The Brief.

The business of content.

Tag: Brand Partnerships

  • From Bedroom Mirror to Boardroom

    From Bedroom Mirror to Boardroom

    How a generation of young women are transforming mirror selfies and ‘GRWM’ videos into fully fledged fashion and beauty businesses.

    Scroll through Instagram on any given morning and you’ll see it: a softly lit bedroom, a girl in front of a mirror, phone tilted just so. It’s a scene so familiar it barely registers. But beneath that simplicity lies a complex and increasingly powerful engine of commerce — one that’s reshaping how style moves from personal expression to marketable brand.

    What used to be dismissed as vanity posting has become a launchpad. Mirror selfies, ‘get ready with me’ videos, and low-stakes styling clips are now early-stage branding exercises for a growing class of young female creators building empires out of their bedrooms.

    Emma Chamberlain

    Aesthetic as strategy

    The early influencer economy rewarded scale: glossy sponsored posts, aspirational trips, and big follower counts. Today, the power is shifting. Smaller, tightly defined communities — often built around one girl’s wardrobe, routine, or beauty rituals — drive more targeted engagement than mass-market celebrity campaigns ever could.

    Look at creators like Matilda Djerf. What began as an Instagram feed of hair tutorials and mirror outfits grew into Djerf Avenue, a multimillion-dollar fashion label worn by girls from Stockholm to Seoul. Her brand didn’t emerge from a boardroom brainstorm; it was built post by post, over years, by cultivating a personal aesthetic that felt both intimate and aspirational.

    Then there’s Emma Chamberlain, whose offhand personal style — thrifted vintage, hoodies, half-buttoned shirts — redefined what “influence” could look like. She parlayed that identity into Chamberlain Coffee, a brand that mirrors her irreverent, slightly chaotic persona. Her image didn’t follow a marketing plan. It was the marketing plan.

    Nitsan Raiter

    From personal taste to intellectual property

    This is the crucial shift: taste, once a soft asset, is now hard currency. A mirror selfie isn’t just documentation; it’s an early-stage product test. Affiliate links and soft drops allow creators to measure demand before manufacturing at scale. Brands follow their audiences rather than the other way around.

    In 2024, affiliate revenue among female fashion and beauty influencers on Instagram and TikTok grew by over 40%, according to data from Lyst. Smaller creators — typically those with 10–100k followers — consistently outperform larger influencers on conversion rates. It’s not about reach anymore; it’s about resonance.

    A new generation of founders understands this intuitively. Nitsan Raiter, for example, built her beauty brand Mind Your Skin not from glossy campaign shoots, but through years of sharing her personal skincare routine on Instagram Stories. By the time she launched, she had a built-in customer base who trusted her taste because they’d watched her evolve it in real time.

    The rise of the one-woman brand

    In practical terms, many of these businesses begin almost accidentally. A creator posts a thrift haul or a handmade jewellery drop. The response is immediate. DMs turn into orders. Orders turn into spreadsheets. Within a year, she’s negotiating with suppliers in Portugal or fulfillment partners in Los Angeles.

    But behind the casual tone lies a shrewd understanding of audience behaviour. The most successful fashion and beauty creators don’t try to reach everyone. They speak directly to a niche group — often young women who share not just a style, but a worldview. Their drops sell out not because they’re aggressively marketed, but because they feel personal.

    This intimacy is strategic. A “drop” on Instagram becomes a focus group. A mirror outfit post functions as pre-launch hype. It’s a loop that bypasses traditional advertising altogether.

    Camille Charrière

    The shifting power balance with legacy brands

    Legacy fashion and beauty houses have noticed. Where they once dictated trends, they now court them. Instead of sponsoring campaigns, they collaborate with individual creators who command small but fiercely loyal audiences.

    “Micro-creators can move product faster than some of our mid-tier retail campaigns,” says a marketing director at a major beauty label (who asked not to be named discussing strategy). “When their followers trust their taste, they don’t need convincing. They just buy.”

    This dynamic has tilted the balance of power. It’s no longer unusual to see a 23-year-old influencer with a home studio out-performing global fashion brands on product sell-through — with a fraction of the overhead.

    The cost of being the product

    But with power comes exposure. When your face, body, or personal taste is the brand, the line between professional and personal can collapse. Creators face intense pressure to maintain an image that isn’t just flattering but commercially viable. Burnout, parasocial scrutiny, and the demand to “stay on trend” all factor into this new model of entrepreneurship.

    Some influencers have responded by building teams earlier: bringing in managers, accountants, even production partners to professionalise their operations. Others are more protective, keeping things intentionally small to preserve their autonomy.

