Nolan White is a men’s fashion influencer from Montreal.Aidan Matthews/Supplied
For the past half-hour I’ve been scrolling through Nolan White’s TikTok feed.
There is a tour of his Montreal loft, a carefully curated assortment of vintage furniture and artful lighting amongst impossibly high ceilings. There is an affordable closet guide, highlighting a stylish selection of loafers, army fatigues and Oxford button downs. A video comparing wedding suits has 600,000 views. Another comparing watch brands to car brands has almost four million.
While the content of White’s videos feels aspirational, his approach feels accessible. The consultant and creator, originally from Windsor, Ont., grounds his posts – on topics such as where to find a vintage overcoat or a history lesson about his Sirocco chair – with equal parts opinion and research, presenting them with a calm confidence. It’s been a winning formula. At 23, he has made a full-time job of living stylishly.
In a sea of fit pics and questionable fashion advice for men online, White differentiated himself through approachable videos rooted in a genuine curiosity about his subjects and an educational context for his clothes. Starting out, he never imagined a career filled with unboxing videos of high-end clothing and working alongside major brands such as Madewell and designers such as Aaron Levine. He began making social videos because he was bored at university during the pandemic.
“I was kind of wearing the same things around the house. I thought it’s a shame to have all these clothes that I really enjoy looking at, but I’m not wearing. So I gave myself the challenge in January of putting together a new outfit every day,” said White. “Ironically, at first I didn’t want anybody from my high school or university to see me posting outfits on social media because I thought it was embarrassing.”
White has made a full-time job of living stylishly thanks to his videos that help viewers with their wardrobes.Aidan Matthews/Supplied
The videos attracted attention and comments fairly quickly. Viewers would ask questions about his favourite brands or where to shop in a certain city. White would respond with more content. Things snowballed from there. Though there was no one breakout moment, each month he’d amass another few thousand followers. By the time White graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston with an economics degree, brands were calling for collaborations. Designers and influencers in men’s fashion were turning to him for guidance. The choice to pursue content as a career in earnest – something that seems like a pipe dream for some – was easy.
On a practical level White makes his income from a few different streams. There is a recently launched Substack newsletter with city guides, giveaways and clothing recommendations. There are advertorial videos he makes for his social channels and others that live on the brands’ channels. Businesses come to him for marketing expertise and feedback.
Unlike his contemporaries in the U.S., White can’t make money directly from his content as a Canadian because TikTok and Instagram don’t have creator funds in Canada that compensate based on views. It’s a fact that has caused other creators to head south. But for White, staying in Montreal offers advantages and a vantage point that other places just don’t have.
“I think living in Canada gives me a unique perspective, particularly in Montreal,” said White. “I don’t think a lot of people, especially in America, really recognize how much Canada has contributed to music, film and to pop culture. … I think that definitely extends to fashion too if people know where to look. “
White began making social videos because he was bored at university during the pandemic.Aidan Matthews/Supplied
The creator has always championed home-grown brands, pointing to denim companies such as Naked and Famous, workwear from Big Bill and garment makers such as Henry’s. With the recent conversations around America’s tariffs against Canada, White put together a video highlighting some accessible Canadian brands for everyday wear and an accompanying newsletter offering more fashion-forward ideas.
“There are some really, really awesome companies out there that I think deserve a little more patronage from the country’s people, especially because we already do have some pretty gnarly duties and tariffs, as anybody would be familiar with if they bought anything from the U.S.”
White’s work offers a guiding hand into the world of fashion for his audience, both casual and hard-core, to learn and start dressing in a way that makes them feel great and reflect who they want to be. “As a start, I think it’s important to do an assessment of your lifestyle and see how you actually live and what’s true to you.”
