Streetwear brand Thames has collaborated with fine jeweller Stephen Webster on a collection of limited edition jewellery. The pieces are aimed squarely at Gen Y luxury consumers, who are happy to splash the cash on rare items as long as they fit with their own identity.

Brands have long used famous faces in adverts to reliably boost the awareness and sales of their products. But what is it about star endorsements that make people stop and pay attention? And how is a desire for authenticity changing the expectations for celebrity partnerships?

Thanks to their rarity and uniqueness, prized bootlegs can often cost more than the real thing. Gucci is no stranger to the bootleg’s appeal, which is why as part of its 2018 campaign, it teamed up with Dapper Dan – Harlem’s bootleg tailor to hip-hop royalty – who was once a luxury outsider.

Celebrity endorsements are old hat, but digitisation has bred a discerning consumer that demands transparency, leaving these partnerships feeling inauthentic. Instead – as seen in Nike and FKA Twigs’ ‘Do You Believe in More?’ – brands and celebrities are ‘collaborating’.