If you’re into fashion and you’re on Instagram, chances are that you follow Eva Chen (and if you don’t, you should immediately). A former magazine editor, Chen was hired by Instagram in 2015 to head up its fashion partnerships, bringing designers, models, stylists and more to the platform which she and her team have done with considerable success — on any given day, there’s a celebrity or two popping up on her feed.
Now, it looks like YouTube is hoping to emulate that success with its most recent hire: Derek Blasberg. A former magazine columnist and the current host of CNN Style, Blasberg is friends with just about everybody in fashion (one quick scroll through his Instagram feed reads like a celebrity yearbook) which will undoubtedly come in handy for his new role.
According to Business of Fashion, he will be in charge of “cultivating relationships with brands and high-profile people in the industry so that they will use the platform more often, more effectively and build audiences there.” In a statement, Blasberg said of his appointment, “I’m looking forward to bridging the world of YouTube creators with the global style and beauty industries in this newly created role and department.”
It’s smart timing, particularly given that Instagram has just launched IGTV, its own long-format video platform that provides consumers with the ability to produce 10-minute long videos (select users will be able to upload videos up to one hour in length).
Given YouTube is the OG long-form platform, the hire of Blasberg is perfectly timed to help bring it to the next level.
Now, see what Eva Chen had to say about social media in 2018.
