How Jenn Im used her YouTube stardom to launch her own clothing brand
On March 15th, 2018 27-year-old fashion, beauty, and lifestyle influencer and YouTube sensation Jenn Im launched her festival collection for her brand Eggie.
This fire new collection comes as another power move for Jenn Im, who has grown from a small outfit-of-the-day style channel to a creative self-starter with more than 2 million followers on YouTube over the course of 8 years.
Lively and youthful, the collection features pieces of various fabrics, colors, prints, and designs (polka dot, gingham, lace, silk, denim, etc.).
The collection includes sweaters, t-shirts, blouses, shorts, skirts, shorts, dresses, slips, matching sets, a pair of jeans, and a robe. Each piece captures the light, fun, vivacious mood of spring/summer, as well as Jenn Im’s own unique personality and style.
For example, one stand-out piece is the tee emblazoned with “Hot Cheetos Anonymous,” which references the vlogger/content creator’s favorite snack addiction.
In addition, with the Busan set (comprised of a matching top and trouser), Jenn Im as a Korean-American pays homage to a South Korean city known for its beaches.
Ranging between $25-89, the pieces are mid-priced and available to buy on the Eggie website.
The festival collection as a whole celebrates music festivals. Jenn Im is herself a regular attendee and vlogger at festivals like Outside Lands, Coachella, and Leeds.
Often, she will go with other YouTubers in her friend circle like Stephanie Villa (SoothingSista) or her fiancé Ben Jolliffe, who frequently assists with filming and is the drummer of English rock band Young Guns.
Jenn Im expresses her avid love of music and its impact on her collection. She notes on the Eggie website,
“This collection was inspired by all the music festivals I’ve attended and all the music festivals I want to hit this summer. Music has always had a heavy influence in my life, I remember being in my teens and just attending local shows.”
No stranger to both the aesthetic and practical needs of a festival-goer, Jenn Im wanted to create pieces that were “versatile” and “allow you to look your best AND be comfortable enough to dance the night away.”
In the announcement of her new collection, Jenn Im was thrilled by the support of her friends and fans. On March 30th, Jenn Im held a promotional event to celebrate the launch, and guests included loved ones and well-known influencers like Jackie Aina and Joan Kim.
The festival collection is Eggie’s third collection, an ambitious endeavor considering that the California-based clothing line has been live for less than a year.
As an up-and-coming brand, Eggie has blasted its way onto the fashion scene with its trendy and wearable streetstyle designs, propelled by its exposure on Jenn Im’s YouTube channel and Instagram.
Eggie is named for the Korean word for “baby” because Jenn is the baby of her family and, as Eggie’s founder, she considers the brand as her baby. About the mission of Eggie, she states,
“This line reflects my own personal wardrobe and is designed for today’s customer who loves to reinvent their look and doesn’t want to be labeled or boxed into one style. My goal with this line is to push the boundaries of fashion and include a selection of gender fluid pieces that are inclusive for all. People can express themselves through Eggie, and experiment with styles that effortlessly transform themselves from polished to punk.”
When she started her channel in 2010, Jenn Im did not anticipate how her self-expression would lead to her blossoming career or how she would build a community of loyal subscribers. Her YouTube channel was initially named ClothesEncounters and was a joint project with her college friend, Sarah Chu.
In a Q & A video, the two spoke about the origins of the channel. Jenn said,
“I just noticed there was a huge hole in the fashion realm [at the time], and I was like ‘Hey, maybe that could be what we bring to the table’…It’s pretty scary putting yourself out there online. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you [Sarah] because it would have been so awkward to be like ‘Hey Mom, can you film me?’.”
Sarah also added,
“Jenn thought there were other girls that would have similar interests that would want to see their clothes represented online…between us two, we had a lot of creative trust which you really need to be able to say ‘I want to do this thing…is that dumb or no?’… we never put each other down in our ideas…we had really good chemistry.”
However, in December 2011, Sarah Chu left the channel due to various factors (Jenn transferring to another university, the death of Sarah’s father, and a shift in her interest in fashion). Since then, Jenn continued to pump out video content solo.
She created a diverse range of videos, including lookbooks, monthly favorites, skincare routines, makeup tutorials, travel vlogs, life advice, and more. Her commitment and networking garnered her a growing amount of subscribers, who admired her quirky personality and distinctive, evolving style.
Her content also caught the attention of various brands. Jenn has collaborated with big names like Simple Skincare, Calvin Klein, and Macy’s. She had her own makeup collection with ColourPop, and worked with jewelry brand Mejuri to create elegant necklaces and rings.
On the topic of how far she has come and Eggie, Jenn Im expressed her pride and gratitude when she first announced her brand in August 2017, saying
If I told my 18-year-old self that I would have my own clothing line, I wouldn’t have believed it, and I also would have been terrified because, when I first started YouTube, I was so lost. I was really struggling when I first started this channel. I got rejected to all my dream schools, I was going to community college, I was working at a smoothie shop, and I just felt like I was letting everyone down in my life. And YouTube was my little escape to showcase what I knew and what I felt good expressing– fashion and style.
As a young and rising woman, Jenn Im paves the way to her own success and enjoys sharing the love with others.
Recently, she was a speaker at A Rare Day, a summit and networking event for female creators, entrepreneurs, and “disruptors”.
She also shares helpful content to help a young adult navigate their come-up, such as “My Life After College” and “How I Edit Videos.”
Passionate and innovative, Jenn Im is killing the game, making her voice heard and her vision seen.