Glossier first launched in 2014, stemming from Into The Gloss, an online blog, founded by Emily Weiss, that is devoted to discussing and sharing beauty tips and products. Notably, Into The Gloss was known for featuring in-depth interviews with industry professionals and creatives. The Top Shelf, one of Into The Gloss’s most popular categories, allowed viewers a glimpse into celebrities’ favorite products and a look at their personal vanities. 

While a strong online presence isn’t a new concept for beauty brands, Glossier took it to a whole new level, stepping outside of the box and founding its brand fully online.

With only four products at the time, an all-purpose balm, facial mist, sheer skin tint and a moisturizer, the brand took the internet by storm and garnered a cult following that still stands today. 

Glossier’s strong online presence is particularly noticeable on Instagram. Even if you aren’t a Glossier user, you have likely been exposed to their millennial pink photos and ever-so perfectly curated feed. The brand has made itself unmistakably recognizable and often interacts with followers, flourishing in communication and adapting goods to the wants and needs of the buyer.

Glossier also offers GlossiWEAR Merch, featuring t-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, hats, keychains, decals and more. Their hoodie is a beloved classic, with celebrities like Timothee Chalamet, and Kacey Musgraves who have been seen sporting the garment. 

Last year, Glossier collaborated with pop star Olivia Rodrigo to launch their famous hoodie in a new color. The hoodie became available in none other than Rodrigo’s signature color, lavender, along with the release of more exclusive products.

Glossier is also an Official Beauty Partner of the WNBA, leaving its mark on the worlds of beauty, fashion and sport.

But how does a beauty brand create a fanbase akin to groupies? I became an avid Glossier user around the start of the brand’s rise to fame. I was never a makeup user or fanatic until then, but Glossier’s “skin first, makeup second” motto quickly dragged me in. Their message focused on the importance of taking care of your skin and doing makeup your way, whether that’s a full face or a quick dab of their Cloud Paint. It is clear that Glossier never advocated that one should cover up or transform their attributes, but rather embrace them while still being able to explore and shimmer. 

Years after its launch, Glossier began opening its retail stores. In typical Glossier fashion, they broke conventions and created something far from a simple shop, delivering a showroom. Each store is unique to its location and designed to be an experience, making the shopper feel as if they’ve stepped into a pastel wonderland with sculptures and fantasy interiors. Since opening its first store in New York City in 2016, Glossier has continued expanding, with current locations residing in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, Seattle, Washington D.C., Boston, Massachusetts, Brooklyn, New York Miami, Florida Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and one in London. 

Glossier has proved to be in high demand, with fans begging the brand to expand to their city. When Glossier announced their You Look Good Tour, they reached out to their following, asking where they should travel. Many (including myself) asked them to put Columbus, Ohio on that list, and they listened. Their visit to Columbus, which was the first stop of their tour, took place on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The tour, which only has three stops, in three cities in the U.S., will also be stopping in Nashville, Tennesse on Sept. 23 and Austin, Texas on Sept. 30. More information will be available on Glossier’s website and social media closer to those dates.

Their carnival-inspired tour is an interactive adventure, allowing attendees to show up and get the chance to shop some of the brand’s fan favorites and exclusive tour merchandise, and even get the chance to spin the Glossier prize wheel.

Free ice cream, gift bags, and other goodies were available to goers waiting in line with music, samples, and conversations keeping the event vibrant with festivities.

The tour is in partnership with IGNITE, a nonpartisan nonprofit that empowers young women to run for office, build civic engagement skills, and become the next generation of political leaders. 

For every You Look Good Tour Tee sold, Glossier is donating $5 to IGNITE. The tour additionally offers the chance to join Glossier’s Generation Glossier Affiliate Program with representatives at the event stressing the importance of word-of-mouth marketing and Glossier’s foundation on not only the products themselves but the people who use them. 

When asked about the possibility of a retail store opening up in Columbus, ambassadors said it was, “very likely,” although, it is unclear when that might happen.

What is clear, is that Glossier is built on its connection to the consumer. Fans were lined up, decked out in Glossier’s sought-after clothing, and shared their journey with the brand.

Don’t like waiting in line? No worries, Glossier products can be found on their website or at Sephora locations across the United States and Canada. 

If you are as invested as I am into scrolling avidly through fashion blogs, pages, and articles, you know you can’t avoid the unavoidable: dolls. Your childhood toy is no longer a mere origin of nostalgia, but also a source of outfit inspiration. But how did this unlikely coalition kick-off?

Let’s go back to January of 2022, when Balmain revealed their collaboration with Barbie, a fashion-doll created by Mattel, presenting a limited-time collection featuring bright pink palettes and models posed in plastic Barbie houses like real-life dolls. In a statement by Mattel’s president and chief officer, he declared “together, Barbie and Balmain are creating a new chapter in the legacy of the toy and fashion industries,” marking the unofficial, official commencement of fashion’s freshest muse. 

