The Tamesis
Actual presence in class remains rare. While Anita Elberse, Lincoln-Farlin professor of business administration, has had big-name guests like Ryan Reynolds, David Beckham and LL Cool J (and his COO) speak in class, she said she hasn’t invited any speakers whose careers center on content creation. Earle is the only creator Satchu has invited so far, joining previous guests including Hollywood heavyweight Reese Witherspoon.
The growing number of influencers being invited to speak at Harvard shows just how huge the creator economy has become—expected to be worth $500 billion by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs. Despite the big money involved, content creation jobs, especially in the fashion and beauty fields, are often looked down upon by those in more traditional roles. Eve Lee, founder of the “creator-driven” consultancy Source Material Service, said the strong response to these appearances is an indicator. “The influencer industry is still seen as lax and there are gender, class and generational elements to dismissal,” she said.
But for the next generation of business leaders, these creators have a lot to teach them that isn’t typically learned in the classroom.
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What actually happens when you put a creator in a room with a business student? It depends on who made the invitation in the first place: the bar for receiving a class invitation is high. “I won’t let [just] “I consider it a sacred place for anyone in my class,” Satchu said. So far, the professor has had 30 to 40 influential people ask to speak. Earl was the only invitation he extended. Now, I’m writing a case about her. “
This shows that Harvard professors take the invitation seriously. Satchu decided to write a Harvard Business School case study about Earle—a highly sought-after individual, he said, after the success of his first visit. The case focuses on the process of monetizing authenticity and explores what Earle should do going forward to further profit from her brand. “180 super-smart Harvard students are debating: What should Alix Earle do next with her brand?”
Student-run clubs and meetings are less institutionalized and more open, often featuring fireside chats followed by Q&A, without the need to fit into a course or classroom structure. Jeff was invited to campus by the Harvard Fashion Law Society and spent time at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, she said. At Harvard Law School, the conversation focused on intellectual property, how Jelf Avenue protects its designs, how it structures manufacturing and partnerships, and how the brand considers artificial intelligence, Jelf said. “I prepared by talking closely with our legal team to ensure I accurately represented their work and the legal structure behind the brand,” she said.
A non-lawyer speaking to Harvard Law School students inevitably raises eyebrows. (It’s worth noting that Jeref Street was hit with accusations of a toxic work culture in 2024, for which Jeref apologized.) But Jeref’s presence at the Harvard event shows that people on campus are eager to leverage influential cultural influence. When invitations come from student-run clubs, Harvard students gain access to creators they follow and admire, and creators gain access to university names.
