Are influencers the new designers? Fashion brands tap Singapore content creators for collections

SINGAPORE – When local fashion influencer Salina Chai’s debut collection with Indonesian label Gemme Clothing went live on April 24, it marked the culmination of a process that began in August 2025 with a simple outreach from the brand. It was one she already knew well, having bought and worn its pieces long before the collaboration was on the table.

The 32-year-old co-founder of leather restoration atelier Margo & Smith had been featuring Gemme Clothing in her content, and working it into her usual rotation of outfits in black, white and muted tones, so the project, she says, felt like a “full-circle moment” – with her moving from customer to collaborator.

That trajectory is becoming more common, particularly among smaller labels in Singapore and South-east Asia, where content creators are no longer brought in just to front campaigns, but also have input on how pieces are designed and what goes into the final line.

“Consumers are increasingly buying into a way of living and the intangible value of what a product means,” says Mr Daen Ng, co-founder of public relations agency The Good Folks.

“Involving content creators who align with the brand’s values allows it to directly tap its target consumers.”

Co-designed collaborations between brands and content creators have long been used as a way to generate buzz, extend reach and access new audiences.

In 2020, local content creator Andrea Chong worked with home-grown fashion label Love, Bonito to translate her day-to-day wardrobe – from casual dressing to workwear – into a three-part collection, released over several months.

Two years later, Singapore-based online fashion retailer Zalora Studios tapped local content creator Becca Ten for a Paris-inspired capsule built around soft organza, satin and romantic silhouettes.

For brands operating without the scale of global players, this strategy gives them a clearer starting point for what their customers are most likely to buy into.

As Mr Ng notes, while traditional designers tend to shape what is considered fashionable for upcoming seasons, content creators “bring a strong understanding of what their audiences want: from wearability and versatility to comfort and pricing”.

Drawing from personal aesthetics

The City Romanticism collection (from 490,000 rupiah or S$36) centres on pieces that reflect how Ms Chai, 32, already dresses – largely black, white and neutral tones, with softer fabrics and detailing that make them easy to wear across different settings.

The 18-piece capsule includes halter tops with pleated panels and tassel ties, satin sets designed to be worn as separates, and maxi dresses layered over inner minis – alongside blazers, skirts and wide-leg pants that can be mixed and matched.

“I wanted the collection to represent the modern woman,” she says, describing it as a balance between “urban sophistication and femininity”, but one that still feels practical enough to return to regularly.

Her role focused on setting the direction, overall theme, palette and styling, while Gemme handled the technical side, including fabric sourcing, construction and fit.

Working across Singapore and Indonesia, designs were refined through multiple iterations, with Ms Chai’s feedback added at each stage before moving into the next sample.

Many of the details come directly from what she tends to look for when she shops. Ms Chai gravitates towards textures such as lace, chiffon and organza, and prefers subtle elements such as pleats or soft draping that add movement.

In the months leading up to the drop, she began teasing pieces from the collection on her platforms, drawing early reactions from her 179,000 Instagram followers. The response, she says, was “very positive and encouraging”.

“It comes down to self-awareness and clarity – understanding who you are, what you stand for and what your audience wants,” adds Ms Chai.

That awareness, she says, comes from constantly engaging with her audience and observing what they respond to, something she sees as a key difference between creators and traditional designers.

Gemme founder Melissa Leo says Ms Chai’s personal style already reflects the brand’s design language – “refined, feminine and modern” – making the collaboration a natural fit.

“As a content creator with a strong aesthetic, her creative identity brings a point of view that resonates with the market Gemme speaks to,” adds Ms Leo.

Why are brands turning to creators as co-designers?

The creative dynamic has shifted from what Mr Ng describes as a “top-down” model – where brands used to dictate the messaging and creative direction of each post – to now where creators are given more room to shape how ideas are expressed in ways that resonate with their audiences.

Ms Leo feels the industry is shifting towards “deeper, ongoing partnerships”, where creators are involved not just in marketing, but also across storytelling, product development and brand positioning.

Co-designed collaborations, she adds, feel “more exclusive and creative rather than purely transactional”, particularly when both sides contribute to shaping the final output.

