Homeschooled to 16,000 Followers: How Brittany Merrill Schooled The Haters And Turned Her Passion Into A Career

Brittany sold more of her clothes in her first week on Curtsy than most people sell in their first year.  A small-town girl with a big-time Instagram following, you’ll never see her carrying Louis Vuitton. Her style is just-ran-out-of-the-house chic: an oversized men’s utility button-down French-tucked into a leather mini skirt.

@britmerl on Instagram

After Brittany sold 30 items on Curtsy in one day, I wanted to know how she did it. What was the secret to her success on Curtsy? Where did her fab yet unpretentious style come from? What’s behind her charm? With these questions in mind, I gave her a call. 

Brittany grew up as a self-described ‘loner’ in a small town outside of Athens, GA.  Just a few years ago, only a handful of people knew who she was. She was homeschooled until high school, when she started at a small Christian academy with 35 students per grade.  She struggled to fit in at first, finding it hard to relate to things like sports.

She soon found her niche as editor of her school’s yearbook.  She dove headfirst into the role, spending countless hours taking photos, telling stories, and organizing those into a final product she’d share with her classmates every spring — a process she loved.

On weekends, she’d explore nearby towns with friends, taking photos and gradually becoming more comfortable in front of the camera as well.  

Driving with a friend one day, they spotted a huge American flag on the side of a building.  Her friend snapped a photo, and Brittany did what anyone her age would do: posted it to Instagram. Overnight, she got her first taste of what it meant to ‘go viral.’

The pic that started it all.

That photo, and a few tweets on Twitter, helped her go from 900 to 6,000 followers in a few weeks.  At school she was dragged by fellow classmates, who called Brittany’s new hobby ‘the biggest joke.’ She didn’t care; she thought it was fun.  She loved talking to her followers, who she interacted with as if they were lifelong friends. 

Her “ballin’ on a budget” style came from necessity, she told me.  Her family didn’t have a lot of money growing up. She learned to hunt for treasures on regular outings to her local thrift store. Most days, she throws together disparate pieces that somehow end up looking cute. Her fave look for fall is a simple turtleneck under a bulky sweater and, of course, a mini skirt.