Chriselle Lim has made quite the name for herself in the fashion industry, working with brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Tiffany’s, Isabel Marant, and many more. Her blog, “The Chriselle Factor,” has skyrocketed since its beginning in December 2011 as have her respected social media accounts such as Instagram and Tik Tok. Chriselle’s latest project has been her new startup, Bumo Brain, an online curriculum developed for parents who want non-conventional schooling methods for their young children. I had the pleasure of sitting down and meeting with her, and here is everything she had to say about her luxurious life as Chriselle Lim. 

Lim grew up in a strict Korean American family. “My parents didn’t want me in the fashion industry. Parents want so hard to protect their children, but I knew it was my passion at a young age,” she said. The way she broke into the fashion world was by starting off working in retail. She states, “I was allowed to start working freshman year of high school, so I went to the local mall and I worked at Express, Nordstrom, Victoria’s Secret, just sort of being a mall rat for a little while to gain some experience.” She is thankful for those times because it allowed her to understand the many roles of the fashion world and not just the so–called glamorous parts. She offered the following advice for people starting out, saying, “Just start somewhere, it doesn’t matter what just get out there and start pushing and don’t stop!” 

Lim, a frequent fashion week attendee, also spoke about some of the biggest challenges she has faced. “The hardest part is simply getting the ball rolling because it feels like you’re uphill and that any second the ball will fall back and will crush you, but eventually you get to this place where the ball starts rolling on its own,” she says. Needing to simply get your foot in the door is the most challenging and most vital part of breaking into any industry, especially one as large as the fashion industry. 

Chriselle Lim is an inspiration to the many people who are a part of or admire the fashion industry, and it shows through her large followings on social media. Her Instagram has 2.4 million followers and her Tik Tok has roughly 1.7 million followers. When Chriselle reminisced on the most rewarding parts of her job, she spoke about being able to touch so many lives and having so many people who look up to her. She also talked about the versatility and creative freedom she now has, stating, “When I was a teenager, I never would have thought that I would be doing what I am doing, and now I even have the freedom to break into other industries like education.” Out of my own curiosity, I asked her what her favorite part of her job is. “I’m a creator, and I always will be. Even when I’m 80, I will be creating content, although I’m not sure what it will look like by then,” she said with a small laugh. “I am a creator at heart, and I get to combine all of my interests with it.” 

Chriselle Lim will be impactful to the fashion industry forever, and now also in education. The strides she has made for all women, especially in the Asian-American communities has been so fascinating to witness. I am so thankful for the opportunity to meet with her and hear the stories that she wants teens to hear. Everyone can learn something from the life of Chriselle Lim.