Biography
Derek Blasberg is an American writer and TV personality. He is currently the head of fashion & beauty partnerships at YouTube, a contributor at Vanity Fair and a staff member at the Gagosian Gallery. Further to Blasberg's prolific career as a writer and editor, his collections of essays, Classy: Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady and Very Classy: Even More Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady have propelled him to success a best-selling published author.
Blasberg was the longtime editor-at-large of US Harper's Bazaar when he announced in August 2015 he was leaving to join Vanity Fair as the magazine's Our Man on the Street. It was a newly formed role that included writing for the magazine as well as video and content creation for the website. In 2016, it was announced Blasberg would be the host of the resurrected CNN Style show on CNN International, covering creative expression from a multi-faceted point, including the art, architecture, design and fashion industries. He left this role in June 2018 to join YouTube as head of fashion and beauty partnerships.
Blasberg moved to New York from his native Missouri to attend New York University, where he majored in dramatic literature and journalism. Following his graduation in 2004, his first job was as an assistant at American Vogue.
Blasberg has contributed articles to numerous publications, including many of the international editions of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, W, WWD, WSJ, The New York Times, Teen Vogue, The Sunday Times, Elle, 10, and Another Magazine. From 2006 to 2010, Blasberg was the editor-at-large of Style.com, writing a column called The Blasblog. From 2009 to 2012 he wrote a column called Fast + Louche for Interview Magazine.
As a fashion editor, Blasberg has collaborated with some of the industry’s most in-demand image-makers, including Karl Lagerfeld , David Bailey and Marilyn Minter. Blasberg has also served as a consultant on creative projects for fashion brands including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, H&M, Fendi, Carolina Herrera , MAC, Tiffany’s, and Theyskens' Theory.
In April 2010 Penguin published Blasberg’s first book, Classy: Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady, a collection of humorous essays and illustrations aimed at young women. In its second week, the book was a New York Times bestseller. In October of 2011, Blasberg released Very Classy: Even More Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady, an expanded and updated version of the original text. 2015 saw him publish Harper’s Bazaar: Models, a photographic survey of the most influential faces that have appeared in the publication.