    This isn’t just a story about cute outfits and morning routines. It’s a story about a new kind of business built at the intersection of aesthetics, intimacy, and commerce.

    From mirror to empire

    In many ways, the mirror is the new boardroom. What looks like personal style is often structured strategy. A girl filming a GRWM in her bedroom might be soft-launching a beauty line. A thrift haul could be a mood board for a future label.

    The playbook is being written in real time, one outfit at a time — and young women are at the centre of it.

  • How to Read a Brand Deal Like a Lawyer

    How to Read a Brand Deal Like a Lawyer

    Brand partnerships have become a central revenue stream for independent creators. For many, they’re the first sign that a personal project has matured into a business. But the document that arrives attached to a friendly email is rarely as benign as it looks. A collaboration agreement is a legal contract with consequences that can shape your income, your image, and your future commercial opportunities.

    Lawyers approach contracts as instruments of power: one side tries to secure as much of it as possible, the other side attempts to hold on to what’s theirs. Creators often forget they’re part of that negotiation. They sign quickly, grateful for the opportunity, and in doing so, sometimes give away far more than they realise.

    Approach the contract with the same care the brand’s legal team already has.

    Usage Rights: the Most Expensive Sentence You’ll Overlook

    Among the most consequential clauses are those governing “usage,” “licensing,” or “content rights.” This section determines how, where, and for how long the brand can use the work you create.

    A one-off post can quietly become a year-long global advertising campaign. Your face, voice, or likeness might be used to sell a product on platforms you don’t control, with no further payment.

    Look for language such as “in perpetuity,” “royalty-free,” or “worldwide usage.” These are signals that the brand wants long-term control without additional compensation. Unless that’s reflected in the fee, those terms should be challenged or narrowed. Usage rights should always be specific — ideally tied to a platform, a territory, and a defined duration.

    Exclusivity: The Clause That Locks You Out

    Many contracts include exclusivity periods, restricting creators from working with competitors for a certain time. The risk isn’t theoretical. A single vague clause can prevent you from accepting better offers later, or block collaborations with brands you’ve spent months cultivating.

    Demand clarity. What counts as a “competitor”? How long does the restriction apply? Is it tied to one category, or does it cast a wider net? Ambiguity here benefits only the brand. Precise language protects your future revenue.

    Payment Terms: Numbers Are Not the Whole Story

    The fee written in the contract isn’t the amount that matters — the timeline is. A five-figure deal can become a financial strain when it’s paid on a 90-day schedule. Payment terms are a form of leverage, and late or drawn-out schedules often shift that leverage away from the creator.

    Push for clear, short payment timelines. Net 15 or net 30 is standard for many independent contractors. Where possible, request a partial payment upfront. The earlier the cash arrives, the less operational risk you carry.

    Deliverables and Approvals: Where Delays and Scope Creep Live

    Every contract should state, in exact terms, what you’re delivering and what the brand can request in return. Loose language here can turn a simple campaign into weeks of unpaid labour.

    A sound agreement includes:

    • The number and format of deliverables
    • Specific posting dates or deadlines
    • Defined rounds of feedback and revisions
    • Response times for approvals

    Without these parameters, creators often find themselves stuck in an approval cycle that burns through time and profit margins.

    Indemnity and Liability: Clauses That Few Read, But Should

    The most intimidating paragraphs are usually the most important. Indemnity clauses allocate legal risk — sometimes entirely to you. If a product fails, if a campaign is pulled, or if the brand faces a claim, these clauses can determine whether you’re financially exposed.

    A balanced contract protects both parties. If the indemnity is one-sided, push for language that limits your liability to your own actions, not the brand’s. This is where legal advice pays for itself.

    Everything Can Be Negotiated

    Many creators assume contracts are fixed. They are not. They are drafts — often written to secure maximum protection for the brand, not a fair balance. Even minor adjustments can have long-term financial impact. Changing “in perpetuity” to “12 months” or adding a clear exclusivity window can preserve future earnings.

    Brands expect questions. The ones who don’t are often the ones you shouldn’t work with.

    Read Slowly. Assume Nothing.

    A contract is an allocation of power, not a formality. If you don’t understand a clause, ask for clarity. If the language is vague, tighten it. If something looks lopsided, it probably is. Independent creators operate in a landscape where legal support is often absent by default, but silence at this stage can be expensive later.

    Reading a brand deal like a lawyer doesn’t require a law degree. It requires an appetite for detail, a refusal to rush, and an understanding that your work has value long after the campaign ends.