How to Scale Your Creator Portfolio

On October 7, The Business of Fashion and creator commerce platform LTK hosted a cross-industry dinner for fashion and beauty sector leaders, including Jimmy Choo, Coach, Gap Inc., Joseph, Tove, Pandora, Space NK and Coty. Co-hosts Alice Gividen and Amber Venz Box welcomed attendees and discussed the importance of scaling creator investment.

The influencer economy is now a core part of the media mix, with creator marketing being the primary area CMOs plan to scale investment in 2026. Brands are investing in more creators than ever before, with the number of creators they work with increasing by over 275 percent in the past year. The challenge now lies in making creators' influence on purchase behavior more measurable, manageable, and scalable.

As influencer portfolios expand, brands need to find the right creators faster and understand their roles across the customer journey. This requires a new level of data transparency, as different influencers drive different results across discovery, conversion, loyalty, and repeat purchase. Brands must also determine the ROI and impact on brand perception and demand of their creators.

To move past vanity metrics like follower counts, LTK has focused on measuring creators' retail value, sales generated within a given period, and their impact on the bottom line. Brands should build a creator strategy around their business objectives and target customers, understanding their customers' profiles, age groups, and where they can reach them.

Brands can build a diverse mix of creators to serve different business purposes, from conversion to building new reach. For example, ready-to-wear label Joseph works with creators to access new audiences and maintain credibility.