Ashley, who goes by the name bestdressed for her YouTube channel is a perfect poster child for Gen Z. Squeezing time out of her busy study schedule for her love of filmmaking and fashion and now working full-time as a YouTuber, living through the entrepreneurial spirit of making a name and the career for herself to experimenting with unconventional choices while voicing out opinions on issues big and small, Ashley represents the thriving spirit of the young people today. Her videos can be distinctly identified due to their aesthetic appeal, owing to the hours this creator spends in creating, editing, and refining her projects.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BkkyMzcg2R5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
A solo-preneur, Ashley is a true inspiration for people who are looking for ways to leverage their creativity through platforms like YouTube. She is not just a businesswoman who runs her own store but is also a jewelry maker, a filmmaker and a creator who completely controls the creative process of the work she puts forth. To anyone who feels that they would need a team to manage these aspects of their job, Ashley even after scoring over a million subscribers, keeps the process to herself. This also makes her work creatively stimulating, which is a rarity these days.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B24fJBMlH61/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Growing up in the YouTube community, the thrift fashion queen began her journey through the hit and trial method as she explored content she could produce as the participant of the community, she was usually a consumer of. When nothing worked, she only strived harder to find a way to make it work. What might have begun as a distraction turned into a good business and creative opportunity when Ashley started working as a reseller for her thrift hauls and produce videos to help other people leverage this sustainable trend. In an interview with TubeFilter, she revealed,
“When I was in third grade, I actually started my first-ever channel called PipeCleanerStudios where I uploaded animations of a pipe cleaner dinosaur named Charlie and got like two views. Eventually I started recording knockoff CommunityChannel stand-up, but quickly realized how embarrassing that was and deleted my channel. The second time around, when I started this channel my senior year of high school, I genuinely just wanted an outlet for my love for fashion and a way to participate in the YouTube community I grew up with. I remember writing in my journal that I wanted to be a graphic designer, architect, or YouTuber, but never in my wildest dreams did I think that last option would come true.”
When people worked hard to adorn fast-fashion, Ashley worked harder to promote re-usable fashion choices and even today, her feed is easily identifiable with the coats, trousers, tops, and jewelry, she repurposes for different occasions.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4pFPl1lOIW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/BueUrQrFED5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
But she is not just known for fashion vlogs and tutorials. Her apartment makeover videos get an equal share of attention. Minimalistic in nature, her makeover videos give a glimpse into her psyche as a creator: ‘make most of the few’.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6bmd3cF9GD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
What also makes her stand out is her ability to keep her work unfiltered. As we watch her tutorials, monologues, and vlogs, we also encounter a person who has a specific perspective towards her life and things that go around her.
“The way I see it, there are two schools of fashion and beauty YouTubers: the old-school picture-perfect guru, and the relatable, “effortless” vlogger. I don’t quite fall into either category. I’m honest about my flaws and awkward moments, but I’m also an absolute tryhard. I also feel like whether it’s through a fake smile or self-deprecating jokes, a lot of YouTube videos feel dumbed down to the least common denominator of entertainment. I refuse to do that — I want to show my viewers you can love fashion and have informed political opinions and care about larger issues and have stupid brain fart moments and get straight A’s and have an existential crisis all at once.”
Her humorous commentaries and opinion which she jokingly says can get her demonetized makes her work lively and by the end of the video, you are not just in awe of the content but also much more aware of the creator who produced it. She has completely thrown the concept of “art for ask’s sake” out of the window and we absolutely love it!
Below are some of our favorite videos from bestdressed:
Do you follow bestdressed videos? Share your favorite video or post from her via tweet @Fuzzable.