I have been a fan of YouTube since middle school. What started as me watching DIY locker decoration videos soon turned into me discovering fashion and content creators who inspire me. This blog series serves as a portfolio showcasing some of the best fashion content creators out there, and YouTube was paramount to my discovery of these creators.
Today I am going to be discussing Laini Ozark. She was one of the first fashion influencers that I subscribed to on YouTube back in high school. Hailing from Michigan, the 20-something-year-old influencer spends her days creating content for her YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, all while taking care of her young daughter. Laini started her Youtube channel over 5 years ago and has since evolved to include a diverse selection of social media apps in her content creation.
The main focus of Laini’s videos is sustainable and affordable fashion that still fits with trends. As a college student who currently is on a pretty small clothing budget I deeply appreciate that her videos often focus on working with what you already have in your closet and not promoting buying something new everytime you feel uninspired with your clothing. Her videos range from cute outfits for the cold, to personal shopping and styling.
One of my favorite things about Laini’s content is that all of her videos approach fashion through the lens of sustainability. The clothing industry is notorious for not having sustainable practices. Currently, 92 million tons of textile waste is produced every year. This number is only projected to grow with the rise of fast fashion. That is why it is important as a consumer to really evaluate if buying something new is always the right choice. Laini shows us that the trends and style we want can often be found at thrift stores, or on second hand websites for a fraction of the price. This promotes clothing sustainability and prevents further plastic and textile waste.
Feeling inspired by Laini, I decided to try following one of her outfit formula videos for a week. Specifically, I chose to base my outfits off her video “outfit formulas that work everytime (new outfits without buying new clothes).” Her first outfit formula was denim on denim. I had never worn a true denim on denim look until this week and I loved it. It was simple yet chic and it used items I already had in my closet. The next outfit formula that I followed was wearing a chunky oversized knit sweater with a summer skirt. I choose to wear a long maxi skirt, oversized sweater, and boots. The combination was so comfortable and I will definitely be repeating it again. Finally, my favorite outfit formula was all black with a fun silhouette. I have a lot of black items in my wardrobe but I always shy away from wearing black on black because I feel it commonly lacks interest. But, keeping the silhouette in mind I paired a fun pair of black pinstripe trousers with a flowy boho chic black blouse and it was a hit. The outfits were put together and cute looking, and I got lots of compliments on this outfit.
I highly recommend that you check out Laini’s Youtube, TikTok and Instagram. Her focus on sustainable trendy styles makes it easy to put together outfits using the materials you already have and will leave you wanting more tips and tricks.
Mia Mickelsen 
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