Daily Inspiration: Meet James Lantz

Today we’d like to introduce you to James Lantz

Hi James, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Fashion and the internet was a huge part of my formative years. From watching my favorite YouTubers to being alive and well during the many fashion wins and losses of the early 2010’s, I was always intrigued by the intersection of fashion and content creation. In my early teen years, my oldest brother was a huge inspiration for me to start taking fashion risks. At the time, those risks involved wearing combat boots, ripped skinny jeans, and a wide brimmed fedora; but it definitely pushed me into my fashion journey nonetheless. I would actually pretty often make youtube videos (that I had no intention of posting) that touched on fashion and had an element of silliness to them, which still holds true to the content that I actually do post now. Fashion was something I really loved absorbing in any capacity, whether it fell into a trend, personal realization, or what Emma Chamberlain was wearing at the time, I started to love experimenting with my expression in this way and specifically with secondhand fashion. Learning about the behind the scenes of the fast fashion industry was an eye opening experience, and really pushed me into the world of thrifting and shopping more ethically. People always said “how do you find such good stuff?? And I guess that made me realize that I was kind of good at it? (In truly the most humble way I could say that). I loved going thrifting with people, styling people, selling my finds, and truly loved the rise of the thrift community. I’ve always been a creative person, but towards the end of my college experience, I was feeling a bit burnt out creatively. This is when TikTok was on the rise and I thought that I might as well give posting my “ootd’s” a try. It was a really fun and exciting outlet for me creatively and I started to realize that maybe there was a place for me there, and more importantly, was a place that I could build a community of people who believed in fashion for all. I have been so privileged for the past 3-4 years to have people that want to hear what I have to say, see what I have to post, and can find inspiration in what I wear. I believe that there are no rules to fashion, but if I can offer any sort of advice that people resonate with, then I am more than happy to help. Calling content creation my full time job was never something on my radar, but I am so incredibly grateful to be in this position.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When you break norms in any capacity, there will be people who very loudly will tell you that you are wrong. As someone who doesn’t believe in the binary of fashion, dressing in ways that aren’t always inherently masculine can raise questions from people who don’t understand that mindset. I have grown quite comfortable in my personal expression, and those comments don’t irritate me nearly as much anymore, but growing into this version of myself was definitley not easy. I grew up being bullied, talked about, and questioned in spaces because if this. What I learned is there are groups of people who will always hate a man who is in touch with his femininity, but the ignorance of these people is something I no longer give energy too. Sadly, if you post yourself on the internet you are going to always run into this, but learning where to place your focus is so important. If you like what I do, that’s incredible, and if you don’t, I hope you can look internally as to why (and also stay out of my comments <3). I can’t control others, I can only control how I respond. I am so lucky to have friends and family who are supportive of me, which makes it much easier at the end of the day.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Content Creator that focuses on fashion and lifestyle. I would say I’m mostly known for my thrifted/secondhand fashion videos. That ranges from ootds, grwms, advice, and much more! I am really proud of my light hearted and fun content. I think in a world of so much negativity, I always try to be a fun little break in the day for inspiration. I truly feel that what sets me apart from others is showing that there are endless possibilities when it comes to fashion. Whether that’s elevating your basics or tapping into the feminine, masculine (or both), I try to show my audience that there is always a new way to look at your closet and that rules don’t exist.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Remain true to you. People want to see YOU, not a fabricated version of yourself. I had something I knew that I was good at and that I truly loved, and I think that shines through in what I do. As soon as something doesn’t feel true to you, return back to the basics and what you love. That can take many forms, but never hit post if you don’t recognize the person on the screen. Content creation is such a new market at the end of the day, so don’t be afraid to just try. People may judge, but that just means what you have to say isn’t for them.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/james.lantz?igsh=ODc2cDdmNWI1NnRp&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jimmyguash?si=-T9zOGQ1RHZant-E
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jimmyguash?_t=ZT-8v4Vkrc7tFe&_r=1