18 Canadian Influencers to Get on Your Feed (If They’re Not Already)
From singers to makeup artists to entrepreneurs, Canada is home to some major talent — and it’s no different in the realm of social media. We’ve rounded up a list of seriously talented Canadian influencers that are making their mark on all things fashion, lifestyle and wellness. Savour their carefully crafted Insta grids and get inspired by Canada’s very own.
Ania Boniecka @aniab
This stylish influencer posts editorial-like shots with jaw-dropping backdrops from her travels to dreamy locations such as Florence and Barcelona. Boniecka’s style is that of a Parisian It-Girl but she’s also serious #girlboss, having been nominated as Digital Influencer Of The Year at the 2017 Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards. Living in wintry Calgary, she manages to keep warm in super stylish winter outfits while posing in the cosiest mountain-lodge locations, putting the Rockies at the top of our bucket list. Pro-tip: Boniecka references all of her outfits on her feed and on her blog, Ania.B, making shopping for your next Insta-worthy look that much easier.
Lauren Chan @lcchan
This NYC-based Canadian is a woman of many talents. She’s gone from playing varsity basketball at Western University to plus-sized model to fashion editor at Glamour to founder of her own lifestyle brand, Henning. As a fashion editor, she used her voice to spread awareness about the serious lack of size-inclusivity in the industry and won the 2018 American Society of Magazine Editors Next Award, and has appeared on Good Morning America and the Today Show. On her Insta you’ll see that her beauty game is strong; while she’s clearly mastered the bold red lip, it’s her make-up free selfies that will have you begging for her skincare routine.
Vanessa Cesario @vanessacesario_
Cue the influx of flame emojis because this Toronto-based influencer’s style is #fire. As the creative director of Toronto-based swimwear brand Unika Swim, you’ll find Cesario sporting neon pink and green bikinis on her Insta all year long—despite Toronto’s six-month long winter. She also owns pretty much every single sneaker of the moment, from Yeezy Wave Runners to Adidas’ Yung-1 in Hi-Res Orange, making her the ultimate hype beast.
Ruby Benson @ragxruby
Toronto-based influencer Benson has been killing the social media game since she graduated from Western University in 2013. Right out of school, she copped the position of Canadian brand manager position at The Kooples, and interned at Complex Magazine. Currently, she stays busy with freelance stylist and model gigs as well as influencer projects with major brands like Chanel, Gucci and Adidas. Plus she somehow manages to make athleisure chic, pulling off everything from bike shorts to Off-White Converse to vintage sweat suits. Even Virgil Abloh follows her—need we say more?
Allegra Shaw @allegrashaw
This down-to-earth city girl is always giving savvy tips and tricks on style, fitness and beauty on her Youtube channel that boasts over 856K subscribers. Besides blessing us with two videos each week, she co-owns sustainable brand Uncle Studios, where she designs simple yet refined garments that are all made in Canada. She’s also a pro at using high-end accessories to elevate her classic looks; we love how she pairs a cozy Aritzia sweater dress with Chloe thigh-high boots or a Chanel chain belt with light-wash vintage Levi’s.
Musemo Handahu @misslionhunter
A bold lip and colourful backdrops are the hallmarks of Halifax-based Handahu’s artsy Insta, where she showcases her creative talents as an influencer and stylist. She not only curates creative content for major brands like Forever21, Samsung and Makeup Forever, she’s been commissioned by Etsy to teach workshops like Building An Online Presence. By matching bright hues with fun patterns like florals or stripes, Handahu inspires us to be fearless when it comes to style.
Tee Go @thatsotee
Vivid, high-contrast pics on the streets of Toronto or whichever new city she happens to be visiting, Go’s personal style is fresh and on-trend. From Golden Goose sneakers with ripped denim to a fuchsia silk slip dress by LPA, her wardrobe is total #goals. Plus, whether she’s at the lavish Wapa Di Ume Resort & Spa in Bali or flying a hot air balloon high above Napa Valley, CA you can also count on her for detailed travel guides to these spots when she returns home.
Chloe Zhang @chloezhaang
This Toronto-based beauty has an impressive designer handbag collection; eagle eyes are sure to note the Gucci Dionysus, the Louis Vuitton mini backpack and the Chanel Boy bag that she favours often. Zhang tends to stick to neutrals like cream, camel and oatmeal, making her Insta grid especially soothing to scroll through. Thankfully, she shares her styling tips on her blog, where she also reviews skincare and makeup from high-end brands like Nars and YSL.