From a creator’s perspective, the shift is also driven by how shoppers consume fashion today and are increasingly drawn to what feels “relatable and authentic”.

“They’re not buying just because of who’s in the campaign,” says Ms Chai. “They want to see how something fits into real life, and whether they can see themselves wearing it.”

When Singapore-based activewear label Anya Active worked with local pilates instructor and content creator Eugena Bey on a pilates-focused activewear collection in May 2025, the decision was shaped by how closely her personal practice reflected what the brand stands for.

Anya Active’s founder Melinda Sutikno says she was drawn to Ms Bey’s “rigour and dedication to pilates” – a mindset that mirrors the brand’s emphasis on consistency.

Having been a practitioner herself, Ms Sutikno trusted Ms Bey’s “judgment and standards for good activewear”, adding the collaboration drove higher-than-average engagement across the brand’s social platforms, with some pieces selling out on launch day and prompting pre-orders.

Bringing a regional name into the local market

Local fashion content creator Debra Jane, a brand manager at marketing agency Teamlink Marketing, joined forces with Singaporean label Caramel Monster in March 2025, then with Malaysia-based Li’s Atelier in October 2025.

The 34-year-old’s first co-designed collection with Caramel Monster, comprising vacation-ready pieces with low backs and cut-out details, sold out within minutes of launch.

With Li’s Atelier, it began as a single collection of dresses, tops and bottoms built around the brand’s linen-based aesthetic. Ms Jane focused on easy, everyday pieces with distinct elements such as ribbon detailing.

A midi-length asymmetrical drop-waist dress, defined by a shoulder cut-out and ribbon tie, proved to be the strongest performer at launch – prompting repeated requests from customers.

A second release in December 2025 introduced additional colourways – including red, brown and white – for pieces such as the ribbon longline top, while a third drop in January 2026, timed for Chinese New Year, reworked the original dress into an asymmetrical cut-out top in tomato, black and white (from RM199 or S$64).

“The second drop wasn’t even planned,” she says. “There was just so much positive feedback.”

From the outset, Ms Jane worked with Li’s Atelier on mood boards and references, translating ideas into sketches before refining them through multiple rounds of sampling.

After launch, she tracks how the collection performs to decide what gets restocked or adapted.

Ms Jane, who also has a background in fashion management and having worked on brand positioning and collaborations in her day job, brings a commercial lens to the collaboration, factoring in how collections are priced and produced.

For cross-border collaborations like Li’s Atelier, where the brand is less established in Singapore, working with a Singapore creator provides a direct entry point into a new market, with Ms Jane effectively acting as the intermediary.

The collaboration, she adds, has to strike a balance between what the brand expects to sell and what her audience would actually wear.

Ms Jane, who has more than 26,000 followers on Instagram, also draws from her early career experience managing partnerships for Italian sneaker label Superga in Singapore. In that role, she was involved in local collaborations with content creators to build brand awareness – several of which sold out within minutes.

How viable is this approach for brands?

Authenticity tends to be the first thing audiences pick up on.

“If I like their sense of style, I’d be more likely to buy,” says Ms Ari Richli, a 21-year-old student at Nanyang Technological University. “But if they don’t usually post fashion content, it feels less authentic.”

She adds that such collections often fall on either end of the spectrum – either thoughtfully co-designed to reflect a creator’s taste, or “just a cash grab” that adds little beyond a name.

There is also the question of how far brands can rely on the business model. Ms Richli notes that repeated collaborations risk blurring a label’s identity, making it harder to distinguish the brand beyond the creator attached to it.

For Ms Sutikno, that is reason enough to keep the approach measured.

“I’d rather not put a key performance indicator on it. People can tell when you start forcing it,” she says. “For this to work, creators need to genuinely believe in what we’re building and we need to respect what they stand for.”

Used selectively, the approach can still be effective. Mr Ng says “the content creator must be a strong match for the brand in terms of image, values and positioning”.

Such partnerships, he adds, can help brands “stay culturally relevant and test new ideas with lower risk”, particularly compared with launching an entirely new line.