Then, during the summer of 2022, the internet got a sneak peek of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie film, and the fashion industry has not been the same since. In stills released by Warner Brothers, actress Margot Robbie, as Barbie, is seen beaming wide in the driver’s seat of a pink Cadillac. From the whimsical, hot pink scenery and campy environment, Barbiecore was born. The style has taken over, with #Barbiecore on TikTok racking up over 100 million views and retailers have used the aesthetic to their advantage, creating bubblegum, all-pink-everything looks, bridging a gap between the industries. 

Yet, Barbie is not the sole figure to plunge into high fashion, as another one of Mattel’s franchise’s, Monster High, has teamed up with Maisie Wilen for their Fall/Winter 2022 line. Monster High came to fruition in the 2010’s, personifying the archetypal 2000s aesthetic and style, as characters sported low waisted miniskirts, hightops, and plaid patterns, with a goth and scene-like twist. Exploring fashion is not new for Monster High, as they have notably produced lines like Haunt Couture, an obvious play on Haute Couture, that embraces originality from high-end brands to reinvent the looks of its characters. The collector line features five dolls, including Clawdeen Wolf, the daughter of the werewolf, with thoroughly transformed classic outfits. Clawdeen’s purse is not only a nod to her original doll’s coat, but also sources inspiration from Moschino’s biker jacket bag.

Their partnership with Maisie Wilen debuted live last year at NYFW in an all-immersive digital affair that unveiled the designs holographically and in WebAR. The set was designed to “play with perception and blur the line between reality and fantasy, to create a wardrobe that is made as much for one’s virtual presence as it is for your real-life self.” Sequins, fishnets, faux-fur, frayed, and patched garments graced the digital 7-foot-tall projections while models were ornamented in fake gills, fangs, wolf ears, and vibrant makeup. The edgy ensembles, contorted models, and high-tech production proved that designers are able to derive artistry from dolls in a fantastical, trailblazing way.

Likewise, MGA Entertainment’s doll line, Bratz, has grown to be a glaring root of style influence for designers and consumers alike. Released in 2001, the Bratz brand is not restricted to one image or 2000s fad, as attires range from glam to punk and from boho to alternative. Besides, Bratz characters were known to shop at vintage and thrift stores. It’s equally noteworthy to divulge that their style takes insight from hip-hop culture and streetwear, which, at the time, contrasted what their chief competitor Barbie was purveying. If it isn’t clear enough already, Bratz, by far, appeals vastly to the Y2K, maximalist notions that have prevailed in the recent trend cycle.

Bratz niche captured the curiosity of Cult Gaia designer Jasmin Larian. She reports in an interview with WWD that “working on and being exposed to Bratz at a young age laid the foundation for me to not only learn about fashion design and brand-building, but how valuable and important owning your self-expression and creativity is.” In perfect unity, the two celebrated their 10th and 21st anniversaries with both a fashion line and doll collaboration. Cult Gaia revealed their collection in March of this year, featuring butterfly tops, gold hoops, snakeskin patterns, and, of course, chunky platform heels (an essential in Bratz fashion), among other bold garments that brought Bratz to life. The partnership came full circle as Bratz x Cult Gaia collector dolls released October 30th, starring characters Yasmin and Cloe adorned in Cult Gaia’s staple pieces from head-to-toe.

I’d argue Bratz takes the junction between dolls and fashion, as well as popular culture, to a whole other level. In their recent rebrand, Bratz centers on producing custom dolls inspired by musicians like SOPHIE, Charli XCX, Doja Cat, films like Jennifer’s Body, and threads that mimic celebrity red carpet looks, to name a few. Their dolls have now become synonymous with fashion, and it’s virtually impossible to separate the two. The #BratzChallenge has surged on social media, with influencers, TikTokers, and fans restyling themselves as Bratz dolls by uprooting creativity from their makeup and attire, keeping Bratz contemporary. Clearly, Bratz is not abandoned in nostalgia.

The enduring bond between fashion and dolls is enough to spark the burning question: Why? While one could analyze the trend cycle deeply to posit numerous reasons as to why dolls are now ingrained in fashion, perhaps the motive is considerably simpler. After departing from the height of lockdowns and restrictions, it’s not far-fetched to assume the collective might be seeking something that grants us all to escape into fantasy, relish in imagination, and take a break from the rigidity of our routine lives. Presently, influencers have formed a trend surrounding the American Girl Cafe, inspiring others to dress up and dine out with their dolls, illustrating how this can evoke a sense of amusement and wonder. Whatever the reason may represent, this trend tests us to take ourselves less seriously and find inspiration in places we might not have thought about before, showing that life in plastic really is fantastic.