From movie stars to models, it’s not hard for luxury fashion brands to find relevant influencers to partner with for digital campaigns. However, as the landscape only grows more and more saturated, it takes some creativity to break through the noise and generate meaningful engagement with target audiences. Luckily, there’s no shortage of luxury brands to look to for inspiration for future campaigns.
We used our influencer marketing solution, Klear, to dig into the Estimated Media Value (or EMV, more on that below) of some creative examples of sponsored posts we came across this year. Read on to see how luxury handbag brands, apparel brands, jewelry brands, and more are putting their unique twist on influencer partnerships.
Table of Contents:
How do luxury fashion brands measure the ROI of influencer marketing?
3 types of influencers driving impact for luxury fashion brands
1. Midlife and “silver” influencers
2. Superstar athletes
3. Industry experts
Key takeaways for luxury fashion influencer marketing
FAQ: Luxury Fashion Influencer Marketing
How do luxury fashion brands measure the ROI of influencer marketing?
Many luxury fashion brands measure influencer marketing impact with Estimated Media Value, or EMV, a metric that translates campaign performance into equivalent ad spend value. EMV lets luxury brands compare their digital and traditional marketing activities, thus allowing for unified views of their data. For example, an Instagram post that has $5,000 EMV achieved the same results in terms of visibility and engagement as $5,000 of traditional ad spend. And though determining EMV can be complex, Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution calculates EMV automatically for posts, as well as entire campaigns.
Get a more in-depth explanation of how EMV is calculated.
3 types of influencers driving impact for luxury fashion brands
Here are just a few of the countless examples of content creators generating great ROIs for luxury fashion brands.
1. Midlife and “silver” influencers
Brands flock to social media to reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha. However, sometimes, the key to reaching younger audiences is getting behind someone older. At least, that’s what some luxury fashion brands are finding in their partnerships with content creators who have honed their sense of style over decades. For example, in September 2025, Mulberry partnered with influencer Grece Ghanem to promote its Roxanne handbag to her over two million followers.
The above Instagram carousel was a hit with her largely Millennial audience, generating over $100,700 in EMV with a .14% engagement rate, according to Klear data.
Meanwhile, the below October 2025 Reel by Aki and Koichi (@akiandkoichi) promoting Polène generated about $264,000 in EMV, according to Klear data, with a 1.84% engagement rate. The couple, who have previously worked with labels like Loewe and Comme des Garçons, has an audience that is largely Gen Z with an average age of 27.
As both posts show, credibility and authenticity work well with the aspirational quality that luxury fashion brands cultivate as they target audiences of any age.
Download the Luxury Fashion Influencer Benchmarking Snapshot to explore how leading brands are driving — and measuring — success in their influencer marketing campaigns.
2. Superstar athletes
Luxury fashion and professional sports stars have a long history together that’s only getting more exciting as more sports leagues gain popularity. For evidence, look no further than the WNBA, which has skyrocketed in viewership and media coverage in recent years.
In the process, the tunnels players use to enter stadiums ahead of their games have become de facto runways, leading Vogue to declare them official fashion destinations. Organic and sponsored social media posts beam the tunnel looks to fashion and sports fans around the world. For example, according to Klear data, Chicago Sky player Hailey Van Lith (@haileyvanlith) generated about $553,900 in EMV with a 3.32% engagement rate for Coach with a September 2025 Instagram post that fit seamlessly into her designer fashion-heavy feed.
Meanwhile, Angel Reese (@angelreese5), one of the superstars of the league and a fellow Chicago Sky player, dressed in head-to-toe Gucci ahead of her July 2025 game against the Minnesota Lynx. As of this writing, the post (seen below) has generated about $1.3 million in EMV for the luxury brand with a 2.35% engagement rate, according to Klear data.
Both posts authentically integrated luxury fashion into moments WNBA and Chicago Sky fans already care about, drawing on each athlete's authentic personal style. As the 2026 Winter Olympics and World Cup approach, expect to see even more luxury influencer activations capitalizing on high-profile moments on the slopes, on the field, and in the arenas.
