June Influencer: Didier Young

Looking for fabulous food, fashion and beauty content, with a side of just-plain-gorgeous photos of the city’s prettiest spots? Follow Didier Young, who dishes on Toronto’s best eats, gives super-stylish tips and will make you fall in local love all over again. —Vita Daily

Hi Didier! Tell us a little bit about you.

I am originally from a beautiful tropical island called Mauritius. I came to Toronto over a decade ago to study, ended up falling in love with the city and turned it into a permanent move. With a background in the culinary field, I’ve always had a passion for food and I’m constantly on the lookout for new restaurants and cafés.

When and why did you get into content creation?

My Instagram started off as a little food diary of the things I made and places I ate at. It was just meant to be fun, but I was lucky to find like-minded foodies on the app, and what started as a photo diary became a community. I never dreamt it would one day turn into a full-time job, but I feel blessed to be on this path.

How do you use your platform to impact those who follow you?

I hope that I get to showcase to people that it is OK to be 100 per cent yourself and live your own truth. That you don’t need to be limited by societal and gender norms and that it’s OK to be different—this difference is what makes you special. I want to inspire people to be adventurous in style, food and life in general. Life is too short not to have some fun with it.

What’s your personal style mantra?

Stay open-minded and give everything a try at least once. I know prints and colours are scary for a lot of people, but it never hurts to try it out in-store! You don’t have to buy it, but you’ll never know if it will look good on you if you don’t give it a go. In terms of my personal style, I also try to stay away from anything that is super-trendy because I know that it won’t have as much longevity in my wardrobe. And I love a good bag, because it can truly make a look!

Are you skincare fan?

I LOVE skincare. Coming from an Asian household, I was taught very early on to take care of my skin and never leave the house without properly applying SPF. At the end of the day, skin is skin. It doesn’t have a gender and it is the biggest organ in the human body. If we are all willing to take care of our hearts and lungs, why shouldn’t we all take care of our skin, too?

What’s coming up for you next?!

I’m looking forward to a few potential trips this year and I can’t wait to take everyone along with me! There’s also a few fun brand opportunities on the radar but I am not at liberty to talk about them quite yet—but I promise I’ll unveil them soon on IG!

Follow Didier on Instagram.