Emma Chamberlain — The Gen Z Trendsetter
Written by Jessica Katz, Lifestyle Editorial Assistant
At only 19 years old, internet personality Emma Chamberlain has had major success in a variety of areas. In just a few years, Chamberlain has accumulated almost 10 million subscribers on her YouTube channel as well as roughly 12 million followers on Instagram. On top of her social media career, Chamberlain has had the opportunity to work with Louis Vuitton, even attending Paris Fashion Week in 2019. In addition to partnerships with Wildflower Cases and Bad Habit Beauty, she has her own line of merchandise, her own podcast and even her own coffee company, Chamberlain Coffee.
Clearly, Chamberlain can be considered an influencer. But many can argue that she is most influential when it comes to fashion. If you think about any recent trend, there is a very high chance that it started with Chamberlain.
Consider the “VSCO Girl,” for example — scrunchies, oversized tee shirts, Fjällräven backpacks. In 2019, Chamberlain was the poster child for this trend (Singer, 2019). She also brought mainstream popularity to items such as the I.Am.Gia Pixie Sherpa coat, or the brown teddy coat, printed dad sweaters, the shoelace belt and Doc Martens (Kephart, 2020)
Most recently, Chamberlain can be credited for bringing back the yoga pants trend. In Fall of 2020, she took to Twitter to express how much she missed the comfort of yoga pants. Just a few days later, she posted a selfie sporting oh-so-comfortable yoga pants combined with a Nike crewneck layered over a white turtleneck, a thick white headband and black sunglasses.
Let’s just say, I wasn’t the only one to quickly order a pair of black yoga pants after seeing Chamberlain’s post.
So, why has Chamberlain taken the title of “Gen Z Trendsetter?” She quickly gained popularity on YouTube for her sarcastic humor, caffeine addiction and authenticity. Watching her attempt to bake in her kitchen or vlog driving around felt like hanging out with a friend. She has always been highly relatable and effortlessly cool, and her audience desires to be just like her.
Not only is Chamberlain’s personality relatable, but she thrifts and shops at stores that are accessible and affordable for a lot of her viewers. While many influencers put emphasis on designer brands and high fashion statement pieces, she makes bold, fun fashion accessible and flattering for everyone.
Chamberlain always seems to be experimenting with her style, keeping it playful and unique to who she is in the moment. According to Chamberlain, “My style is mixing modern trends with retro trends and making them fit in a way that isn’t what you expect at all times” (Bobila, 2018).
With the start of a new year, Chamberlain took to YouTube to share some outfit inspiration for 2021. She began the video by saying she wants to up her game this year when it comes to her style. As usual, the outfits were bright and colorful, including many thrifted pieces. Some clothing she highlighted throughout the video were funky printed bags, narrow sunglasses and bold patterned pants.
Chamberlain made it clear that this year, she wants to step outside of her comfort zone. To her, that means playing with unfavorable color combinations and different “vibes.” For example, in her recent video, Chamberlain pairs a delicate, fitted black sweater with grunge, baggy neon pink pants — two completely different styles that somehow balance each other out.
I think we can all agree that when it comes to Gen Z, Emma Chamberlain deserves her title as a trendsetting queen. When she posts, the internet listens and fashionistas everywhere follow in her footsteps.
Sources:
Bobila, Maria. “How I Shop: Emma Chamberlain.” Fashionista. Fashionista, August 7, 2018.
Kephart, Huntyr. “Emma Chamberlain: The Trendsetting Gen Z Queen.” VALLEY Magazine, October 28, 2020.
Singer, Melissa. “What, Exactly, Is a ‘VSCO Girl’, and Why Are Brands Listening to Them?” The Sydney Morning Herald. The Sydney Morning Herald, September 28, 2019.