Topher Griffin: He Started Taking $200 in Free Clothes as Payment. Now a Single TikTok Video Starts at $8,000.
Topher Griffin started posting at UMiami with no plan, no manager, and no idea what to charge. Brands started reaching out faster than he expected, and for a while, he just said yes to whatever they offered. Two hundred dollars in free clothes. Sure. Whatever the number was. Fine.
Then senior year, a major brand made him an offer and something shifted. He asked what their budget window was. Then he asked for significantly more than what they put on the table. It worked. He never accepted a first offer again.
Today, Topher splits his time across three income streams: freelance fashion work, brand deals starting at $8,000 per TikTok campaign, and a part-time role doing influencer and event marketing for a startup vodka company. Not one of those opportunities came from an application. Every single one came through relationships and word of mouth.
We sat down with Topher to talk about how he figured out his worth, what the post-grad financial reality actually looks like, and what he'd tell anyone sitting on a brand DM right now not knowing what to charge.
For anyone who doesn't know you yet, can you introduce yourself? Who you are, what your life looks like now, and how the following actually started?
I was making videos in college, and at first I was kind of trying to follow what other people were doing. Then I realized what worked best was speaking from my own voice and just being myself. The following grew, I met more people, got more exposure, and it snowballed from there.
Right now I'm freelancing across fashion, which I honestly never thought I'd be able to do. I've done in-house jobs, events, PR, some really incredible brands. The thing I've found is that in this industry, you can either stick to one company or do what I do, which is freelance. It's scary sometimes when you're wondering when the next job is coming. But it's about trusting the process, putting yourself out there, and knowing the next opportunity will show up. It always does.
Take us back to the Tarte trip and that whole era of being in Alix's orbit. What did that experience open up for you, and what did you actually learn about how the creator world works from being thrown into it at that level?
Going to Miami, I felt like everyone was kind of following a day in my life. Then second semester of my junior year things started growing really fast, and it was a big shock.
That summer I had an internship at Hermes on their events team, and I was genuinely torn: do I focus on the influencer side, or do I focus on my internship and do what I actually studied and wanted to do in fashion? It was overwhelming because everything happened so quickly. I decided to take a step back, move to New York for the internship, and just focus.
Honestly, back then it felt like a drag sometimes. I loved it, but I wasn't really ready. Now, after graduating and feeling more like myself, I have so much more to share. I love every time I hit post. It's become a real part-time job, and who knows, maybe full-time eventually.
Walk us through the transition out of Tory Burch and into doing things on your own terms. What made you decide to leave, and how did you think about it financially?
My time at Tory Burch was more long-term, but when my contract was up, we both kind of agreed it made sense to part ways rather than renew. I knew I wasn't doing what I loved. I was only doing editorial PR and I wanted to get into more creative work, reach into different sectors, put myself out there more.
The freelance path is scary, but here's the thing: I have never applied to a single job online. Not one. It's purely word of mouth. Putting yourself out there genuinely matters, and trusting that the next opportunity will show up when you need it. There are times when the money gets low and you feel the pressure, but for some reason it always comes through at exactly the right moment.
What did that post-grad period actually look like, the stretch between graduating and things clicking into place?
That was really hard. I graduated with no job lined up, and I was living at home, about 40 minutes outside the city where all my friends were. I knew I'd rather be home figuring things out than in the city doing something that didn't fulfill me. But it's still a lot, watching everyone else seem to have it together while you're sitting with uncertainty.
Looking back, I'm so grateful things worked out the way they did. But if I could tell that version of myself anything it would be: it will work out better than you can imagine. You're not behind. You make your own timeline. I was rushing toward something I have now, and honestly I wasn't ready for it back then.
What does the financial picture actually look like across all three income streams now?
The vodka brand is the most consistent. I'm their first employee, doing influencer and event marketing part time, about 20 hours a month. It's not a contract situation, it's just steady. That's where my reliable monthly income comes from.
Influencer work is where the bigger checks come in, but it fluctuates a lot. Some months are great, some months I'm getting paid almost nothing. I never rely on it to make plans or commitments. It's there, and it's real, but the amount changes.
Freelance fashion tracks with the industry calendar. February and September are the big months. There are smaller events in between. When those jobs come in, they pay well enough to carry me for a stretch.
It all kind of works together. It's not a straight line, but it works.
How do you think about rates and negotiation? How did you go from taking $200 in clothes to charging what you charge now?
In the beginning I had no idea what to charge. Brands would offer $200 in free clothes and I'd say yes. You do that in the early stages because you're building something. But the shift happened senior year when a major brand came to me with an offer. No manager. No agent. Just me.
I asked what their budget window was. Then I asked for significantly more than what they offered. And it stuck.
From that point on, I never accepted a first offer again. I learned two things from that moment: they always have more room than the first offer suggests, and confidence is the only thing you need to ask for it.
Now I just highball. I ask for the budget window first, then I start higher than feels comfortable. They have wiggle room. I know it.
Current rates, depending on the deliverable:
- Instagram post and story: $2,000 to $3,000
- Multiple TikTok videos: $8,000 to $15,000
I used to work with a manager. Right now I'm in between, talking to some agencies. But honestly, you don't need a manager to negotiate well. You need to know what you're worth, and once you know, you don't go back.
A guy graduating right now, maybe getting a taste of the creator world and also trying to figure out a real career, is probably watching your page. What would you actually tell him?
Trust the process, and know that what you think you want right now might look completely different in a year. Keep an open mind.
I graduated with nothing lined up. It was terrifying. But we're young. This is supposed to be the time when you figure it out. Working toward something you actually care about is so much more valuable than locking in a salary just so you can say you made a certain number out of college.
Own your path and stick to it, no matter what it looks like from the outside. You're not behind. You're just on your own timeline.
Follow Topher ✨
From $200 in free clothes to $8,000 starting rates, Topher built this without a traditional job search, without waiting for a manager, and without a roadmap. Just relationships, word of mouth, and knowing when to ask for more.
Check out our Instagram post with Topher here.
Follow Topher:
Instagram: @tophgriff
TikTok: @tophhgriff
