The new Rich Kids of Instagram – who became wealthy by PRETENDING to be billionaires and poking fun at snobby socialites

When Channel 4 introduced the Rich Kids of Instagram to British TV viewers in 2015, many were outraged by the sheer amount of hedonistic opulence on display by influencers, featuring private jets aplenty with wealthy, attractive twentysomethings who mocked ‘peasants’.

But now, there is a new era of hot young things who are raking in millions on social media – and they’re proof that sometimes you have to fake it till you make it.

This most recent plethora of luxury social media stars are landing brand deals with Selfridges; all by parodying the socialite elite.

Gstaad Guy – whose real identity is firmly being kept under wraps – got 1.7 million followers by pretending to be part of the rich and famous with alter egos ‘Constance’, a fortysomething gentleman who regularly lounges on yachts and travels to Saint Moritz and ‘Colton’, his equally out of touch, Gen Z cousin.

But despite never having visited Gstaad himself until years after he set up the page, the online sensation, 28, has been invited to the Grand Prix, spoke at Harvard University and even graced magazine covers, thanks to his skits.

The videos, in which he pretends to be ‘childhood friends’ with Jeff Bezos and gives fake tours of his private jet, have also given Gstaad Guy (who is originally from London) the opportunity to set up his luxury jewellery brand, Poubel, which last month enjoyed a pop-up at Selfridges. Bracelets go anywhere from £100 to upwards of £800.

And Gstaad Guy has also said that while his videos often poke fun at what the wealthy do at various destinations around the world, he has also gotten a lot of messages asking for travel tips because of them. 

‘My most recurring direct message [on social media] is, “Hi, I am in city X, where should I go?” he told Palais Constance. ‘People really look at my characters to learn.

‘Although they are fake people, they are very authentic to their values and characters. It’s either excellent or it’s à la poubelle…’

At this year’s World Governments Summit, he has also said: ‘Ultimately my content is using the language of comedy to talk about the world of high net worth people and the ways they consume, the ways they interact with the world around them.

‘Comedy is a great tone of voice to make things more digestible.

‘Occasionally I do poke fun at these people however… they are people with enormous privilege, so you could in some ways say it’s bullying up

‘But I think bullying up is practically impossible because it ultimately turns into humorous praise.’

Elsewhere, New York-based Aris Yeager, 25, accrued 1.4 million followers on Instagram via his ‘rich kid comedy’.

Through his alter ego, ‘The European Kid’, he parodies rich socialites across different countries, with videos showing him claim he had ‘caviar for breakfast’ and refusing to get into a regular Uber because he’s waiting for a custom Mercedes-Benz pick-up.

Aris has been invited to events by exclusive events company Affair, and Italian brand Adda River, and is now the founder of his own brand, Storytime, which creates tailored campaigns and connects brands with influencers. 

Ben Sumadiwiria, 32, who was born in Germany but is now UK-based, meanwhile, has 1.5 million Instagram followers after pretending to be the son of an Indonesian billionaire.

Far from a silver spoon, the social media star hustled his way through cooking jobs and being an in-flight chef.

Now, he is rumoured to be making six-figure deals with various brands; and has even come out with a custom watch with brand Azimuth.

He now also boasts his own food company, Bobby’s Burgers, thanks to the success he achieved with videos about his ‘$1.5 million routine’, ‘going to the mall with his billionaire dad’ and ‘trying to buy a whole village for $1,000’.

He and Aris have even teamed up for a video where they tried to get access to the Ambanis’ mansion by claiming they were ‘rich friends’ of the family – with little success. 

‘One day, I just woke up thinking how funny it would be if I were so rich – like Chinese Indonesian rich – that I could eat at fancy restaurants every single day of my life,’ he told the Times of India. ‘This was almost like a thought exercise of me exploring my own culture.’

Elsewhere, Jay Ma (not his real name) has forged an online identity as an international student from Shanghai, and even Dara Huang is a fan.

Posing as the son of a Chinese billionaire, and heir to shopping powerhouse Alibaba, his ‘day in the life’ videos feature showering with Balmain products, being carried in and out of malls by security guards and dining at the Louis Vuitton café.

While tongue in cheek, his videos have nevertheless still sparked confusion and speculation about whether he really is a secret billionaire – if his baffled comments are anything to go by.