It’s almost a badge of honour now to admit I was a Tumblr girl. On what felt like the last private corner on the internet, I ran a soft grunge blog named after an obscure Daria reference, and spent hours curating looks I wanted to embody. A delusional joy came from thinking I’d re-create every moment filtered out from Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die era. Tumblr may have faded into digital obscurity, but that hunger for reinvention – shared, romanticised, endlessly reblogged – was a quiet kind of community.

Influence used to arrive in chapters. Eras were clearly etched in the angle of a haircut, the rise of a hemline, the rhythm of songs on the radio and the shows looping endlessly on cable. Taste was curated through slower means – you fell into the aesthetic of the time or you rebelled into the arms of a subculture. Style was adopted, ruthlessly explored and duplicated as a series of cultural photocopies passed down, person to person. 

Now, it barely exists long enough to trace. Micro-trends cannibalise movements before they begin. The past is in constant rotation, sequels outnumber originals and the metrics once used to examine the influence of anything have now eroded so deeply that leaps and bounds, in this increasingly fragile time, have proven near unquantifiable. Culture feels infinite, yet at times, collapses under its own weight.

From the day I became a writer, I was told the sky is falling: print is dead, attention spans have expired, screens are shrinking, a 10-second clip will garner more attention than any think piece ever could. Taste is governed by an algorithm, and the search for personal style has eroded when everything is available at the touch of a button.

Influence today is no longer aspirational in the old sense: where the era of digital diving has challenged what it means to be relevant, so too has it placed a great focus on the images, brands and figures who can articulate a feeling you never had the language for, providing an intimacy of recognition. The lightning-speed ability to discover what someone wore and where to find it (then have it arrive at your door the next day) has overridden the fascination of digging through the archives to bring something to life. But in its place, it’s opened a new portal for personal artistry. A pair of thigh-high Saint Laurent boots could grace the legs of many a famous man, driving a conversation that revelled less in the actual look, and more in the uniqueness of character cultivated from defying rigid notions of styling.

There’s a tendency to believe that when things get smaller, or more distinct, they’re losing their influence – for example, when Paris’ fall/winter 2025 season reduced the seating capacity for some shows, many assumed it was a nod to declining sales. But amid the spectacle of fashion, it also spoke to the desire of brands to foster a closeness, literally, with audiences to encourage deeper connection amid social media saturation. It echoed the approach of houses like The Row, pioneers of embargoing imagery of their collections to build privacy and exclusivity. Sarah Burton’s Givenchy debut hosted only 300 guests, while over at Schiaparelli, Daniel Roseberry wanted his models so close to the spectators, he perfumed them. It’s no surprise The Row, run by twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen – who aptly co-authored the 2008 book Influence – were ahead of their time in relating to customers and standing out amid the chronic noise of creativity.

To claim that beauty is thriving, that inspiration is everywhere, feels like denial in a fractured world. But the mythology of culture’s demise is age-old. Every generation thinks it is witness to the end. Punks were once written off as degenerates, hipsters routinely mocked. Even Y2K and all the sugary and anthemic touchstones that emerged with it are now resurrected by a generation wearing it like armour, despite being born in an era convinced the world might actually fall apart.

GABRIELLE RICHARDSON

With her multidimensional approach to storytelling, Richardson started Brown Girl Butterfly Project – a community supporting Black and Brown women and non-binary people – to explore identity, softness and liberation.

ORIGIN STORY “When I was 19, I ran an art blog platforming under-represented artists that turned into physical pop-up shows. We would travel across the country meeting with artists and I loved telling their stories.”

TURNING POINT “A friend and I created Ward Gallery, named after my late mum, to showcase young contemporary artists who have distinguished stories in their work. I wanted to support the people I’m in a community with, because I was a young queer Black girl in art school.”

WHAT INFLUENCE MEANS “It can strike like lightning at any time, but you need to know when to grasp and extend it. Make sure it counts and it’s going towards something you believe in. Build something and invite people to come.”

ISABELLA MASSENET

The model and DJ may be the daughter of fashion royalty, but by forging her own path on the NYC party scene, she’s learnt to command a room all on her own.

ORIGIN STORY “I realised my passion for music when COVID hit and we all felt the absence of nightlife. As things started opening up, I’d play for my mum’s [Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet] and friends’ parties, then brands wanted me to play in their stores. When I signed to the female-led DJ agency Les Filles, it took off.”

WORLDS COLLIDE “Balancing fashion and music has a big role in my storytelling. Clothes are an element of performance. Growing up around my mum’s work gave me a deeper knowledge about the fashion industry, so it’s been really awesome getting to marry the two.”

WHAT INFLUENCE MEANS “It’s subconscious – you see or hear something that stays with you. I don’t necessarily know I’m being influenced until it’s just in my psyche. We’re constantly bombarded now – everything is a reference and doesn’t always feel authentic. So if something has a purpose or integrity, it starts to really shine through.”

ELLY McGAW

For nine years, the New York-based Australian stylist and creative consultant has helped propel homegrown labels onto the world stage with her covetable eye for blending high fashion with well-loved staples.

PLATFORMING AUSSIES “Australian brands need to be able to position themselves in bigger arenas for their development, so I think for me to be able to platform someone from home and broaden their horizon is something I really cherish.”

REINVENTION “Whether the change is noticeable or not, I think you have to constantly question what you are and who you are in order to evolve, to stay creative and open. The only constant, ironically, is that we will change.”

WHAT INFLUENCE MEANS “The connotation of influence usually means fame, but I think it’s changed quite a lot. It’s more about creating something that people want to be a part of, like a lifestyle, vision or movement.”