19-year-old Auburn student’s bold fashion journey leads to Vogue ‘Instagram coup’

From the hallways of Hewitt-Trussville High School to the pages of international fashion media, 19-year-old Chelsi Banks is making a name for herself. The Auburn University student, who is currently studying apparel merchandising and journalism, was recently spotlighted in Vogue for a journey that began long before she reached college.

A Bold Start

Banks first made waves at age 13 when she staged what has been described as an “Instagram coup.” She took command of online modeling group chats, transforming them into professional training grounds where she required members to submit unretouched photos and master the pronunciation of luxury labels like Loewe, Alaïa, and Proenza Schouler. If members couldn't keep up with her rigorous standards, they were removed.

“I would get in and I would take over. I’d be like, ‘Okay, now we’re going to get serious,’” Banks said of her early digital leadership.

Fashion Roots and Resilience

Her early education in style came from watching YouTube compilations of 1990s supermodels, as well as studying Eastern European icons like Vlada Roslyakova and Tanya Dziahileva on Twitter. Back home, she honed her technical skills with the help of her mother, Theresa, a 70-year-old Army veteran who taught her how to sew.

During her time at Hewitt-Trussville High, where roughly 16% of the student body is Black, Banks stood out for her non-conformist fashion choices—often wearing four-and-a-half-inch platform shoes to class. While she faced gossip and stares, she remained unfazed, telling Vogue that she viewed the judgment of her peers as temporary. By her sophomore year, she channeled that confidence into founding a school fashion club that grew to 25 members.

Defining Her Own Aesthetic

Now working toward the role of editor-in-chief at Swatch, Auburn’s own fashion magazine, Banks continues to prioritize authenticity over algorithms. She chose Auburn as an affordable, high-quality alternative to expensive design schools like Parsons or the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Today, her signature style is “twee and declarative,” characterized by vintage finds from Betsey Johnson and Marc Jacobs. She remains a vocal critic of relying on AI for style guidance, noting in a recent Swatch article that she prefers to let her personal style progress organically. On Monday, reflecting on her feature in the industry giant, Banks took to Instagram to describe the experience as “surreal,” adding, “I could not be more appreciative and grateful.”