Fashion influencer Chriselle Lim is poised for world wide web domination

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2016 InStyle And Warner Bros. 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards Post-Party - Arrivals
2016 InStyle And Warner Bros. 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards Post-Party - Arrivals


By BANU IBRAHIM

There are very few fashion bloggers that can compare to Chriselle Lim. She has single-handedly built a fashion and lifestyle empire that is almost two million followers strong across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. And at the same time, she somehow manages to run her famous social platforms, get to the top of almost every Fashion Week's best dressed list, conduct incredible interviews (like her special with Hillary Clinton), and find time to be a full-time mom.

She really is a modern-day Renaissance woman.

But if you think that she's going to stop there, then think again. Chriselle's genuine drive and passion for her creative work shows zero signs of stopping as she continues to increase the amount of stunning content she pushes out. That means more street styles, more parenting vlogs, and definitely more wanderlust-inducing travel snaps. Ultimately, Chriselle will be giving her fans what they want the most: more of her incredible perspective on all-things lifestyle through unique YouTube tutorials or her daily blog posts.

All in all, Chriselle really is poised to take over the world wide web (if she hasn't already).

So if you haven't gotten to know Chriselle yet, now is as good a time as any to start. Ahead, we talked to her about her sudden rise to social fame, how she balances her personal life with her demanding work life, and the one designer who has influenced her style since she was a teenager.

And if you want even more Chriselle Lim news, head over to AOL.com at 12 pm and 6 pm EST today for more exclusive videos, photos, and interviews. ​Or check out the AOL Lifestyle Instagram, where she'll be posting her insider Fashion Week photos all day.



How did your social media platforms first come to life?
I started in 2010, and by then there was a number of influencers that were making it big on Youtube, but by all means it was nothing like it is today. So I actually started out after I met a girl named Michelle Phan through mutual friends. I asked her what she did and she said she was a makeup artist and so I started following her on Twitter and was so confused as to how she had millions of followers. And that was my first exposure to the digital world. I was on the flip side, focusing on the editorial side of things. I was working at a luxury publication called GenLuxe in Los Angeles and it was the glamorous life; I got to style celebrities and covers of shoots, so it was the opposite of the digital world. But Michelle really taught me the ins and outs of everything and I remember finding it so interesting. And then instantly, overnight, one of our fashion videos got over half a million views. At the time there was no one doing fashion on the YouTube space -- it was really just reserved for beauty. There was a lacking of content for full-on fashion tutorials and tips and that's where I saw the gap and the opportunity to start my channel.




And I think because I come from a more professional styling background that it really helped my channels, since the audience looked at me not as their peer, but more as their teacher; they wanted to come and learn something from me. I think because of the right timing, and because of content that was not available online at the time, it just skyrocketed overnight. And when I realized that I couldn't keep up with the demand of the videos people wanted, I started my blog The Chriselle Factor, because the turn around time for photos is a lot faster than for videos. And as my channel grew, my blog grew together; and that was six years ago. And now we're a small team of seven people and we have an office in downtown L.A., and we're just constantly creating beautiful content for our followers.

You kind of touched on it a little bit, but how has it been sustaining your presence online, and finding that middle ground between creating enough content to go up on YouTube and your blog while also managing your personal life?
I think in the beginning, because we were building the blog and YouTube channel, it was okay that I posted whenever I could. As we got bigger and as our numbers grew, you have more a of a responsibility, because people are coming to you everyday for something. There was a point in my career, maybe two years ago, when I was completely exhausted and I wasn't feeling inspired anymore. I was just trying to do everything myself and I would be up until five every morning writing the blog posts, editing images,and editing videos -- because most people are bloggers or vloggers, but I'm both. I have to dedicate equally to both things, so technically it was two separate jobs.



I ended up working until the point of exhaustion, and I really wasn't enjoying it anymore. That's when I thought, "I really can't do this. I started this because I loved it and I need to find more help." And once we hired our first employee I thought, "This is amazing!" I need to hire more and more people. I became addicted to finding good people because then I was able to enjoy myself more, enjoy my work more, and also have more of my family time as well. I'm now at the point where we have a good system with our team. For us, it's really important that things are consistent so that's how we as a team have been able to sustain the brand. We have a blog post that goes up every single day. And we're now starting to do two posts a day -- this is all original content, so everything is in-house. It's a lot of work. So every morning at six o'clock Pacific Standard Time, there's a post that goes up. And we've been doing this for two years now, so our followers just know to come back every single day. The same thing goes with YouTube, so we have a video that goes up every single Tuesday.

Overall, what would you describe the aesthetic for your brand as?
I mean, people call me the "Queen of Chic" and I think chic is just what we built our brand upon. So chic is one word that describes everything from my personal style to my lifestyle. It's very simple and minimalistic -- but still stylish.

And how often runway trends play into what you're wearing? Is it often, or do you find yourself sticking to more pieces that are timeless?
I think both. I feel like there's no right or wrong for fashion, it''s really what speaks to you. There are trends that I adopt because I love them at the moment and a year later I think they're completely ridiculous. But that's okay, at the moment if you feel good in it, there's nothing wrong with that. I think people are too hard on themselves with fashion and think "Oh I have to try that trend." I'm all for trying trends if they speak to you, but if it doesn't and it's trendy, then you shouldn't do it.

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Are there any designers you particularly like to emulate in your wardrobe?
Victoria Beckham for sure. She has been my everything since I was in middle school when she was just Posh Spice. Seeing her transition into this incredible mom and brand mogul has been so inspiring. Her sense of style also really speaks to me; its clean and sophisticated, but it's still trendy. She plays around with masculine silhouettes, but her designs still caters to femininity. And I think that's exactly who I am. I love rag & bone -- it's just such cool, wearable, street looks that still are so luxury. I think that's who the modern day woman is. She is on the streets running around, going from meetings to a party with her friends afterwards. rag & bone is a great example of a designer who understand the transitioning of wardrobes from day to night. And for me, my wardrobe has to be so flexible since I wear so many different hats during the day. And also Phillip Lim as well!

YouShouldKnow is a feature that showcases up-and-coming social stars. To see more of past interviews, click here. And come back at 12 pm EST for more exclusive Chriselle Lim features, including her most memorable Fashion Week moments!

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