Devon Lee Carlson is 32 years old, born August 3, 1994. Long before “influencer” was a job title on a resume, she was already living it. The Los Angeles native is best known as the co-founder of Wildflower Cases, the phone accessory brand she built with her mother and sister, and as one of the earliest fashion personalities to prove that a personal Instagram feed could become an actual company.
She has since modeled for Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Saint Laurent, styled work connected to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good 4 U” video, and been namechecked in a Charli XCX song. New York Magazine’s Strategist once ranked her as the teen demographic’s single most influential style figure, ahead of names like Rihanna and Kendall Jenner. That distinction, more than any single campaign, explains why she has stayed relevant across two very different eras of internet fame.
As of September 2026, Carlson’s life is in a genuinely active chapter. She is engaged to actor Duke Nicholson, continuing to book fashion campaigns, and running a company that has outlasted most of the influencer businesses that copied it.
Growing Up in Southern California
Carlson grew up outside Los Angeles and spent her childhood the way a lot of girls in her orbit did, playing dress-up and taking pictures with her younger sister, Sydney. What set her apart was discipline of a different kind. She trained as a competitive dancer for fourteen years, a commitment that shaped the poise she later brought to modeling.
She has said she was drawn to fashion long before she had the language for it, tracing her sense of style back to trips to the mall as a kid. That early, almost obsessive interest in clothes and self-presentation turned out to be a skill set the influencer economy would reward a few years later, according to her Wikipedia entry and the interviews it draws from.
The Miley Cyrus Encounter That Started Wildflower Cases
The origin story is one of the more genuinely random ones in influencer history. At 17, Carlson asked Miley Cyrus for a selfie at a restaurant. Cyrus noticed the phone case Carlson was holding, a leopard print design with a gold stud cross that her mother, Michelle Carlson, had made by hand. Carlson gave it to her on the spot.
Cyrus posted a thank-you note on Twitter that night. By the next day, the Carlson family had thrown together a website and was fulfilling orders out of their home. They named the new venture Wildflower on the drive back from that dinner. Reported accounts place the company’s effective launch in 2012, when Sydney Carlson was a young teenager, though the exact age has varied slightly across interviews and should be treated as approximate.
The family took a real financial risk on the idea. They sold their house to self-fund the business and moved into a rental owned by Devon and Sydney’s grandparents, working out of what Devon has jokingly called “Wildflower University,” as she and Sydney recounted in an interview with Los Angeles magazine. It is a detail that tends to get flattened in shorter influencer profiles, but it is the reason Wildflower reads less like a lucky viral moment and more like an actual small business gamble that paid off.
Wildflower Cases: Building a Multimillion-Dollar Family Brand
Wildflower Cases is still a women-owned, family-run company based in Los Angeles, with Michelle, Devon and Sydney Carlson listed as its founders on the brand’s own site. What began with a couple of leopard print designs has expanded into dozens of styles across iPhone, Samsung and accessory lines, sold through Wildflower’s official site.
The client list did a lot of the early marketing for them. Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, Halsey, Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish and Emma Chamberlain have all been photographed with Wildflower cases. In 2021, one of the designs appeared on the runway at a Sandy Liang show, a moment the brand has described as a first for a phone case, though that specific claim comes from the brand’s own account rather than independent verification.
The company has continued releasing designer collaborations well past its early growth years. In January 2026, Wildflower released a limited-edition collaboration with For Love & Lemons featuring two case designs. In July 2026, it partnered with Ashley Williams on a three-design collection inspired by her Spring/Summer 2026 line. Rather than a company coasting on its early success, Wildflower remains an active collaborator in the fashion space heading into the back half of 2026.
Carlson has extended the brand beyond phone accessories in her own right. In 2020 and 2021 she co-designed a seven-piece apparel collection with Marc Jacobs, including a graphic sweatsuit, a ruffled slip dress with charms, and a handbag silhouette based on her dog, Martin. More recently she has moved into direct fashion collaborations under her own name, launching a 20-piece collection with Reformation in March 2025 and appearing in Miaou’s first adidas Originals collaboration alongside fellow model Gabbriette in November 2025.
Modeling, Magazine Covers and Fashion’s It-Girl Circuit
Carlson’s modeling career grew out of business meetings, not casting calls. While pitching Wildflower to retailers, she started fielding modeling inquiries instead, and her competitive dance background made her comfortable in front of a camera almost immediately.
She has since modeled for or appeared in campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Balenciaga, Gucci, Proenza Schouler and Swarovski, and walked in Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2026 show during Paris Fashion Week in September 2025.
