25, Fashion Creator
Why she’s interesting: The Rocky River resident turned a hobby of posting daily photos of her school outfits on Instagram into a career as a social media influencer, with more than 160,000 followers. Her lifestyle brand, emilyOandbows, boasts curated collections of home decor and fashion accessories as well as collabs with the likes of Amazon Prime, J.Crew, Kate Spade, Nest, Nordstrom, Rent the Runway and Steve Madden.
What’s in a name? The “O” in Coyne’s brand name is her middle initial — her full name is Emily O’Rourke Coyne. “Emily O was my nickname growing up.”
A social media star is born: Coyne, motivated by the fashion blogs she’d read online, posted her first photo on Instagram when she was in seventh grade. “I desperately wanted to start posting on social media,” she recalls. “So I put a little PowerPoint presentation together for my parents. They were like, ‘What is this?’” She admits the first photos her mother Ann took of her weren’t the best. “She didn’t want me to post my face for safety reasons because, again, we weren’t really sure what Instagram was. So for the first 10 pictures on my Instagram, I don’t have a head.”
Sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter
No slave to fashion: Coyne describes her style as “very classic and timeless.” She names her business partner mother, Ann, and maternal grandmother, Joyce Litzler, as her biggest influences — along with fashion icons Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. “When I’m wearing something that might be super trendy or a little edgier, it’s as simple as: 'I just don’t feel like myself.' I don’t feel as confident.”
From pop-up to online shop: Coyne began curating merchandise for campus and Cleveland-area pop-up shops while she was still studying emerging technology business and design at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. “[They said], ‘If you focus on it and treat it like a full-time job, [we] think that this could be something that could grow.’”
The perks: California-based luxury ready-to-wear brand L’Agence invited Coyne to its New York City Fashion Week presentations and dressed her. “I walked in, and I turned to my right. Cameras were flashing and whatever. And Brooke Shields was literally standing right next to me. I thought, Well, this is going to be a good night!”
Meet the rest of the 2025 class of Most Interesting People. >>
For more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter, delivered to your inbox six times a week.
Cleveland Magazine is also available in print, publishing 12 times a year with immersive features, helpful guides and beautiful photography and design.
