Derek Blasberg

Derek Charles Blasberg (born April 22, 1982) is an American writer, socialite, and fashion industry personality. He led the fashion and beauty partnerships division at YouTube from 2018 to 2022.

Early life and family
Blasberg was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Bill Blasberg, a certified public accountant, and Carol Blasberg, the managing editor of the medical journal The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. In 2000, Blasberg graduated from Affton High School, where he was salutatorian of his class.

College years and early career
In 2000, Blasberg moved to New York City to attend New York University (NYU). He cultivated a friendship with Nicky Balestrieri, another student who had worked as a fashion model, and lived in the same dormitory, NYU's Hayden Hall. Balestrieri helped Blasberg get his start with Elite Model Management, writing biographies for the agency's models; he worked in a similar position for European modelling agency Models 1 during a semester abroad in London. Blasberg held a part-time position at W magazine upon returning for his junior year. During his senior year, he worked part-time as an assistant at Vogue. After his 2004 graduation from NYU, he transitioned to a full-time position with Vogue.

Writing
From 2006 to 2010, Blasberg was the editor-at-large of Style.com, where he wrote a column called "The Blasblog."

In 2008, Blasberg edited Influence, a fashion and art tome conceived by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

From 2009 to 2012, he wrote a column called "Fast + Louche" for Interview magazine. Blasberg also co-wrote several New York City editions of the Louis Vuitton Travel Guides.

In April 2010, Blasberg's debut book, Classy: Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady, was published. It was a collection of humorous essays about etiquette and was on The New York Times best seller list for several weeks. In October 2011, Blasberg wrote a sequel to Classy titled Very Classy: Even More Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady, which expanded and updated the original version.

Blasberg worked for the Gagosian Gallery as a senior staffer during 2014 writing the Gagosian Quarterly column, "In Conversation". He continues to write as a contributing editor for the publication.

By February 2015, Blasberg was known as "one of fashion blogging's biggest names" although that ended when Condé Nast abruptly sold the website and advertising platform which he and others had used since 2010. Blasberg then transitioned to a briefly-held series of editor-at-large roles for Harper's BAZAAR, V and VMan magazines, and London-based arts publication Garage Magazine for which he wrote a column, "Emails from the Edge". In September 2015, Blasberg wrote a coffee table book titled Harper's BAZAAR: Models, about "28 women who changed fashion and helped bring it to life" over six decades of style and culture coverage by Harper's BAZAAR magazine. The work features a foreword written by Karl Lagerfeld.

Television
From 2015 to 2016, Blasberg hosted a series of 11 web videos for Vanity Fair, titled "Conversations In The Backseat". He interviewed Reese Witherspoon, Gigi Hadid, Naomi Campbell, Maria Sharapova, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and other celebrity models and actresses.

In April 2016, Blasberg was selected as the inaugural host of CNN International's television program, CNN Style. CNN Style covers fashion, as well as art, architecture, and design, and was created 15 years after the long-running Style with Elsa Klensch.

Fashion consultant and socialite
By 2006, Blasberg's presence on the guest list for many celebrity events attracted the attention of the The New York Times, who profiled him as part of a possibly new phenomenon, “the male socialite.” He further distinguished himself, and increased the size and prominence of his social circle, as a rare example of a fashion writer who also did work as a fashion consultant. For the next ten years, Blasberg attended parties and then "wrote them up for various international Vogues and Style.com" even "asking for a consulting fee from Yves Saint Laurent for attending a party that he later covered for the brand."

Blasberg has many famous friends and even more social media followers. He started using Instagram in 2012; as of 2024, he has 1.6 million followers, more than some brands. His influencer status appealed to YouTube when he was hired as head of Fashion and Beauty Partnerships in 2018. (Blasberg left the position in 2022. ) He also became a trusted advisor to celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, who turned to him for help in captioning her own Instagram posts.

As a fashion editor, Blasberg has collaborated with David Bailey, Terry Richardson and Marilyn Minter. Blasberg has worked as a consultant on creative projects for fashion brands such as Tiffany's. He had his own Opening Ceremony stationary line, the "Handwritten Letter Helper," and provided etiquette tips for correspondence.

Personal life
Blasberg lives in New York City with his partner, Nick Brown. Brown is the co-founder and managing partner of early-stage retail tech and direct-to-consumer venture capital boutique, Imaginary Ventures. They have two children.

Blasberg has been described as a "professional best friend to celebrities". For over 20 years, his appearances with numerous fashion, modeling, media personality, and movie star acquaintances have been documented by the press and social media. Jeff Bezos, Kris Jenner, and Anne Hathaway helped him celebrate his 42nd birthday with a party at his Upper East side home (which he had written an article about for Architectural Digest several years earlier ) in May 2024.

Filmography

 * 2010-2012: America's Next Top Model (TV series) – 2 episodes: "Patrick Demarchelier" and "Georgina Chapman"
 * 2012: 24 Hour Catwalk (TV series) – Judge
 * 2012: Fashion Fetish (Short film) – Concept, Script, Actor
 * 2012: Sh*t Fashion Girls Say (Short film)
 * 2014: The Approval Matrix (TV series) – Panelist
 * 2015: Fashionably Late with Rachel Zoe (TV series)
 * 2015-2016: Vanity Fair's "Conversations in the Backseat" – 2 seasons
 * 2016–2018: CNN Style with Derek Blasberg (TV series)
 * 2017: Odd Mom Out (TV series) – 1 episode: "M.F.A. in B.S."
 * 2018: Ocean's 8