From Miu Miu to Dior: Why luxury brands are turning to ‘intellectual influencers’
As younger consumers grow more sceptical of traditional influencers and AI-generated content, brands are turning to writers, thinkers and literary culture for a different kind of authority.
Luxury fashion brands are turning to intellectual influencers to cultivate a sense of cultural depth and authority beyond their traditional fashion offerings. Simone de Beauvoir, a renowned existentialist philosopher and writer, has joined Miu Miu's literary club in Shanghai, while Prada has similar salons in Milan. High-end brands like J Crew, Dior, Valentino, and Coach are also hiring writers, thinkers, and literary figures to enhance their brand image.
The shift towards intellectual influencers comes as younger consumers, particularly Gen Z, become increasingly skeptical of conventional influencers and AI-generated content, preferring more authentic and knowledgeable sources. This trend is driven by the growing cynicism of Gen Z towards mainstream influencers and the lack of authority of AI-generated content.
The rise of intellectual influencers highlights the renewed value of expertise and the potential for monetising this expertise. In addition to luxury fashion, other industries are also embracing intellectual influencers, such as Pints of Knowledge pub talks and BookTok/Bookstagram, which have boosted sales of niche genres in the publishing industry.
Intellectual influencers, while still a small slice of the market, are gaining traction as artificial intelligence continues to dominate headlines, emphasizing the enduring relevance of human expertise.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
