For 18-year-old model and fashion influencer Mathilde Mellor, fashion and styling has always been a huge part of her life. But it wasn’t until the age of 15 that she formed a fascination for fashion and began to morph into the style icon she is now. “My dad has always encouraged me to get into fashion as it’s such a huge part of his life” she says. “I’ve grown up with him telling me stories about how he used to save up all year to buy a Comme Des Garcons or Stone Island jacket with the little money he had, so I feel like I’ve always been interested in clothes.” Mixing y2k and 90s fashion with streetwear and designer brands, Mathilde’s YouTube channel and Instagram feed showcase her flawless fits and effortlessly elegant energy.
Mathilde has been creating fashion content for most of her teenage years, and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. “I’ve always been a creative child and have been obsessed with photography and filmmaking for as long as I can remember, so it just felt right to start a Youtube channel.” Mathilde started her channel towards the start of secondary school but ended up deleting it due to negative comments from peers at school. “Then I realised that I didn’t care what people thought about me so decided to start again and haven’t looked back since.”
2020 has presented Mathilde with more opportunities than ever, despite the current state of the world. Her creativity isn’t just limited to her fashion, but can also be seen in her editing, styling and modeling work across her social media. Working with brands such as JADED LONDON and Urban Outfitters, her signature style combines sleek lines and simple fits with a pop of colour in her chunky rings, designer bags and Dior print accessories— all working together to make her style so personal and unique to her.
For Mathilde, fashion is an expression of herself and a creative outlet in which she can show her individuality. Like all of us, she says “I look back and cringe at the things I used to wear,” but her fashion is always changing and mirrors her personal growth, “I still don’t think I’ve found my style and I’m not sure if I will ever feel I have.”
What have you been up to recently?
MATHILDE MELLOR: I moved to London in September to train at dance school and also signed with my modeling agency around the same time so I’ve spent the last few months adjusting to city life. I’ve been working on loads of exciting projects and have been lucky enough to have collaborated with some of my favourite brands over the last month or so which has been keeping me very busy.
Where do you get your style inspiration from?
MATHILDE MELLOR: I’d say I get most of my style inspiration from the people I follow on Instagram and random pictures I see on Pinterest. I also watch a lot of documentaries as well as hip hop music videos which tend to showcase insane garms. Some of my favourite fashion influencers and stylists are Iris Law, Leah Abbott, Kate Ahn, Lindsay Vrckovnik, Jordan Daniels, Elias Riadi, Chi Virgo, Daniela Contreiras and, of course, Devon Lee Carslon. Again, my dad is also a huge inspiration to me in the way he introduces me to lots of brands and designers— I don’t think I’ve gone a day without him sending me a link to an article he’s seen on Highsnobiety or Hypebeast. Despite this, I think there’s a common misconception about having to get your style from someone or somewhere else. Sometimes I just inspire myself and create outfits because I like them, not because I’ve seen someone wearing them.
What does fashion mean to you?
MATHILDE MELLOR: Honestly, fashion has just become my life recently— I often can’t sleep at night because I’m planning outfits in my head and envisioning how I can style new pieces I’ve bought. I find it not only to be a creative outlet and an artform to me but also something that can make me feel so confident and powerful in myself which I think is so important.
What do you do to make sure you’re ethically aware in your fashion?
MATHILDE MELLOR: I originally started buying second hand garms because I wanted to wear clothes that no one else had— I wasn’t even considering the idea of it being more sustainable. As I got older I educated myself on the impact of fast fashion (especially as I’m a vegan, I’m very conscious of things like climate change) and found myself always gravitating towards secondhand clothing. I love the way you can buy clothes from decades ago and just find such rare pieces for cheap prices.
Favourite piece you’ve ever thrifted?
MATHILDE MELLOR: Technically my mum thrifted it but for my 16th birthday I got a vintage Louis Vuitton brown monogram jumper which is literally my prized possession. I struggle to wear it out because of how precious it is to me.
What are your favourite type of videos to film?
MATHILDE MELLOR: I think my favourite videos to film are “what I wore in a week” or vlogs due to how chilled they are and I feel I can show my personality the most in them. I also adore hauls, as you can probably tell by my content. I love shopping and I love filming videos so it ticks all the boxes really.
How did you get into modeling?
MATHILDE MELLOR: I began doing occasional shoots through Instagram when I was about 16 but they were very irregular and nothing serious. I was scouted in summer and then signed to MMG in late August/early September so have only been modeling professionally for a few months.
Were you overwhelmed by how quickly you gained such a big following?
MATHILDE MELLOR: Over the last year my following has increased massively. I feel mostly grateful that people have taken the time out of their day to follow me and support my work. The love I have for my followers is immense as it makes all the hard work and negativity from people at school worthwhile.
What do you do to take time away from your screen and recenter when things get overwhelming?
MATHILDE MELLOR: Seeing my friends is my favourite way to destress, more specifically having a movie and pamper day at my best friend James’ house. I also really enjoy reading with a cup of mint tea; however, I don’t do that enough!
How important do you think social media is in sharing young creatives’ work and connecting with other like-minded people?
MATHILDE MELLOR: I think social media is extremely important in inspiring young people and giving them a creative outlet to share their art. For me at least, I feel it allows people to be confident in other ways that they may not feel comfortable being in real life as well as giving people a platform to speak on important matters. As a generation, I feel social media has been very unifying in the way it has enabled lots of young creatives like myself to experience things and meet people that I would never have met if I didn’t do Instagram.
What advice do you have for aspiring young creatives?
MATHILDE MELLOR: My main advice would be to simply be yourself. We spend our lives admiring and envying people in real life, but mainly on social media, and find ourselves getting into a routine of basing things we do on other people. I feel most confident when I post unique content that feels genuine to me which in turn, is very endearing to other people. I would also say to disregard other people’s opinions on you and your work. As I’ve grown up with people mocking what I do, my dad has always told me that there are always going to be people in your life that hate what you do, and others that love it. No matter what you do there will always be judgement, so you might as well do whatever the hell you want.
Make sure to follow Mathilde Mellor on Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube.
