Growing up in Paris, Claire Most always had a love and eye for all things art, culture, and fashion. She ended up studying Finance in school, following her proclivity towards math and a safe route that would lead to financial security, but Most realized almost instantly that she was unhappy and unfulfilled in her work. 

Seeking a creative outlet, Most began writing for an online fashion magazine and launched an Instagram account to express herself. As strangers began to take note and follow Most’s account, she had an ‘AHA’ moment, realizing a career in fashion could not only be in her reach, but could also make her feel fulfilled. She took the leap, leaving behind Europe and Finance to move to Portland, where she now works as a Product Manager and shares her style with her almost 70k instagram followers... all on her own terms.

Who were you at twenty?

At twenty, I was living in Paris with my family, in my first real relationship, and I was meeting new people everyday in college. I remember I was really happy, but a little bit lost. I ended up studying Finance because I loved math and I didn’t really know what to do, so it just seemed like the obvious answer. I then got my Masters in Asset Management, but I realized very quickly that I wasn’t happy in my work. I tried to change and went to corporate finance, but again, not a passion and so I felt very stuck.

I was like ‘What am I going to do, I don’t even like this but I have to keep going this way.’ Meanwhile, on the side I started my Instagram and wrote articles for an online magazine on urban and street culture, but also clothing and fashion. Growing up in Paris, I was exposed to so much art, fashion, and culture, but I was a bit spoiled by it– at that point, I still didn’t even consider or know it could be my professional career.

How have you evolved since

I have grown a lot since then. First of all, I realized that money isn’t everything, and that you need to be happy at work. When I started dating my current boyfriend he was like, ‘What are you doing in finance? You’re not happy. You love fashion and have a great eye for the landscape, why don’t you change your career.’ It was honestly a pivotal moment where I realized I could actually work in fashion and be in a position where my love for clothing and passion for analytics and math could come together. 

I’ve since found my dream job as a Product Manager, where I brief the designers and get to work really closely with them to make sure we create the best collection possible for our consumers. I moved to Amsterdam and then to the US and I am currently living in Portland. Living abroad has changed me: I’ve been exposed to new cultures, new ways of thinking, I think I'm more open now and am really happy on every level of my life.

On separating her offline professional career from her online personal brand

I really try to separate my two worlds... Online I don’t want to be seen for my work, I want to be seen for who I am and what I’m creating. I don’t want people to think of me like, ‘Oh yeah, she’s the girl from whatever company.’ No, I’m Claire and what I do for work is my private professional life, not something I want to define me on social media. That’s also very much my personality–work is work and then Instagram and is Instagram, I don’t want to have both mixing, just for me, that wouldn’t work.

On the importance of creating and maintaining those boundaries

I remember at a previous job, a VP asked, ‘Do you want to post some of our stuff on your Instagram?’ And I was like, ‘No haha’. I mean I post because I’m wearing it, but I don’t know, it’s weird to post something if it doesn’t feel authentic to me. Plus, when you put where you work in your Instagram bio, then you’re always representing the company. Whereas if you don’t talk about it, nobody will know where you’re working and it’s fine you can do whatever you want. Twerk on your stories… you know, live your life as a normal human being and people won’t constantly think about the brand you’re working for.

What advice would you give yourself at twenty?

Everything will make sense, keep going. 

What would you say to a twenty-something year old about finding her place in the world?

I’d say, don’t overthink what’s happening in your life. Your life doesn’t end after you get your degree and you should never feel stuck in what you studied. I think sometimes we feel really lost and panicky about what’s happening, but try to be patient with yourself. I know when we’re young we want stuff to happen really fast, but life is f*cking long and change can come in two months or a year. Trust yourself and things will work out.

It’s also important who you meet, because those people can give you advice and really help you on your way to actually feeling fulfilled. 

On using your platform to advocate for change, regardless of your audience size

If something is important to you, it doesn’t matter if you have 100 followers or 100,000 followers, you will still have an impact. If you can educate your family and friends, there’s always going to be a trickle down effect– they will talk about it with their families and friends, and so on. If you can change the mind of one person then that’s already huge. And don’t be afraid, sometimes the toughest conversations, those are the ones where change can begin to happen.

Learn more about Claire Most here