Shrimpton Agency

Fashion x The Internet

For much of the high-fashion world, the internet was once seen as a necessary evil rather than a natural extension of their brand. While consumers flocked to platforms like eBay to hunt for designer pieces, luxury fashion houses hesitated. Brands like Prada famously had a “Coming Soon” page for what felt like a decade, and many high-end labels resisted selling online, fearing that digital commerce would cheapen their exclusivity. Their world was built on glossy magazine pages, billboard campaigns, and perfectly curated storefronts—not pixelated product grids.

But in an ironic twist, today’s luxury fashion brands are leading the charge in digital innovation. From high-tech e-commerce experiences and metaverse fashion shows to AI-driven personalisation, these same brands are now shaping the future of online shopping. And just as fashion took its time warming up to the internet, it also initially resisted the idea that celebrities could define its identity. Yet over the last century, that’s exactly what happened.

This article explores how the relationship between fashion and celebrity evolved—from Hollywood muses to full-scale business empires—and what it means for the industry today.

Introduction

In the early days of fashion, designers and brands worked in relative isolation, relying on craftsmanship, artistry, and word of mouth to grow their reputations. Clothing was a mark of class, status, and taste—rarely, if ever, connected to entertainers or public figures. The idea that a singer or actress could define a brand’s identity or influence its sales would’ve been laughable.

But as celebrity culture evolved and mass media transformed how we consume style, the barriers between fashion and fame began to blur. By the mid-20th century, movie stars were dressing in Chanel for film premieres, and luxury houses realised the marketing goldmine in aligning their designs with the world’s most recognisable faces. From red-carpet moments to endorsement deals, this partnership revolutionised both industries.

Over the years, this relationship has grown into a full-blown business model. Today, some of the world’s most influential fashion houses don’t just work with celebrities—they build their entire identities around them. Think of Kim Kardashian’s role at Balenciaga or Rihanna’s partnership with LVMH. At the same time, celebrities have flipped the script, no longer content to be mere ambassadors. They’ve built their own empires, from Rihanna’s Fenty to Kanye West’s Yeezy, creating brands that rival the very fashion houses they once endorsed.

What started as a marketing tool has become a cornerstone of modern fashion—a symbiotic, and sometimes competitive, relationship that continues to shape the industry today. This article will explore how fashion and celebrities became inseparable, what it means for the brands involved, and how the balance of power is shifting as celebrities turn from muses to moguls.

Early Interactions Between Fashion and Celebrities

For much of fashion’s history, its influence was dictated by royalty, aristocrats, and the elite. Clothing was less about individuality or personal style and more about adhering to the norms of class and status. Monarchs like Marie Antoinette or Queen Victoria were trendsetters of their time, their wardrobes emulated by those with the means to keep up. Fashion was a symbol of power and privilege—not yet touched by the world of entertainers or the masses.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries began to shift this dynamic, though slowly. The emergence of mass media—newspapers, magazines, and eventually cinema—brought new types of public figures into the spotlight. Entertainers, once relegated to the fringes of society, became admired and celebrated. Figures like Sarah Bernhardt, a French stage actress known for her dramatic flair, captured public attention not only for her performances but also for her extravagant sense of style. While designers weren’t yet creating pieces specifically for celebrities, entertainers were starting to influence trends, albeit indirectly.

The true crossover between fashion and celebrity came with the rise of early Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s. The silver screen introduced audiences to a new kind of star—one whose image could be carefully curated and broadcast to millions. Actresses like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford became style icons, with fans emulating their on-screen wardrobes. Designers such as Gilbert Adrian, who created costumes for MGM films, found that his work transcended the screen, influencing everyday fashion.

Yet, these relationships were largely informal. Celebrities wore the designs, but they weren’t explicitly partnering with brands. Designers gained influence through proximity to fame, but not through deliberate collaboration. In this period, fashion remained focused on its craft, and celebrity influence was more a side effect of stardom than a deliberate strategy.

This era laid the groundwork for what was to come. As media evolved and celebrities became more accessible to the public, their potential to shape fashion grew exponentially. By the mid-20th century, fashion would no longer simply brush shoulders with fame—it would actively seek it out.

The Rise of Formal Celebrity Endorsements

By the mid-20th century, the connection between celebrities and fashion started to evolve from incidental to intentional. As Hollywood’s Golden Age gave rise to larger-than-life stars, fashion houses began to see the strategic value of associating their designs with the glamour and charisma of these new cultural icons. What had once been an organic connection became a deliberate marketing strategy.

