Eva Chen - Click to see all titles by this author.

“I think that the best school in life is experience.”

Born September 24, 1980, Eva Chen is an American journalist, fashion editor, and bestselling children’s book author who is also currently director of fashion partnerships at Instagram.

The child of immigrants, Eva grew up in New York City. Her parents, who were originally from Taipei and Shanghai, ran a consulting textile import-export business, and Eva attributes her early love of fashion to her mother’s influence, saying that her mother’s perfect bob and lipstick made a permanent impression on her.

Eva went to Johns Hopkins University intending to become a medical doctor, but eventually switched her major to English. She received a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and, while still a university student, interned for the fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar. After college, she started in an entry-level job at Lucky magazine, logging prices and sellers for the magazine’s featured products, and eventually rose to become the youngest editor-in-chief in the publication’s history. She later served as beauty editor of Teen Vogue.

In 2015, she joined Instagram as the social media platform’s Head of Fashion Partnerships. In this role, she creates brand partnerships and has launched a number of fashion and e-commerce features.

As a bestselling author, Chen’s children’s books include I Am Golden, whose text and incandescent illustrations by Sophie Diao are aimed at uplifting Asian American children and teaching them self-love.

Eva met her husband, Thomas Bannister, an advertising executive, and entrepreneur, when she was studying abroad at England’s Oxford University. The couple live in New York and have three children. In an interview with the online fashion magazine Domino in 2022, the pair admitted that their mutual inquisitiveness is part of their bond. “One of the things that drew us to each other is we’re both really curious. We like to try new things, travel, and see the world through fresh eyes,” Eva said.

Eva believes in experimenting in life until you find your direction. “My advice for young people is, study what you love and intern in what you want to do. And I think it's okay to pivot as many times as you need to.”