3. Industry experts
If there’s anything luxury fashion enthusiasts love, it’s someone who’s knowledgeable about the industry and its history. Hence why so many major luxury brands are putting creative directors, craftsmen, and other experts in the spotlight of their digital campaigns. Sometimes brands look externally, as brand Billy Reid did when it tapped influencer Brian Sacawa (@hespokestyle) to promote its custom suits. Known for giving fashion advice, Sacawa created a sponsored Instagram post for the brand in October 2025 that, according to Klear data, has generated about $28,000 in EMV with a .46% engagement rate.
Often, however, luxury fashion brands have plenty of experts that they can tap internally, as Tiffany & Co. did for a 2025 holiday campaign. The jewelry brand’s post below featuring Lauren Santo Domingo (@thelsd), Artistic Director of Tiffany Home, generated over $203,000 with a .07% engagement rate within its first day online, according to Klear data.
In featuring experts, both posts tapped into a sense of authority and depth of storytelling that only comes with expertise, appealing to each luxury brand’s discerning consumer base.
| Influencer Type / Example | Brand | Engagement Rate | EMV (Estimated Media Value) | Key Takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midlife and “silver” influencers | Mulberry, Polène | 0.14% – 1.84% | ~$100K – $264K | Influencers who have honed their style over decades lend authenticity, credibility, and an aspirational quality to luxury fashion brands. |
| Superstar athletes | Coach, Gucci | 2.35% – 3.32% | ~$554K – $1.3M | Superstar athletes raise the visibility of luxury fashion brands by integrating them into high-profile sports moments. |
| Industry experts | Billy Reid, Tiffany and Co. | 0.07% – 0.46% | ~$28K – $203K | Experts have an authority and depth of storytelling that appeals to discerning luxury fashion consumers. |
Note: The data in the table above was drawn from Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution based on a small selection of influencer posts.
Key takeaways for luxury fashion influencer marketing
In the battle for social media, luxury brands around the world are driving stronger ROI by partnering with diverse influencer segments, like “silver” style icons, superstar athletes, and respected experts. Whether it’s a pro sports player taking followers behind the scenes or long-time industry voices sharing their knowledge through storytelling, authenticity is the thread running through successful partnerships today. For luxury fashion brands looking to drive meaningful engagement and high EMV through influencer marketing, genuine storytelling is critical for success.
FAQ: Luxury Fashion Influencer Marketing
How do luxury fashion brands measure influencer marketing ROI?
Some use Estimated Media Value (EMV), which translates engagement and reach into a dollar amount equivalent to paid media spend. This helps compare influencer performance with that of traditional ad campaigns.
What tools help luxury fashion brands measure influencer campaign performance globally?
Platforms like Klear, Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution, allow luxury brands to automatically calculate Estimated Media Value (EMV) and ROI across campaigns. Meanwhile, Meltwater’s unified dashboards combine influencer data with other owned, earned, and paid performance data so brands can have a 360-degree view of performance.
What is Estimated Media Value (EMV) in luxury marketing in the luxury fashion industry?
Estimated Media Value (EMV) is a metric that translates influencer content performance—such as engagement, reach, and visibility—into an equivalent dollar value of traditional ad spend.
Why do luxury fashion brands partner with midlife or “silver” influencers?
Middle age and older influencers bring credibility, knowledge, and a refined sense of style to their content that resonates with audiences of all ages. Luxury brands partner with them to appeal to their audiences’ desire for authenticity and fashion figures to look up to.
Why do luxury fashion brands partner with professional athletes?
With their often global followings, professional athletes boost luxury fashion brands’ visibility in the sports sector of the entertainment industry. Partnering with them helps luxury fashion brands capitalize on high-profile cultural moments, from league tournaments to global events like the Olympics and the World Cup.
Why do luxury fashion brands partner with industry experts?
Industry experts like craftspeople and creative directors lend deep knowledge and storytelling to luxury fashion influencer campaigns. Their content has a level of authority that appeals to discerning luxury consumers.
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