Kailee McKenzie on YouTube, Creativity and Her Brand STAATSBALLETT
“It’s really amazing to create something tangible, something that can outlive me.”
Representing five different NYC-based firehouses, Kailee McKenzie started off as a content creator on YouTube at the age of 12, quickly becoming a big part of the platform’s beauty and fashion community. After moving to New York to study at 18, three years later Kailee has found herself in the city, still creating content as well as working on her own fashion brand, STAATSBALLETT, Nov 11, 2024.
When describing the aesthetic of the new brand, McKenzie stated that the direction is “a bit of a collection by collection basis.” She also adds, “The collection that is out right now is made to fill in holes for our wardrobe combined with our recent tastes, interests, and struggles with school. I like to think it turned out as a grungy corporate school-boy world. In the future, we’ll try to refine our projects both in terms of themes and inputs.” There’s no doubt that being young and running your own brand can be difficult, but the star has managed to find the perfect balance. “Throughout my career over the past however many years, you sort of get used to living in a temporary online world. It’s really amazing to create something tangible, something that can outlive me,” she also added, referring to the most rewarding aspects of running your own brand.
Read the full interview with Kailee McKenzie over at Heroine, and take a look at images from her latest trip to New Mexico, shot by boyfriend and business partner Avery Ginsberg.