OnlyOnAOL: Sofia Richie shares her sister Nicole's advice for navigating fame
BY: GIBSON JOHNS
Sofia Richie is the coolest 17-year-old in America.
The daughter of Motown legend Lionel Richie and sister of socialite-turned-designer Nicole Richie, she is beginning to pave her own path success. In July, she was picked as the new face of Madonna's Material Girl Collection for Macy's, and it's easy to see why: Richie perfectly embodies the line's combination of edge and girlish style.
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Before jumping into the spotlight, though, Richie made sure to pick her sister Nicole's brain for advice on how to approach such a high-profile gig. Nicole, who has had her fair share of struggles when it came to dealing with her fame, had simple words for her younger sister: be yourself and surround yourself with good people.
%shareLinks-quote="I just try to stick with the people that I feel are best for me." type="quote" author="Sofia Richie" authordesc="" isquoteoftheday="false"%
"Nicole was all over the place at some points, and she always told me that as long as I stay connected to my family, and stay connected to the people around you that are the most important and steer you in the right direction, then you'll be OK," Richie explains exclusively to AOL while wearing head-to-toe Material Girl. "Sometimes you can get distracted with people that aren't healthy for your career or your life, so I just try to stick with the people that I feel are best for me."
See some of Sofia Richie's coolest Instagrams:
One of those people that she keeps in her inner circle? Her boyfriend of just over a year, Jake Andrews, who she met at New York Fashion Week last fall. According to Richie, the stylish duo "feed off of each other when it comes to fashion," and she borrows his clothes all the time (his drop-crotch sweatpants are her favorite). But, beyond that, what makes their relationship click is their ability to block out the noise.
"We don't really ever have conflict and we're in our own little bubble," Richie describes of their relationship. "Even though we go out, branch out, and have all of these crazy friends, we're very tight in one circle. We are soul mates -- best friends. Our favorite thing to do is just chill and watch movies."
So, really, what makes Richie so cool is her inclination towards living a low-key life, without losing her penchant for style. She's simultaneously approachable and enviable, your best friend and your bad-ass younger sister. She's a true original, which makes her the perfect face for Material Girl, a collection helmed by the perhaps the most original person there is, Madonna.
As Richie describes, the essence of Material Girl is "just dressing as you as an individual. You can be yourself anywhere with this brand. Like, I'm wearing all Material Girl, and I feel edgier in this. But there are sides to it that are still very girlie and fun and young."
Sofia Richie may be using those words to describe the clothing line she's representing, but she might as well be using them to describe herself. She's just that cool.
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