The first significant step came in the 1950s when designers like Hubert de Givenchy and Christian Dior started building close relationships with actresses. Givenchy’s collaboration with Audrey Hepburn stands as a defining moment in the history of celebrity endorsements. Hepburn wasn’t just a client—she became a muse. From the iconic black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s to her personal wardrobe staples, Givenchy dressed her both on and off the screen, creating a relationship that elevated both the actress and the brand. For Hepburn, the partnership reinforced her image as a sophisticated, timeless style icon. For Givenchy, it cemented his designs as aspirational yet accessible to anyone who wanted to emulate her elegance.

Around the same time, Marilyn Monroe’s influence on fashion was impossible to ignore. Though she wasn’t formally tied to any one designer, Monroe’s status as a global sex symbol drove demand for form-fitting dresses, glamorous evening wear, and the playful yet sultry aesthetics she embodied. Designers quickly realised that the public wasn’t just watching movies; they were looking for ways to dress like their favourite stars.

The 1980s marked a turning point in formalising these relationships. This was the era of big brands and even bigger personalities. Calvin Klein famously enlisted Brooke Shields for his denim campaign, with the provocative tagline, “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” It was a bold, unapologetic statement that stirred controversy—and skyrocketed sales. The campaign wasn’t just about the jeans; it was about the allure of Shields’ youth and confidence, packaged into a product that promised the same for its buyers.

This decade also saw the birth of the "supermodel as celebrity," with figures like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Linda Evangelista taking centre stage. Their prominence blurred the line between model and celebrity, creating a new archetype for brand endorsements. Cindy Crawford’s association with Pepsi during this time, though not directly tied to fashion, demonstrated the commercial power of a recognisable face across industries.

By the 1990s, celebrity endorsements had become standard practice. Brands were no longer just dressing celebrities; they were featuring them in campaigns, aligning their identities with the star power of Hollywood, music, and sports. Giorgio Armani, for instance, became a staple on the red carpet, providing tuxedos and gowns for Oscar nominees, while Nike’s partnership with Michael Jordan revolutionised both sportswear and celebrity branding with the creation of the Air Jordan line.

This period marked the beginning of a symbiotic relationship. Fashion brands gave celebrities a platform to enhance their public personas, while celebrities lent their cultural influence to elevate brands. The model proved wildly successful—and it set the stage for an era where fashion and celebrity culture would become inseparable.

The Symbiotic Monetization of Fashion and Celebrities

By the late 20th century, the relationship between celebrities and fashion had evolved into a calculated partnership that benefited both parties. No longer content with one-off campaigns or red-carpet moments, brands and celebrities began to collaborate in ways that blurred the lines between product promotion and personal identity. The goal wasn’t just to sell clothes—it was to sell lifestyles, aspirations, and culture.

For fashion brands, celebrities became walking billboards, capable of instantly connecting with millions of fans. A well-placed outfit in a magazine or a highly visible red-carpet moment could skyrocket a brand’s visibility overnight. Think of Princess Diana, whose off-duty sweatshirts turned Harvard and Virgin Atlantic merch into fashion statements, or Madonna, whose boundary-pushing partnership with Jean Paul Gaultier—most famously her cone bra for the Blond Ambition tour—cemented her status as a fashion provocateur while elevating Gaultier into a household name.

But the equation worked both ways. Celebrities weren’t just passive participants in these partnerships; they leveraged their association with fashion brands to shape their own public personas. In the 2000s, Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé used custom creations by Versace and House of Deréon (Beyoncé’s family-run brand) to establish themselves as powerhouses not only in music but in style. Wearing the right brand—or even better, becoming synonymous with it—added depth to their stardom and made them fixtures in both pop culture and fashion.

This symbiosis wasn’t confined to traditional red-carpet glamour. Streetwear and high fashion collided in the 2010s, driven by a new generation of celebrities who wanted to redefine what luxury meant. Kanye West’s Yeezy brand, launched in partnership with Adidas, brought an entirely new aesthetic to high-end sneakers and apparel, combining minimalism with exclusivity. West’s ability to merge his creative identity with his product turned Yeezy into a billion-dollar juggernaut, proving that the line between celebrity and entrepreneur was no longer just blurred—it was erased.