Her 2025 and 2026 campaign work has included Tory Burch’s Pre-Fall lineup, a Moynat handbag campaign, and an editorial for HommeGirls. In August 2026, she launched a 46-piece swimwear and clothing collection with Frankies Bikinis alongside founder Francesca Aiello, a collection that includes animal prints, sequins, rhinestone pieces, and denim, reportedly the brand’s first jeans line. On September 4, 2026, she appeared in Jimmy Choo’s “The Wardrobe Collection” campaign, modeling the brand’s shoes and bags, her most recently confirmed fashion partnership as of this update.
She has also crossed into music culture. She is credited with styling work connected to Olivia Rodrigo’s 2021 “Good 4 U” video, and in 2023 she appeared in Charli XCX’s “Speed Drive,” a single from the Barbie soundtrack, which name-drops her directly in its lyrics: “Devon Lee smile, teeth a white row.” It is a small, specific detail, but it says something about her staying power that a pop song used her as shorthand for a certain kind of effortless California cool.
Friendships, Romance and Where She Stands in 2026
Carlson’s social circle reads like a cross-section of the last decade of pop culture. She is photographed regularly with Bella Hadid at Paris Fashion Week and in street style coverage, and outlets have also linked her socially to Billie Eilish and Hailey Bieber.
Her connection to Emma Chamberlain is real but more professional than the “best friends” framing some tabloid roundups suggest. The two came up in the same early YouTube-era creator scene alongside stylists like Salem Mitchell and Sandy Liang, and Chamberlain is a longtime, documented Wildflower Cases wearer. Whether they are genuinely close friends off camera is not something either has confirmed in detail, so that specific claim is worth treating with some caution.
Her romantic history is better documented. Carlson dated Jesse Rutherford, frontman of The Neighbourhood, from 2015 to 2021. In 2022, she revealed on the Call Her Daddy podcast that she had a new partner, later confirmed to be Duke Nicholson, an actor and the grandson of Jack Nicholson. Reported accounts describe the two meeting at a Lana Del Rey concert, though that detail should be treated as reported rather than independently confirmed.
On June 17, 2026, Carlson announced their engagement on Instagram, sharing photos of a round-cut diamond ring. Public reporting has generally described the couple as together for close to four years before the engagement, though exact timelines vary slightly by source. As of this update, no wedding date, venue, or other wedding plans have been publicly confirmed.
Nearly fourteen years after that chance encounter with Miley Cyrus, Devon Lee Carlson remains an active presence in fashion rather than a nostalgia act. Wildflower Cases continues releasing new designer collaborations, she is booking major runway and campaign work, including her newest Frankies Bikinis and Jimmy Choo partnerships, and her personal life includes a confirmed engagement heading into the back half of 2026. Few names from her original Tumblr-era cohort have managed to stay commercially active this long without pivoting away from fashion entirely.
For where she ranks among her peers, see the full list of LA’s biggest fashion, beauty, and lifestyle creators.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Devon Lee Carlson?
Devon Lee Carlson was born August 3, 1994, in Los Angeles County, California, according to her Wikipedia entry and multiple press profiles. As of September 6, 2026, she is 32 years old. She spent her teens as a competitive dancer before pivoting into the phone case business that made her famous, so her public timeline is unusually well documented for someone in her age bracket.
What is Devon Lee Carlson known for?
She is best known as the co-founder of Wildflower Cases, a phone case and accessories company she started with her mother, Michelle, and sister, Sydney, after a viral encounter with Miley Cyrus in 2012. She is also a working model and longtime fashion influencer.
Is Devon Lee Carlson engaged?
Yes. Carlson announced her engagement to actor Duke Nicholson, the grandson of Jack Nicholson, on Instagram on June 17, 2026, sharing photos of a round-cut diamond ring. The couple had reportedly been together for close to four years before the engagement. No wedding date or additional wedding details have been publicly confirmed as of this update.
Is Devon Lee Carlson close friends with Emma Chamberlain?
The two are documented to have come up in the same early YouTube and influencer circle in Los Angeles, and Emma Chamberlain has been photographed using Wildflower cases for years. Reports describing them as close personal friends exist, but neither has given a detailed public account of their relationship, so that specific claim should be read with some caution.
What brands has Devon Lee Carlson modeled for or worked with recently?
She has modeled for or appeared in campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Balenciaga, Gucci, Proenza Schouler, Swarovski, Tory Burch and Moynat, and walked in Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2026 show at Paris Fashion Week. Her most recent confirmed partnerships are a 46-piece Frankies Bikinis collection launched in August 2026 and Jimmy Choo’s “The Wardrobe Collection” campaign, which debuted September 4, 2026.
Is Wildflower Cases still active?
Yes. Beyond its ongoing retail line, Wildflower released a limited-edition collaboration with For Love & Lemons in January 2026 and a three-design collaboration with Ashley Williams in July 2026, indicating the company continues to release new designer partnerships rather than operating solely on its earlier success.
