has broken past the typical influencer timeline. Many influencers peak in their careers and face a steady decline. They get invited to less events, make less money, and go viral less often as the viewers move on to the next big thing. Emma chose to go big or go home, branching out as far as she can. It took her far, and as she begins to become more comfortable in the elite fashion world, I can see her carving out a unique niche for herself as a self-made influencer to celebrity.

articles:

https://www.michigandaily.com/arts/b-side/why-is-emma-chamberlain-the-new-face-of-fashion/

https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/emma-chamberlain#:~:text=Emma%20Chamberlain%20is%20a%20content,and%2011.8%20million%20Youtube%20subscribers.

https://thehowler.org/16265/category-5/the-evolution-of-emma-chamberlains-success/

chamberlain coffee:

https://chamberlaincoffee.com/pages/about

Emma’s Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@emmachamberlain