Instagram influencer Luka Sabbat talks about men’s make-up and the power of social media
- Instagram star Luka Sabbat, 22, hung out with Virgil Abloh and Alyx founder Matthew Williams as a teenager
- He talks about men wearing make-up and how social media gave him a start in his acting career
When Luka Sabbat first burst onto the scene six years ago, fashion insiders didn’t know what to make of this 16-year-old wunderkind who was a natural on Instagram and quickly built a loyal following thanks to his striking look and unfiltered posts. Headlines came fast, some dismissing him as yet another fashion kid turned social media maven; others hailing him as an original influencer with an authentic voice. He was certainly a breath of fresh air among the manufactured and heavily branded profiles of fellow social media stars.
Born in New York and raised in Paris, where he moved with his mother when he was three, 22-year-old Sabbat has been exposed to fashion since an early age. Both his parents work in the industry although he never harboured a desire to follow in their footsteps.
People outside fashion are likely to be familiar with him because of his role in TV series Grown-ish, the spin-off of hit TV show Black-ish, but Sabbat admits that it was his early success on social media that helped him get noticed and eventually get the role.
“I’m 22 and figuring out as I go and having fun,” says Sabbat when we meet him in Miami after the Dior Men’s autumn 2020 show, which he attended as a guest. “Lately I’ve been into acting and having fun doing that. Fashion got eyes on me and the guy who scouted me for Grown-ish was asking people like Tyra Banks who this fashion kid was so fashion helped with that and got me a film and the show.”