Kayla Seah @notyourstandard
Seah is the Toronto-based editor of Not Your Standard, a blog covering fashion, food, décor, travel and beauty. It even has a Shop section, which is basically Seah’s curated boutique that links you to various online stores so you can buy her fave fashion picks. According to her blog, she’s a lover of all things design, so it’s no surprise that her Insta is flawless. She also loves to pull ideas from different cultures and her life experiences, having lived in NYC and Berlin.
Allana Davison @allanaramaa
Content from this self-proclaimed “Blogger, Vlogger, Anything-ogger” spans everything from home workout videos to travel guides. On her Insta and YouTube accounts, Davison gets up close and personal with her audience through detailed makeup reviews, hashtagged #FullFaceFriday. Her quirky personality and honest reviews have inspired subscribers to declare that “[They] won’t buy anything without [her] recommendation.”
Rebecca Ramsdale @rebeccaramsdale
Changing her hair colour almost as often as she changes outfits, Ramsdale is the ultimate West End cool kid from Toronto. An avid thrifter, she’s able to curate the perfect grunge aesthetic with affordable pieces culled from local thrift shops. Think old-school Chucks paired with denim Bermuda shorts and a classic Play by Comme Des Garcons heart tee. Her Youtube channel boasts travel vlogs and beauty routines but keep an eye out for her impressive thrift hauls.
Sasha Exeter @sashaexeter
Need some serious fitspo to get moving on your New Year’s resolutions? Look no further than Exeter, Canada’s fitness queen. Even though she’s a super busy mom and successful businesswoman, she’s always on her fitness A-game. She started her blog, So Sasha, in 2012 to share her thoughts on fashion, travel and wellness and now has over 30K followers. She’s also a huge inspiration for other moms, particularly because she never fails to keep it #relatable. She speaks openly about her pregnancy and what helped her get back on track after giving birth, maintaining that it’s not all about crazy HITT workouts, but about small and consistent steps that help you build strength both mentally and physically.
Cat Williams @thecatwilliams
Williams is an avid globetrotter, having visited more than 26 cities just last year. When she’s not catching a flight to London, Barcelona or LA, she’s curating content for her blog in Toronto and slaying it as ET Canada’s digital producer. With a busy schedule that has her constantly on the move, you’d think flats would be the only plausible option but Williams is fiercely dedicated to heels, documenting her enviable collection on her Instagram feed as she heads from one exciting locale to the next.
Jess Hoffman @choosingchia
This Montreal yogi is making us rethink the pizza we were planning to order tonight. From the fluffiest blueberry pancakes to rich mocha donuts to the most decadent dragonfruit cheesecake, Hoffman’s Insta has us drooling. And the best part it, it’s all plant-based. The kitchen whiz turns chia pudding into a dream dessert, whips lemon meringue into fluffy egg-free clouds. We’d be jealous if we weren’t so darn grateful for her recipes.
Dorrington Reid @dorringtonr
Warning: you might just want to live inside this photographer’s Insta feed. Cozy cafes, table-top shots of elaborate meals, and quirky boutiques—all of which are shot on an iPhone!—are what you’ll find as you scroll through Reid’s envy-inducing account. Since he just moved back to Toronto from Vancouver, expect to see tons of snapshots of both cities, with the occasional NYC ‘gram thrown in.
Abhishek Dekate @abhishekdekate
There’s a dreamy, moody quality to this content creator’s Instagram presence, which is full of decadent café bites as well as exquisite historic architecture and home decor. Follow him if you like knowing about all the highly Instagrammable brunch spots in Toronto, where he’s based, or if you just love looking at beautiful pictures of food and cozy cafes. Who doesn’t?
Candice Tay @candicemtay
Tay is a Toronto-based influencer sharing her journey of practicing mindfulness day-to-day. Aware of the harmful impacts of the fashion industry, she decided to become a more conscious consumer which led to her sharing her slow fashion journey on her blog, Candice Tay. Her style is minimalist and clean, consisting of neutrals and basics from sustainable brands like Everlane, Vetta and Encircled. She also only works with brands that share her values, maintaining the importance of making mindful purchases.
Audrey Rivet @audreyrivet
Rivet is a Montreal-based freelance graphic designer who helps develop brand identities for startups like Oatbox and Thesez-Vous. So it should come as no surprise that she’s also built a strong personal brand of her own via Instagram. Rivet’s feed has a bit of a vintage feel to it and she often shares photos of her covetable home decor as well as cute local cafes. But her main focus is her carefully curated wardrobe—you’d never guess that it’s made up of totally affordable thrifted finds.
