Personal style has never been about following a formula. Just ask Chase Rutherford, whose offbeat sensibility finds a natural counterpart in the ever-evolving silhouettes from UGG. From unexpected fits to his favorite hidden gems across New York City, Chase takes us along for a day off, entirely on his own terms.
Chase Rutherford doesn’t really belong. In a sea of polished and primmed creators, his authentic content shines, defeating the endless echo chamber that is our oversaturated algorithms. Amidst countless creative director titles floating around — many of which don’t really creative direct much of anything — Rutherford’s actually carries weight. But what’s most impressive about his rise is that the multifaceted maker has amassed a following simply by being himself.
Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, Rutherford says he didn’t always feel he had enough avenues to express his idiosyncratic interests. “I always wanted to fit in, but I couldn't. When I grew up and I started posting on social media, I felt much more confident. It taught me that not everyone is going to appreciate you or your interests, so I might as well just do whatever I'm gonna do.”
He’s recently arrived at this state of fearless expression, but Rutherford recalls a curiosity for the world around him that began before he could even speak. While other toddling children toted around beloved stuffed animals or stain-strewn baby blankets, he held on tightly to a Ticonderoga pencil and carried it everywhere he went. So, truly, the creative came out guns blazing, pencil in hand, ready to manifest his wildest dreams into reality.
He attended FIT — a pipe dream that emerged as a response to many NYC family trips as a kid, and countless rewatches of his favorite movie: Spider-Man (the Tobey Maguire one, of course). After that, one thing led to another, and the kid who was so hesitant to share his inner workings became the creative who, today, has countless channels of expression.
In fact, Chase has so many creative mediums that we can barely keep up. Not to worry, because he sat down with us to catch us up to speed. “Basically, when I’m going to events and parties, and that’s the first thing people ask, I just say, ‘Oh, I'm a creative director and an influencer.’ So most people just take that and think, ‘So you don't have a job.’ Or it's like, ‘Okay, so are all of us’ [laughs]. But it's not until I pull out my phone and show them all of the things I’ve worked on that they understand.”
Only after I did the same deep dive did I begin to understand his craft as well. Chase’s portfolio is quite extensive, as his projects and roles include creative direction and merch design for internet personalities Slushy Noobz, art curation, styling, and more. But his most notable role? Vibe curator. He’s established his own aesthetic that’s rife with Andy Warhol pop art, 2000s-era cultural references, and humorous undertones. So while I had him, it only felt right to ask the expert himself what exactly exemplifies a “good vibe.”
“To be a good creative director today, you have to have good references. You can't really pull from Pinterest, because it's just redundant. So creating your own references is the way that I would describe a good vibe. It’s new and fresh — something that hasn't been done before. Or you're making an analogy to something in the past and modernizing it,” he explains, “I love Virgil so much. I remember a great quote of his from when he worked on his IKEA collection; he said, ‘Do we need another chair?’ So I always ask myself, ‘Do people need this?’”
In a world driven by recycled hivemind thinking, Chase somehow manages to continually create anew. Instead of constantly looking to current fads for creative fodder, he starts by looking within. It’s much simpler and less woo-woo than it sounds. He begins every project by referencing his artistic role models — his creative Mount Rushmore, if you will. “I have seven icons that I pull from: Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Kanye, Nathan Fielder, Andy Warhol, Virgil, and Marcel Duchamp. Typically, I watch their content, or I think of something they made, and I make an analogy to that — framing it through today's day and age. Like if they were an influencer in my position, what would they be doing? What would Andy Warhol be posting on Instagram?”
While we can only imagine the maximalist color explosion that would have been Warhol’s feed, Chase’s Instagram profile provides a window into his own quirky world. The macrocosm of subcultures and references that fill his brain spill over onto his feed, which is an amalgamation of his work, brainrot memes, and unexpected fit pics. Just like his artistic perspective, his personal style is uniquely Chase. He doesn’t follow many sartorial rules, but he does dress intentionally. He let us in on one of his go-to tips when it comes to perfecting a look: “A good outfit has good proportions, above all else.”
Throwback pieces re-emerge in new contexts on the internet star, from collar-popped Polos to VS Pink hoodies to UGG Classic Mini — a staple shoe that reappears repeatedly in Chase’s ensembles. “Number one, they're iconic. And two, they're comfortable. Also, they're just a perfect chunky boot that you can mix and match with everything,” he says. He slipped on a pair to take us around to some of his favorite hidden gem spots in Manhattan, reflecting on the journey that led him to the city along the way.
Naturally, the places Chase frequents are off the beaten path. While most New Yorkers avoid the overstimulation of Times Square, Chase sometimes chooses to bask in its LED lights. “It’s so endearing to see people visiting Times Square in awe. I mean, when you think of New York, what’s one of the first things that comes to mind?” he reflects. Another neighborhood where you can usually find him sourcing materials, hanging out with friends, or just exploring aimlessly is Chinatown — an area that Chase admires, unsurprisingly, for its eccentricities. “The signs in Chinatown, they're all in Myriad Pro font. They really don't care about being trendy. It’s so inspiring and really grounding,” he adds.
Whether it’s the barely perceptible fonts on street signs or the often-overlooked spectacles of the city, it became very apparent that Chase notices things that others don’t. And that seems to be the key to his success — he’s uninfluenced, unbothered, and most of all — unserious. While he’s certainly got some serious accolades under his ironic Gucci belt, he still tries to keep things fun and fresh along the way. When asked about his dream project, concluding our conversation, he laughed before sharing, “I feel like everybody nowadays wants to be a multi-hyphenate individual. So do I. But my dream is to make a Tubi movie with my friends.”
