Chiara Ferragni

Chiara Ferragni was born on May 7, 1987, in Cremona, Italy. Her father was a dentist and her mother, Marina Di Guardo, is an Italian writer who also served as deputy director of the fashion house Blumarine. At the age of 16, Ferragni was recruited by the Beatrice model agency in Milan, where she modeled for several years before pursuing other aspirations.

In October 2009, while a law student at Bocconi University, Ferragni launched her fashion blog, “The Blonde Salad,” with Riccardo Pozzoli. The blog gained significant traction, leading to her being profiled as the “Blogger of the Moment” by Teen Vogue in December 2011. By 2014, her business ventures, largely driven by her Chiara Ferragni Collection footwear, generated approximately $8 million. Her career continued to ascend with significant milestones; she became the first fashion blogger to appear on a Vogue cover in April 2015 when she graced the cover of Vogue España. By July 2017, she had amassed 10 million followers on Instagram, reportedly earning around $12,000 per sponsored post, demonstrating her growing influence in digital marketing and fashion.

Ferragni further expanded her brand by opening her first Chiara Ferragni Collection store in Milan in July 2017. Her influence extended beyond fashion into social causes, notably campaigning against the far-right party in Italy using her social media platform. In 2020, she and her then-husband, Fedez, raised €3 million in 24 hours for San Raffaele Hospital in Milan during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2021, she joined the Board of Directors for Tod’s Group. However, her career faced challenges, including the “Pandorogate fraud scandal” in 2023, where she was fined €1 million for misleading charitable claims related to a Balocco pandoro marketing initiative. This incident led to the passage of the “Ferragni Law” in Italy to regulate influencer advertising. She was subsequently removed from the Tod’s Board in March 2024 and faced criminal charges for aggravated fraud in January 2025.