Online influencers have shaped the way people interact with brands since the advent of social media, adding context to products outside of typical advertising channels. But the idea that more followers equate to more consumer sway is not always true. How exactly is influencer marketing evolving?

Once staunchly anti-social, with working-class roots, tattoos are experiencing a renaissance. A new collaboration between Swiss watchmaker Hublot and tattooist Maxime Buchi is the latest in counter-culture luxe, demonstrating that distinctions between high and low culture have all but disappeared.

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’.

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?