Meet Anastasia ‘Stassie’ Karanikolaou, Kylie Jenner’s best friend: she’s a fashion influencer who’s modelled for Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty … but what if that Kardashian fan event never happened?
- Stassie Karanikolaou has 11 million Instagram followers and is believed to be earning upwards of US$40,000 per post as an influencer – but she first got famous as a Kardashian pal
- She met Kylie Jenner at a Barnes & Noble when the make-up mogul appeared for a fan event; they became close friends and launched the Kylie x Stassie make-up line
At just the age of 25, Anastasia Karanikolaou, or Stassie, has established herself as a model, “It” girl, and a successful influencer, racking up an astonishing 11 million followers on Instagram alone. But it is not her looks that fans rave about, or her camaraderie with make-up mogul Kylie Jenner.
It is her business acumen, networking and talent for being at the right place at the right time that we are lauding.
Let’s take a look at her journey as a model, influencer and entrepreneur …
The backstory of the beautiful Californian
Karanikolaou was born in Los Angeles, California, in June 1997, to an upper-middle-class Christian family. She graduated from a private university in Los Angeles and aimed to make it big in the US entertainment industry.
A deep connection with Kylie Jenner
Karanikolaou owes most of her moolah, influence and fame to her BFF of nine years – Kylie Jenner. Call it kismet. They met at a Barnes & Noble when the make-up mogul appeared for a fan event, and became close friends who even lived together once. Karanikolaou’s friendship with Jenner almost instantly catapulted her to global fame, leading to several modelling assignments and collaborations.