The BoF Podcast | Examining 20 Years of Fashion's Influencer Economy

"What began as scrappy self-publishing has become a finely tuned industry machine. Influencing is now big business. Four of the industry's most influential creators came together at BoF VOICES 2025 to take a hard look at what influencing has become - and where it should go in the future. Susanna Lau opens the conversation by ditching the earnest tropes and asking a harder question: how can creators keep their integrity as agencies, briefs and budgets multiply?"

"Bryan Yambao reflects on the pre-iPhone "wild west" - scanning magazines, posting affiliate links from his bedroom in Manila, and the shock of realising that the people he wrote about were suddenly reading him. Camille Charrière charts the shift from "do your thing" freedom to 30-page briefs and layered gatekeepers, arguing that creators must push back to preserve the audience trust that made them valuable in the first place."

"And through the lens of satire, Gstaad Guy challenges brands to confront what their communities are already saying - before they say it out loud. Together, they interrogate luxury's malaise - and the need to recalibrate the industry around craft, community and credibility. Key Insights: Even with industry recognition, Yambao still feels like an outsider and uses that distance to stay candid."

Influencing has evolved from scrappy self-publishing into a finely tuned industry machine and big business. Four leading creators examined how scale, agencies and budgets have reshaped creative freedom and audience relationships. Susanna Lau questions how creators can maintain integrity as commercial demands multiply. Bryan Yambao recalls early, pre-iPhone grassroots practices and describes how monetisation increased a sense of responsibility. Camille Charrière warns that long briefs and layered gatekeepers threaten audience trust and urges creators to push back. Satire from Gstaad Guy calls on brands to listen to communities. The sector needs recalibration around craft, community and credibility.

Read at The Business of Fashion