A Girl You Should Know: Ella Devi

Meet the 18-year-old Parsons freshman driving the far-right absolutely crazy.

A word to the wise: don’t tell Ella Devi that fashion isn’t political. You may have already seen the 18-year-old all over your feeds—if not from the New York Post article that dubbed her a “hot girl for Zohran,” then definitely from her recent call-out of Jennifer Rauchet, wife of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, for wearing a dress made in by China by fast-fashion brand Shien to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (that post got her a snarky NYP write-up too).

Born and raised in New York, Devi got her first job in fashion working at a vintage store at 14 and has since landed a role at a luxury label as well as a marketing internship with a congressperson, all while completing her first year studying English & Philosophy at Parsons. The self-described “socialist socialite” is known for mixing sharp political commentary with high-fashion content—think fit pics in vintage Miu Miu, Chanel, and Tom Ford, paired with opinions that make conservative’s heads spin. How does she manage it all? As she sees it, it’s the only option.

Age: 18

Occupation: Political fashion commentator? But that was somewhat accidental. My day job is in the industry.

You were born and raised in New York City, what does it mean to you to be a New Yorker?

New Yorkers are kind but not nice, rather than nice but not kind.

Something people would be surprised to know about you?

I keep three Etsy witches in my rotation at all times.

What was your dream job growing up?

In middle school I wanted to be an activist, then a congresswoman. In the former half of high school, I wanted to be a lawyer, and in the latter half, I wanted to be a writer. I guess I always loved politics and wanted to have a voice. Every version of me would be happy with what I’m doing right now.

When did you get into fashion?

When I was 12 I somehow landed in the pastures of high-fashion Twitter. Quarantine was in full swing, so all these creatives and industry professionals were just tweeting 24/7 for the world to see. It was an amazing time. Tween-me became obsessed with Phoebe Philo’s Celine.

When did you realize you actually wanted to work in the industry and what is it like?

I didn’t realize it was even an option for me until I got my first job at 14. People who worked in fashion were like unicorns until then. But it’s scary. The easiest way for me to describe it is by drawing a parallel to the left-wing political sphere. Employees in both sectors are not doing too hot right now. But you have to keep going! There’s a better future somewhere. You can’t give into doomerism.

When did you get into politics?

I also became a socialist on Twitter. People were quoting Karl Marx on my feed, and I was like, This guy’s got some good points. I think people need left-wing politics in their media diet, especially on social media sites owned by right-wingers and dominated by right-wing influencer networks.

What’s the cause you’re most passionate about?

Racial justice. It’s the foundation on which my politics are built on.

How did the Zohran Mamdani mayoral campaign impact you?

Changed my whole life. I would never have gotten the platform I have today if the New York Post hadn’t run an article with a headline referring to me as “Hot Girl for Zohran” (despite me never referring to myself as such prior!). I had to delete Hinge because a guy was like, “Are you Hot Girl for Zohran?”

How do you handle the intensity of social media backlash you’ve received since?

One thing about getting backlash from the right is that it makes you cooler to people on the left, like I think it’s a huge flex that George Santos was whining in my comments section. But threats of sexual violence can be unnerving. When I first went viral back in November, each time I received a rape or death threat I would sign up for one canvassing shift for Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. Then I ran out of canvassing shifts I could sign up for because I started getting hundreds of threats. It makes me laser-focused because it reminds me we cannot afford to lose.

Have you always been outspoken online?

I’ve been posting on social media since I was a very young child, and people have been responding the whole time, so it has been intrinsically linked to my cognitive development. A girl in my eighth grade class told me she got her news from my Instagram stories.

You’re balancing school, fashion, and life in New York—how do you keep up with it all?

Therapy and psychiatric medication.

Walk us through your daily routine—what do you do from the moment you wake up?

I check Twitter first thing in the morning, like five seconds after I wake up. It contributes terribly to my anxiety but I do not care. After that, I get ready and go to class and work. Then I get home and go out with my friends.

What’s one piece you always have on you, no matter where you’re going?

My vintage Chanel flap bag. It’s ludicrously capacious, to quote Succession. I grew up watching my mom carry one at all times, so it feels like my piece of womanhood.

You’ve said that even fashion is political, how so?

You cannot dress yourself in a vacuum. You dress yourself based on an amalgamation of societal perceptions and norms and social signaling. The word fashion means what look is favored at a given time. You need to interrogate who decides what that look is and why they’ve decided so. Whenever I’m on camera talking about fashion being political, I inevitably get a “what about jeans and a T-shirt?” comment. Even jeans and a T-shirt are political! Jeans were worn by working-class Americans in the late 19th century, and then cool counterculture kids started wearing them in the ’50s. Now they’re mainstream. You see this same pattern happen continuously with counterculture groups. There’s so much history behind everything you wear.

If you had to give one piece of advice to young people heading into midterms elections next month, what would it be?

Vote in your fucking midterms! Be informed about candidates who are running and show up on Election Day to actually vote.

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