About
Ellie Thumann is an Arizona-born lifestyle creator who turned her childhood passion for DIY fashion videos into a full-blown career on two fronts: digital storytelling and professional modeling. She launched her YouTube channel in 2014 and quickly carved out a niche with relaxed vlogs, thrift-flip tutorials, and honest heart-to-hearts that feel more like chatting with a big sister than watching a production. Today she pairs those uploads with work for IMG Models, booking campaigns for global brands and landing three straight spreads in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues. Add more than a million Instagram followers and a steady TikTok presence, and Ellie now balances jet-lagged photo shoots with editing sessions in whichever coffee shop she can find.
Before Fame
Born on October 29, 2001, Ellie grew up under the vast skies of Arizona with her older sister, Erin, and younger brother, Will. Her mom had modeled locally, and five-year-old Ellie tagged along on castings until an agent signed her to a kids’ board. Those early catalog gigs sparked a love of cameras that never faded. By middle school she was filming craft projects on a borrowed DSLR under the name “ElliexoxoFashion.” Her first upload—“10 Facts About Me”—aired in March 2014 and featured jump cuts, bedroom fairy lights, and a promise to post whatever felt fun. The production value was modest, but her easy laugh and genuine curiosity struck a chord, laying the foundation for a community that’s been growing ever since.
Trivia
- Sports Illustrated streak: Ellie became an SI Swimsuit rookie at 21 in Puerto Rico and has returned every year—posing in Mexico for 2024 and Bermuda for 2025—crediting photographer Yu Tsai for helping her relax in front of crashing waves.
- The baby-powder hack: A behind-the-scenes TikTok from the 2024 shoot went viral after she used baby powder to shake sand out of a neon suit, a trick she learned from crew veterans.
- First-pitch nerves: Tossing the ceremonial opener at a Mets game, she later joked she was “just thrilled the ball reached the catcher,” ranking her effort third behind Camille Kostek and Xandra Pohl in a playful Page Six debate.
- Fan tattoo: During the same interview, Ellie revealed a supporter permanently inked her handwriting—proof, she says, that being vulnerable online can forge remarkable bonds.
- Mental-health honesty: A January 2024 SI Lifestyle piece detailed why she paused uploads to reassess goals and protect her mental well-being, reinforcing the transparency that viewers value.
Family Life
The Thumann siblings often steal the show. Erin appears in sister-tag challenges, swapping childhood stories, while Will once turned Ellie into a “pro gamer” for a Minecraft vlog, good-naturedly rating her attempts at pixelated farming. Their parents prefer the sidelines but pop up in holiday montages, cheering each milestone from off-camera. Even after relocating to Los Angeles for modeling castings, Ellie schedules long stretches back home, claiming that “Arizona sunsets reset my brain and my priorities.” Viewers notice that her most relaxed videos usually unfold around the family kitchen island, proof that the desert remains her grounding place.
Associated With
Ellie’s early content circle featured fellow teen creators Hannah Meloche and Ava Jules. Car rides set to throwback playlists, thrift store hauls, and Hawaiian beach days introduced each other’s audiences and sparked the “girdie” nickname still sprinkled across comment sections. On the modeling side she swaps notes with Sports Illustrated colleagues Katie Austin, Jena Sims, Lori Harvey, and others who shared the sun-soaked 2024 shoot in Mexico. Katie’s rookie advice—“pose, breathe, enjoy the chaos”—remains Ellie’s go-to mantra whenever a hundred-person crew is waiting for a single wave to crash just right.
