Luke Meagher: YouTube's No. 1 fashion critic on calling out "The Emperor's New Clothes"
The fact that "the emperor's new clothes" are also discussed in the digital era by means of a comment function is one of the secrets of success of the social media star, who now devotes himself full-time to his growing community on his channel Haute Le Mode, as he tells L'Officiel Austria.
What did you like so much about YouTube that you became a content creator?
Luke Meagher: "I jumped on the YouTube bandwagon because I had the feeling that people were really interested in the person. And it didn't always have to be about things you wear. It's more about educating yourself and learning."
Speaking of education, you know so much about fashion. Where did you learn that?
Luke Meagher: "I was about 15 years old when I started looking into it. I read a lot, for example, Wikipedia pages, because there was a lot of information there, at least for someone who couldn't afford every single magazine. So in that respect, I read a lot on the internet and watched old fashion shows on YouTube. And as time went on, I thought, "Okay, maybe I should read a book about this, because there might be a lot more information in that than I initially thought." These are things that have nothing to do with normal academic education."
Do you see yourself as an independent content creator?
Luke Meagher: "Personally, I felt that no one knew who I was or what I was doing because I think a lot of people don't watch YouTube when they work in fashion. That's where this idea of independence comes from. But since the pandemic, I've become much more open to brands and communicate with them in a way that allows me to still be unbiased."
Right now, everyone has the opportunity to express their opinions publicly. But why are many influencers not doing just that?
Luke Meagher. "I don't know any celebrities that I talk about personally. And in that respect, I think being able to be so far removed from the people or the collections or the brands that are being talked about gives me the opportunity to really say what they feel."
The credo of the industry in the last decade has been to make fashion more democratic. Do you think that has really happened?
Luke Meagher: "I think things have become much more democratic through social media. But I wouldn't say that's the case with the fashion industry. Especially when it comes to jobs in the industry, it definitely needs even more diversity."
