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?
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.
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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.
But it was not just being Jenner’s BFF; in due time, Karanikolaou carved a place for herself and bagged endeavours for which she can single-handedly take credit. She came into the limelight after the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star stopped hanging out with another of her A-lister friends, model and socialite Jordyn Woods. Other than making appearances on Jenner’s social media and events, Karanikolaou was spotted hanging out with Kylie’s sister Kendall, and Hailey Baldwin. British tabloids, in typical fashion, dubbed her “the new Jordyn Woods”.
Successful innings on Instagram
Karanikolaou started her career in January 2014 with her first photo shoot for A-list Nation Magazine. She revealed her aspirations there and said, “In 10 years, I hope to see myself modelling a lot and working in the entertainment business.” In just under a year, she amassed two million followers on Instagram and was using the platform to promote products and rake in ad dollars.
A source told Entertainment Tonight that Karanikolaou “won’t post anything on Twitter or Instagram for less than US$5,000”. That was seven years ago. Now she has a whopping 11 million followers on Instagram and would presumably be earning upwards of US$40,000 per post.
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She is trying to make it big on YouTube too
Karanikolaou has her own YouTube channel as well, launching it in 2017 using her full name and already boasting 768,000 subscribers. The American beauty posts it all on her channel, from her daily life, fashion weeks, holidays, fashion, make-up and her diets. She even openly discusses plastic surgery and her many procedures on her channel.
Her YouTube channel, unfortunately, isn’t as active as her Instagram account, with 31 videos posted in over four years. She usually publishes one video a month.
Of beauty, brands and more
Most recently, Karanikolaou modelled for Australian brand Meshki’s metamorphosis line. In her early days as a model, she flaunted her curves for Khloé Kardashian’s Good American, Rihanna’s lingerie brand Savage x Fenty, and Pretty Little Thing.
Karanikolaou has also worked with several swimwear brands, including White Fox Swim, Elise x Elisia, Hoaka Swimwear, and designers Oh Polly and Showpo.
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The Kylie x Stassie make-up line
“I started dreaming of this collab a few years ago and we finally made it happen,” mother-of-two jenner gushed in an Instagram caption about the collaboration. “It was so special creating this with my best friend.” It indeed was a collaboration just waiting to happen. The collection will feature five limited-edition products, including a gloss duo, a lip kit, an illuminating powder, and two liquid eyeliner pens.
Karanikolaou also took to her Instagram Stories to share a preview of the packaging for the liquid lipstick and lip liner duo, which saw her and Jenner posing in bodysuits and wearing extremely tall lace-up platform heels.
PrettyLittleThing
The influencer teamed up with retail giant PrettyLittleThing for a sizzling collaboration that oozes her signature sexy style. Later on, she even served as the face of PrettyLittleThing and designed slip dresses and jumpsuits for fast fashion company Oh Polly.
Swimwear line with TJ Swim
“I’m very picky with my swimwear and the designs that I think are flattering,” she said, according to British media. “For the line, I was very particular with how everything fit and designed it to be flattering on every body type, not just mine. I wanted everyone to feel and look good in it.”
That’s what Karanikolaou said about her swimwear collection, showcased in snippets on the Instagram accounts of the model and TJ Swim in 2019.
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Miss Karanikolaou with Missguided
In August 2019, Karanikolaou teamed up with famous brand Missguided on a new clothing collection. The ultra-chic collection was extolled for being affordable, with prices starting at US$12 for an adorable “BabyGirl” gold necklace and capped off at US$120 for a faux fur coat, as per Finder.
Footwear campaign with EGO
In March 2020, Karanikolaou launched her footwear edit with the global shoe and accessory brand Ego. The celebrated UK women’s footwear brand hogged the spotlight in the United States in the company of Karanikolaou. The collaboration saw an eight-piece collection focused on luxury, style and comfort.
Stas Karanikolaou’s Sunny Vodka
Forbes reported two West Coast friends, Stassie and Zack Bia, came together on a new venture – Sunny Vodka, a small-batch corn-based American-made spirit. “[The opportunity] fell into our laps,” Karanikolaou said. “This makes so much sense for us. We love entertaining, hosting get-togethers, throwing parties and organising dinners. To be able to have our own line of vodka at events is just a dream.”
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Her luxurious California home has a pool, party room and more
This stunning influencer revealed a significant milestone on her YouTube channel in April last year – her California home. Karanikolaou shared, “A lot is changing. I’m happy and blessed, and I’m fine with doing it slowly.” She added, “I’m very excited for this chapter. I’ve been living here since, like, middle of December and obviously, it’s my first time buying a house.”
The home has a party room, a massive pool area, and a 10-seater dining table in a cosy corner. The intimate living room comes with a fireplace next to a sprawling kitchen. Life & Style magazine revealed the couch in her living room is from Restoration Hardware’s Cloud Fabric Collection and retails for a whopping US$4,000!
This article originally appeared on Luxurylaunches.
