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Leandra Medine

b. December 20, 1988

by JWA Staff
Our work to expand the Encyclopedia is ongoing. We are providing this brief biography for Leandra Medine until we are able to commission a full entry.

Leandra Medine.

Courtesy of Man Repeller.

Through her fashion blog, Man Repeller, Leandra Medine argued that fashion should be about what women find interesting and exciting to wear, not just attracting a man. Raised Modern Orthodox, Medine followed a strict dress code as a child and delighted in the sudden freedom of self–expression she found as an adult. She earned a journalism degree from the New School in 2011 but began blogging in 2009 on her playfully named Boogers + Bagels, where she coined the phrase “Man Repelling” to discuss trends like shoulder pads, boyfriend jeans, and safety pins. She launched Man Repeller in 2010 to focus more on fashion, although the blog evolved to discuss lifestyle issues and current events. In 2012, she was named one of Time Magazine’s best blogs, Adweek’s Fashion Power 25, and one of Forbes’s “most influential trendsetters” in its 30 Under 30 list; she also helped design a motorcycle jacket for her own wedding. She has worked with clothing, shoe, and jewelry designers, from established names like Saks Fifth Avenue to newer companies like Dannijo. In 2012 she signed with the Creative Artists Agency and in 2016 she collaborated with Net-a-Porter to launch the shoe line MR by Man Repeller. Later she launched her own shoe line, Leandra Medine. Her first , Man Repeller: Seeking Love. Finding Overalls, was published in 2013. In 2019 she launched a partnership collection with Mango, a Spanish clothing design and manufacturing company. In 2020 she stepped back from Man Repeller due to allegations of racism; the blog ceased publication later that year due to financial constraints. As of 2023 Medine runs the website Cafe Leandra, where she provides fashion advice and information, talks about life, and promotes goods from various apparel brands. 

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Leandra Medine." (Viewed on March 19, 2024) <http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/medine-leandra>.