At the same time, Rihanna’s meteoric rise in the fashion world showcased the power of personal influence. Her Fenty line, created in collaboration with LVMH, disrupted the industry not just with its inclusivity but with its ability to sell a vision of Rihanna herself: bold, innovative, and universally appealing. The brand wasn’t just selling clothes or beauty products; it was selling Rihanna’s ethos.

For celebrities, monetizing their influence wasn’t just a lucrative sideline—it became a cornerstone of their careers. Fashion brands, in turn, reaped the rewards of global visibility and cultural relevance. This mutually beneficial relationship not only transformed the way fashion is marketed but also redefined the very concept of what it means to be a celebrity or a brand. As a result, the line between the two is increasingly difficult to distinguish.

This era marked a turning point. Fashion and celebrity culture were no longer separate entities—they were now two sides of the same coin, each fueling the other’s success in a cycle of mutual monetization. And as celebrities moved from endorsing brands to creating their own, this dynamic would only grow more complex.

Celebrities Creating Their Own Fashion Brands

As celebrity influence over fashion grew, the natural next step was for stars to stop endorsing brands and start creating their own. Why settle for being the face of someone else’s vision when you can monetise your own style, name, and influence? This shift, which began tentatively in the early 2000s, has exploded in recent years, turning celebrities from brand ambassadors into direct competitors for the fashion houses they once represented.

The most successful example of this transformation is Rihanna’s Fenty empire. In 2017, she partnered with LVMH to launch Fenty Beauty, disrupting the beauty industry with an unprecedented focus on inclusivity, offering 40 foundation shades at launch. The venture’s success set the stage for Fenty, her luxury fashion line under LVMH, making her the first Black woman to lead a brand under the conglomerate’s umbrella. Unlike traditional celebrity collaborations, Fenty was Rihanna’s vision, built from the ground up and designed to reflect her personality: bold, edgy, and unapologetically diverse.

Similarly, Kanye West’s Yeezy line redefined the fashion landscape. Starting as a collaboration with Adidas, Yeezy transcended its sneaker roots to become a fully-fledged fashion brand. West’s ability to leverage his cultural relevance, creative vision, and understanding of scarcity marketing turned Yeezy into a billion-dollar juggernaut. The brand didn’t just sell sneakers; it created a lifestyle that bridged the gap between streetwear and high fashion. Despite its eventual fallout with Adidas, the influence of Yeezy on the fashion world is undeniable.

Another notable player is Victoria Beckham, who moved from being a Spice Girl and occasional muse for designers to creating her eponymous label. Launched in 2008, her brand focuses on minimalist elegance and has garnered critical acclaim, carving out a niche in luxury fashion. Beckham’s success showed that celebrity fashion lines didn’t have to rely on loud branding or mass appeal—they could be understated, sophisticated, and entirely serious.

This trend isn’t limited to the upper echelons of luxury. Celebrities across industries have launched fashion lines that cater to their fan bases while showcasing their personal style. Jessica Simpson’s fashion line, launched in 2005, became one of the most commercially successful celebrity brands, with billions in revenue. In contrast, figures like Pharrell Williams (Billionaire Boys Club) and Beyoncé (Ivy Park) have combined personal branding with cultural influence, creating lines that reflect their identities while tapping into global trends.

The rise of celebrity-founded fashion brands represents more than just a new revenue stream—it’s a shift in power dynamics. Celebrities no longer rely on traditional fashion houses to validate their style. Instead, they use their platforms, social media reach, and fan loyalty to build independent businesses that rival the very brands they once partnered with. This independence has also allowed them to address gaps in the market, from inclusivity (Rihanna) to sustainable design (Emma Watson’s collaborations).

For traditional fashion brands, this development presents both challenges and opportunities. On one hand, celebrities launching their own labels means increased competition for consumer attention and dollars. On the other, partnerships with these newly minted designers can elevate a brand’s relevance and align it with a younger, more engaged audience.

This evolution signifies a fundamental change in the fashion world. Celebrities are no longer just the muses or marketing tools for fashion houses—they are entrepreneurs, designers, and direct competitors. As the industry continues to adapt, the question is no longer whether celebrities will influence fashion but how they will shape its future.

Tools Powering Celebrity and Brand Campaigns

The rise of celebrities as brand owners and strategic partners in fashion has been supercharged by an array of digital tools and platforms. From global e-commerce solutions to the immediacy of social media, these technologies have transformed how campaigns are launched, products are sold, and audiences are reached. These tools don’t just amplify celebrity influence—they make it possible for celebrities to bypass traditional systems entirely, putting the power of brand creation and marketing directly into their hands.

