“Consumers no longer blindly accept premium pricing without proof,” says Emilie Bruyere, founder of creative agency Dusc Studio, which has worked on campaigns with Burberry, Marc Jacobs and Audemars Piguet. “In a time of economic pressure, AI fatigue and deep mistrust of brands and influencer marketing, people crave tangibility and credibility that align with pricing.” Today’s shoppers research obsessively, cross-referencing social platforms, reviews and comment sections, and even use AI tools to summarize brand values or compare products before they hit buy, she adds. “This is why craft has resurfaced as such a powerful storytelling tool,” Bruyere says. “It explains the price. It educates the customer. It reminds people that certain products take time, expertise and human hands.”

Not doing so, she warns, is risky. “If brands aren’t educating about their craftsmanship, they leave an opening for other people to become the educators,” Bruyere says. Viral critiques and quality call-outs from creators, like leather expert Tanner Leatherstein’s popular bag deconstruction series, quickly filled that void this year.

Influencers evolved into taste curators

Speaking of creators, 2025 gave rise to a new creator class, placing Substackers, experts and community event leaders as key brand advocates.

It’s a shift that has reshaped the tone and format of paid content. Take Ayo Ojo, known online as the Fashion Roadman, whose partnership with H&M wasn’t about him wearing the clothes, but analyzing the campaign itself.

Emily Sundberg, founder of business newsletter “Feed Me”, captured the moment in her Substack titled “Need to know what marketing girly pitched this,” noting that the rise of writers like herself, “Link in Bio” founder Rachel Karten and Puck’s Lauren Sherman have created a new class of influence built on analysis and cultural fluency. In response, brands have increasingly partnered with this new creator cohort, whether it’s American Eagle enlisting writers Casey Lewis and Tariro Makoni as guest editors of its recently launched Substack; or Miu Miu hosting Booker Prize-winning author Geetanjali Shree and curator Lou Stoppard as panelists in its growing literary club program.