Cameron Dallas: The Vine star announced as the new face of Calvin Klein

From filming pranks to garnering a following of literal millions, the most-followed man in fashion is testimony to the ever-increasing clout of social media

Dallas might have had an untraditional route into fashion but in social media terms he is one of the most followed men in the fashion industry (Getty Images)

Playing pranks on your friends and family might not tally with traditional definitions of success. But, for Cameron Dallas, filming these schoolboy pranks proved rather lucrative.

Thanks to his humorous off-the-cuff videos, the 21-year-old Vine star has amassed a hefty social media following of millions and landed a contract with IMG Models. Most recently, the Internet personality has been unveiled as the new face of Calvin Klein’s new jeans campaign.

The decision to cast Dallas is a reflection of the growing leverage of social media in both the fashion industry and the wider world. Redefining established notions of ‘fame’, the California native trades in a currency many of us are just learning to get our heads around: retweets, likes, and followers.

Strategic vision

It would be foolish to assume Dallas gained his “social media sensation” status by accident. In the same way, that a carpenter knows his toolbox, Dallas knows his respective social media outlets. After all, it’s hard to stumble across 11.6 million followers on Instagram, 9.3 million on Vine, 6.85 million on Twitter, and 4.57 million subscribers on YouTube, by accident.

“Now I am very analytical with these platforms,” he explains in a recent interview with Vogue. “And I knew Vine would blow up, so I decided to blow up with it. It has definitely helped me and my other ancillary businesses get launched. Just like other platforms have, and will continue to with the right moves.”

Not originally a Vine star

Vine explicitly describes itself as an “entertainment network where video and personality get really big, really fast”. Well, that’s most certainly what Dallas did. But despite common misconceptions, he didn’t actually start his career on Vine. Instead, he went to efforts to build his brand across different outlets.

“One of the biggest misconceptions that has been thrown out there is the fact that I started on Vine. Crazy as it seems, I’ve been doing this since 2011, when I started on Instagram,” he explains. He then moved on to Twitter second, YouTube third and finally Vine fourth.

Unusual fashion recruit

Sometimes it seems like a generous social media following can land you a career in whatever industry tickles your fancy. While Dallas didn't initially set out to embark on a career in the fashion industry, he has managed to land a spot in one of its best gigs. Starring in the latest Calvin Klein campaign, he was shot on a beach in Malibu by fashion photographer Jack Pierson.

Dallas might have had an untraditional route into fashion but in social media terms he is one of the most followed men in the fashion industry. Of course, Dallas is not the only Internet celebrity to star in a fashion campaign. Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid are other examples of the overlap between the two industries.

On the big screen

Dallas has progressed from 5-second long Vine clips on iPhone screens to feature-length films on the big screen. Starring in popular US 2014 comedy films Expelled, Outfield and Neigbours 2: Sorority Rising, Dallas is doing more and more acting work of late.