1. Shopify: The Backbone of Celebrity E-Commerce

One of the most significant enablers for celebrity-led brands is Shopify. Its user-friendly platform allows anyone—from global icons to independent creators—to set up a sleek, fully operational online store. Celebrities like Kylie Jenner (Kylie Cosmetics), Selena Gomez (Rare Beauty), and even Fenty Beauty leverage e-commerce platforms like Shopify Plus to create direct-to-consumer experiences.

Key features like scalable infrastructure, seamless payment integrations, and customizable design make Shopify an attractive choice for celebrity brands, allowing them to translate their vision into an accessible, visually cohesive shopping experience. Shopify’s ability to handle massive traffic spikes, such as a product launch or a viral campaign, ensures that celebrities can capitalise on their influence without technical setbacks.

2. Social Media: The Marketing Machine

Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter (now X) have become the cornerstone of celebrity brand marketing. Social media gives celebrities a direct line to millions of followers, allowing them to bypass traditional advertising channels entirely.

• Instagram: The go-to platform for visual storytelling, Instagram allows celebrities to create aspirational imagery that blurs the lines between personal and promotional. For instance, Kim Kardashian’s Skims regularly features her in product-focused posts that feel authentic yet meticulously curated.
• TikTok: Celebrities and brands are increasingly tapping into TikTok’s viral potential. Campaigns often centre on user-generated content, as seen with Addison Rae’s beauty line, Item Beauty. TikTok’s algorithm ensures wide reach, especially for younger demographics.
• X/Twitter: For more conversational engagement, celebrities like Rihanna or Pharrell use X to tease new product launches or collaborations, generating buzz before the official reveal.

Social media also enables real-time feedback and engagement, helping celebrities build a sense of community around their brands. The immediacy of these platforms allows for rapid response to trends, giving brands the agility to stay relevant in a fast-moving industry.

3. Influencer Marketing Platforms

Even celebrities leverage influencers to extend their reach. Tools like Aspire, Upfluence, and GRIN allow brands to identify and collaborate with micro and macro influencers who align with their target audience. This layered approach ensures that campaigns reach beyond the celebrity’s core fanbase, tapping into new markets and demographics.

For example, Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty has harnessed influencers to showcase body diversity and inclusivity, amplifying her brand’s ethos while reaching audiences who might not follow her directly.

4. Digital Campaign Tools

From email marketing to advanced analytics, digital tools have become indispensable for launching and optimising campaigns. Celebrities and brands alike use tools like Klaviyo, Google Analytics, and HubSpot to track engagement, monitor sales, and refine their strategies.

• Email Marketing: Platforms like Klaviyo and Mailchimp allow brands to nurture their audiences with tailored messaging, building loyalty and driving repeat purchases. These tools are particularly effective for exclusive product drops or limited-edition collaborations.
• Data and Analytics: Google Analytics and Shopify’s native reporting tools help brands measure campaign performance in real time. Celebrities can instantly see what’s resonating with their audience and adjust their approach accordingly.

Empowering a New Era of Celebrity Branding

The convergence of these tools has created a perfect storm for celebrity-led brands. Platforms like Shopify and social media empower celebrities to launch and scale their businesses without reliance on traditional retail models. Meanwhile, analytics tools, influencer marketing platforms, and design software help them refine and elevate their campaigns in real time.

This democratization of resources has levelled the playing field in many ways, allowing celebrities to compete directly with established fashion houses. It’s no longer just about influence—it’s about using the right tools to turn that influence into sustainable, scalable business success. As technology continues to evolve, the line between celebrity and brand will only continue to blur.

Ready to Make Your Mark?

At Shrimpton Agency, we specialise in helping fashion brands and celebrities transform their ideas into thriving online businesses. Whether you’re launching your first Shopify store, expanding your existing e-commerce presence, or turning your influence into a fully-fledged brand, we bring the expertise to make it happen.

From creating seamless, visually stunning online stores to crafting bespoke strategies that amplify your reach, we’re here to help you connect with your audience and build a brand that lasts. Our team has worked with some of the most exciting names in fashion, leveraging our deep understanding of the industry to deliver results that speak for themselves.

Want to turn your vision into a scalable e-commerce success story? Let’s make it happen. Get in touch with Shrimpton Agency today.