Oak Park native and graduate of Oak Park River Forest High School, Tavi Gevinson is a writer, actor, and magazine editor. In 2008, at the age of 11, she started a teen fashion blog, Style Rookie, from her bedroom in her family’s Oak Park home. Style Rookie swiftly caught the attention of many teenage girls, as well as luminaries in the fashion world such as designer Karl Lagerfeld and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. While still in middle school, Gevinson attended many of the world’s most famous fashion shows.
In 2011, Gevinson left Style Rookie and the world of fashion behind to create the online teen magazine, Rookie, which focused on issues of importance to teenage girls. She took on the roles of chief editor and art director, managing a staff of mostly adults. Rookie ceased publication in 2018.
While still in high school, Gevinson began acting in films, including “Enough Said” with James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. After graduation in 2014, she appeared in the play “This Is Our Youth” on Broadway with Kieran Culkin and Michael Cera. Other Broadway appearances include “The Crucible” and “The Cherry Orchard.” From 2021-2023, Gevinson played Kate Keller in the reboot of “Gossip Girl.”
In addition to acting, Gevinson continues to write and has published pieces in The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Poetry Magazine, and other publications.
Submitted by Deborah Mercer, November 2024.