@hautelemode

What was the first video of yours to go viral?

“So I went to London to study abroad, and while I was there I started making fashion show reviews, and that was how the fashion-critic aspect of HauteLeMode developed. Then, in the summer of 2018, I found out the Alexander McQueen documentary was coming out, so I thought I could make a video with the history of McQueen so if people want to go see it, they have this database of what’s going on. So I did a video of the ten most-known McQueen shows, put that together, and most of those McQueen shows were very raunchy, like ‘Highland Rape’ and ‘Nihilism.’ I put it out and flopped. It flopped so hard, and I was like, ‘OK, it’s fine, whatever.’ Then, out of the blue like, a month later, it gets hundreds of thousands of views, and [I] thought, ‘That’s not me, so I wonder who hacked into my account?’ But the video had sort of just popped off. So that McQueen video went crazy, and since I left all the nudity and raunchiness in it, YouTube wouldn’t let me monetize it. So my first viral video I made no money off of, but it set me up to see what people really enjoy and what can be popular. It’s something I’m still very proud of, and if there’s a shining-star video, that’s the one I think of every time.”

One of the things I love about your channel is you cover so many different subjects and eras in fashion. Are there any eras you want to get into that you haven’t yet?

“Personally, I love the 1960s. I think the Youthquake, youth culture, and the mod scene is something I’m really drawn to, but I’m trying to really go and scope out on HauteLeMode the entirety of European fashion in the 20th century. It’s a full spectrum that’s been explored, but I don’t think people put it together in a way that makes it something people care about. That’s what I’m trying to do is make people actually care about fashion and have a language to discuss it in.”

Your videos have been shared and recognized by some big names in the industry. What was it like the first time you connected with someone you really admire?

“When Nicola Formichetti reached out, I was like, ‘Hahaha, who’s playing a joke on me, it’s so funny,’ and when he said he was excited to be on the phone with me, I was like, ‘Bitch, I think this is a prank call!’ So he’s been a really great friend, but it’s sort of hard to work on social media and be in the fashion industry at the same time because you’re not linked directly to the fashion industry always, and you’re kind of outside, so in a way, I personally feel very detached from fashion people and the fashion world. I’ll hold court and I’ll go to the shows I want to see, but for the most part, I’m not going to shows and showroom appointments or have an oodle of friends in the PR world that get me into these places, so for the most part, I feel pretty removed from the industry.”

So you learn a lot from the criticism?

“I learn so much from my comments section because my audience is really smart and they know a lot of stuff that I don’t… There are a lot of people who get a lot of hate that isn’t always necessarily constructive, but if there is something constructive about them, I’ll do my best to learn about it, change it, because there’s a lot of stuff that I make mistakes on. But I always try to recognize it and see what’s happening, so I’m always trying to adjust and change because I don’t want to be like the old guard that doesn’t understand racism or classism or coronavirus. I want to understand because the fashion industry isn’t just an industry for rich people, that’s a misconception. So we’re all a part of the industry, and everybody’s voice does matter because we all buy clothing. I try to filter out the bad and take the good that I can.”

What’s your relationship to being an influencer? Do you feel like a part of the greater community?

“I’ve interacted with other YouTubers and have friends that are in the community and have met some amazing people who are all kinds of YouTubers, but I’ve also met people who do reviews of music, and I’m obsessed because I don’t know shit about music, so I need someone to tell me why Lady Gaga’s music is good so I can intertwine that with why I think her fashion choices are good. There is an expansive world of Youtube, but the drama stuff I sometimes get myself into because being on YouTube, I feel like I have to talk about certain things… I don’t really feel like I can stay super impartial to things if I’m involved, but if any of the YouTube girls want to say, ‘Luke, I need your advice,’ I’m always there for them. It’s happened, and I’m here to be an open heart and have the conversations that they need to have because my thing is I’m trying to make everybody look good. Because if YouTubers are fashionable and chic and on their sh*t, then by association I also look smart and chic and fashionable because I’m also a YouTuber. So I’m just playing an association game and saying, ‘Girls, let’s all look good, and we’ll be better together. Look good, and they’re gonna respect you more, so we gotta be on it.’ It is the sartorial PSA, I’m helping all of us.”

What has been your favorite thing to see online recently?

“The Hanifa fashion show because I’m pretty sure it was the first live, 3-D fashion show, and it was really beautiful, not only because the technology worked, and on top of seeing a 3-D live-stream fashion show, we’re also seeing a good one. Balenciaga did a virtual rendition of a collection before, but I don’t think it was as strong as the Hanifa collection, and the way the clothes fit is so beautiful. She sold out the collection, as far [as] I understand, so I love that and feel like it’s one of the ways we need to move because it’s doable if you’re able to do it well.”