Ella Nolte redefined campus fashion through bold creativity, modesty and individuality, inspiring students with her unique thrifted style and viral TikTok presence.
Nolte is not your average BYU student. The junior, who is studying music education and minoring in Spanish education, has turned her love of fashion into a creative outlet and gained attention online. Nolte’s TikTok account, @ella.fits22, has more than 58,900 likes, and one of her videos has been viewed more than 563,400 times.
Her bio reads: “Thrifted, conceptual fashion 4 cheap girlies who are in it for the art.” Nolte calls herself “BYU’s only fashion icon” in her videos, a title she admits is bold but intentional.
“I think I started putting that in my videos because TikTok is a place where you try to get attention,” Nolte said. “I have this idea, like that I could put some very presumptuous title on my videos, and (my brother) was like, I think that’s great.”
Nolte’s style reflects her creativity and confidence. Her approach to fashion stands out at BYU, a campus known for its modest dress standards. Nolte sees this as an opportunity.
“Because I have to be modest, it pushes my creativity,” she said. “It makes my outfit more interesting in the end.”
Nolte rarely buys new clothes. “Pretty much my entire closet at this point is secondhand,” she said. She sources her wardrobe from thrift stores, yard sales and even her brothers.
Her brother Charlie Nolte, a professional runway model, admires her style. “She’s never afraid; she’s very bold,” he said. “Her style gives her confidence, and her confidence gives her style.”
Charlie Nolte also noted how his sister adds her own twist to trends. “She would do little creative things. She would wear bowling shoes instead of regular shoes,” he said. “She would be a part of the norm, but she would always have a little something to let you know that she was unique.”
Ella Nolte’s TikTok content includes daily outfit videos. She explained that her goal is not perfection but experimentation. “I’m not in it to be perfect, and it’s a trial-and-error thing,” she said. “I almost never wear the same outfit twice.”
Ella Nolte’s focus on modest fashion adds to her creativity. “I often buy something that doesn’t have sleeves, and so I’ve got to figure out how to create sleeves out of random things in my house,” she said.
Her willingness to take risks can influence others. “I think a fashion icon has to do with taking risks and doing things that cause people to have a reaction,” she said. “Whether that’s a good reaction or a bad reaction.”
This sentiment resonates with her followers, who see Ella Nolte as a standout in a world where personal style often feels diluted. One admirer commented on TikTok, “Straight up, no one has personal style anymore. You have it, and the point is it’s not for everyone! I hope you can remain creative and keep having fun with fashion,” TikTok user @rudelew said.
Ella Nolte’s style also reflects her dedication to her beliefs. She follows BYU’s dress standards as a personal choice. “I’m just a covenant keeper, and I have a testimony of the church,” she said. “That’s something I’ve chosen for myself and chosen to embrace in my fashion.”
Beyond clothing, Ella Nolte sees her platform as a way to represent diversity at BYU. “I hope that people could see a different side of BYU,” she said. “The people who feel like they don’t fit in could see that that’s okay and that’s cool.”
For Ella Nolte, fashion is more than what she wears — it’s a form of self-expression. “I like trying to be ahead of the curve,” she said. “I enjoy making people do a double-take.”