Leave it to LaurDIY to give 700 high schoolers the crafty, pre-prom experience of a lifetime.
The famed, 25-year-old YouTuber and DIY queen (whose real name is Lauren Riihimaki) teamed up with Journeys and Converse last weekend for their Off to Prom event at New York City’s YouTube Space. The event, which aimed to prepare teens for prom, enlisted YouTubers (like makeup guru Hailie Barber and choreographers Michael Le and Analisse Rodriguez) to help give the young guests everything they’ll need to take on the big night — from beauty tips, to dance moves, to accessories!
Lauren’s role in it all? Why, to assist future prom-goers in decorating their own pair of Converse to wear in lieu of uncomfortable heels, of course!
“I think there’s such a stigma around prom and having to wear certain things,” Lauren told us before the event kicked off. “And so I think it’s really cool to promote being comfortable, but still being able to feel like you’re dressed up and doing the whole prom experience while wearing sneakers. If I had thought to [wear Converse to prom] in high school, I 100 percent would have.”
And Journeys couldn’t have picked a more fitting influencer to lead the project. Surrounded by mountains of glitter, press-on jewels, colored shoelaces, and blank Converse High Tops, Lauren was totally in her element — not only is the vlogger a crafting master, but she’s also long been a fan of the Converse brand.
“I grew up as a little scene kid with black and pink converse, and then eventually transitioned over to the white high tops,” Lauren said, adding that she’s even DIY’d a pair or two on her YouTube channel over the years. “I feel like they’ve been a staple of my fashion for so long, so it’s been so cool to work with Journeys and Converse.”
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Though she got to spend the day DIYing, getting free shoes, and working with some of her favorite brands, Lauren revealed that her absolute favorite part of Off to Prom was meeting fans in such an intimate way.
“We get to chat and interact, and I get to help them DIY. I’ve never really done anything like this before,” she said. “Normally, it’s like, a photo [at meet and greets], you know what I mean? This is less of a photo against a backdrop, and more of just a hangout.”
When she wasn’t crafting, Lauren spent her time at Off to Prom chatting with fans and taking advantage of cool photo opps set up around the YouTube Space. Her favorite photo destination of the day? A white throne in a rainbow confetti pit, surrounded by giant disco balls.
“I’m like, ‘do I need a pit of confetti in my house?’” she joked (though knowing her, she’ll probably actually put a pit of confetti in her house!)
If you didn’t get the chance to attend Off to Prom in person, no worries — Lauren assured us she’d be recapping the event in a vlog on her channel (which boasts nearly 9 million subscribers).
So other than the Off to Prom vlog, what can do-it-yourself fanatics expect to see coming down the pipeline on Lauren’s channel?
“Just more DIYs, more lifestyle stuff, and more of my dog!” she said.
