The business of 'real' influence: Fashion’s celebrity ambassadors and muses

For Alia Bastamam (left) and Scha Alyahya, the designer-muse relationship is built on more than business alone. It is also a friendship. Photo: Alia Bastamam

In an industry where image is everything, celebrities hold a strong sway.

Their influence can turn a fledgling label into an overnight sensation or cement a legacy brand’s relevance for a new generation.

Designers turn to famous faces as their muses as well, often drawing on their persona, style and achievements to shape entire collections.

When Jonathan Anderson released a 15-second Instagram video featuring Kylian Mbappe in June, shortly after taking the reins at Dior, it set tongues wagging.

Speculation swirled over how the football star might influence his creative direction and shape the fashion house’s new aesthetic.

In the past, names like Kate Moss and Harry Styles have also helped set the style agenda.

Moss brought a rebellious grunge-glamour to brands like Calvin Klein and Burberry, reshaping the supermodel ideal of the 1990s.

In the 2010s, singer-songwriter and actor Styles challenged traditional menswear codes as the face of Gucci’s then vintage- inspired vision.

Fashion ambassadorship is not purely a commercial affair – at least for Malaysian songstress Yuna Zarai.

Nayeon of K-pop group Twice is said to represent elegance, authenticity and creative individuality. Photo: Bonia

“When I work with a brand, I like to get my ideas in, not just my styling notes, but also the human aspect of it,” she says, having recently shot a campaign for Ecco.

It is certainly not about the money. Yuna is comfortable turning down offers that are not aligned with her vision or beliefs.

“I’ve said ‘no’ to corporations asking to mould my identity and my image,” Yuna shares.

“When I’m collaborating with a brand, I don’t see it as ‘Yuna wearing the clothes or shoes’, I see it as an extension of me.”

For her, the right partnership feels almost like cooking.

“Brands and designers create something uniquely beautiful using the right ingredients and a meaningful message – but if it’s communicated to someone who doesn’t speak the ‘language’, you won’t get the right reaction back,” she explains.

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Instead, she believes the right way is to approach artistes or public figures who have substance – those with a genuine appreciation for art, history, music and film, and real opinions that make them who they are.

“When they try the product, you get to see how it fits with their uniqueness, how it makes them feel, and whether they believe in it. That’s when you get better collaboration and a deeper understanding of your brand.”

If that connection clicks, she adds, it resonates beyond the celebrity.

It can then extend to all their “real followers” (here, Yuna emphasises how social media clout should never ever be bought).

Relatability, after all, is what makes a partnership feel authentic – a sentiment shared by national cyclist Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir.

Athletes like Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir are redefining brand partnerships by bringing passion and drive to the spotlight. Photo: Oakley

“What I love is how Oakley blends lifestyle and sport. Fashion is part of lifestyle, so it just clicks with me. I think that’s why the brand resonates with so many people too,” she says about her current role as one of the eyewear maker’s local ambassadors.

Nur Aisyah, who represented Malaysia at the 2024 Paris Olympics, points out that the personalities themselves can benefit from such tie-ups too.

For her, it means being part of a global family of great athletes – including Mbappe, who is also the face for Oakley – a connection that motivates her to keep improving and perform at her best.

Despite the prestige that comes with such a role, she remains grounded.

“When I put on a pair of Oakleys, I feel like I can just be myself. Plus, they look great too (nampak gah),” she says, when met at an event in Kuala Lumpur.

Profoundly meaningful

One question remains though. Is appointing a celebrity ambassador really the golden ticket to success?

Not quite. Brands are increasingly aware that it is not a shortcut to instant popularity. You cannot just attach a famous face to a collection or campaign and expect fans to come running.

The relationship should not be viewed as purely transactional.

Managing director of Ecco for Malaysia and Singapore, Benjamin Chin, even goes so far as to call celebrities as “cultural collaborators”.

He cites the example of how his footwear brand has been featuring Yuna (which he says is a muse, not just an ambassador) for several campaigns, from International Women’s Day to Hari Raya and now, National Day.

To him, the long-term partnership was not built for one-off sales spikes.

“This kind of continuity builds emotional capital. It shapes not just perception, but memory. In a fast world, that’s what lasts,” he insists.

Chin says a brand should establish a strong identity first, then seek talents who naturally align with it.

“It starts by asking not ‘who’s trending’, but ‘who naturally shares our values and who moves like us’,” he advises.

Yuna Zarai says celebrities should not allow brands to mould their identity. Photo: Ecco

Others in the industry uphold this view, regarding partnerships as a way to enrich rather than define a brand’s story.

“We see celebrity influence not as a replacement for our creative voice, but as a dynamic amplifier of it,” says Bonia’s chief creative and marketing officer, Linda Chen.

The leather goods brand previously featured Yuna in a Hari Raya campaign. It also flew in Nayeon, a member of K-pop group Twice, last year for its grand event.

Chen stresses that, when thoughtfully chosen, famous stars can bring fresh perspectives, attract new audiences, and deepen a brand’s relatability.

“Regarding Nayeon, we weren’t just looking for visibility. We saw in her a shared sense of elegance, authenticity and creative individuality that mirrors the Bonia woman,” she explains.

Read more: Fashion’s new power move? Turning away from influencers and the overhyped

It should not be a one-sided transaction, too.

“Our collaboration with Nayeon (including a Kuala Lumpur meet-and-greet with fans in September) was carefully timed with our 50th anniversary and culminated in a symbolic double celebration: Nayeon’s birthday and Bonia’s milestone year,” Chen shares.

The aim is to build an emotional connection that transcends the campaigns.

“It’s about creating stories that feel personal, memorable and enduring,” Chen says.

Malaysian designers, like their global counterparts, look to celebrities as their muses.

Oftentimes, the relationship can be deeply personal. Like how Alia Bastamam calls Scha Alyahya her muse and friend.

The actress had the honour of closing the runway for Alia’s Dubai Fashion Week debut last year.

“She has been successful in what she does. She is effortless in her style, an icon in entertainment and beyond, she is a mother to two beautiful daughters and continues to do what she does best, which is just about everything!” Alia gushes.

“In what she does, she is honestly the past, present and future of the Alia Bastamam brand. And I can only wish, hope and manifest to be a woman like my friend Scha.”

It goes to show that, in the end, the most powerful brand-ambassador partnerships are not about star power alone.

They are about a shared vision that turns fashion into something timeless and deeply human.