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Over the past year, our feeds have become saturated with AI-generated content and endlessly recycled recommendations, favoring speed and volume over substance. It feels like every other video is pushing product, and so it\u2019s no surprise that Gen Zs feel like they\u2019re constantly being sold to<\/a> online.<\/p>\n This new algorithmic reality is giving rise to a new creator class. Enter the intellectual influencer, who distinguishes themselves by creating content rooted in their expertise, hyperfixations, knowledge, or insights on a specific subject, rather than their looks or style. In 2023, trend forecasting consultancy The Future Laboratory predicted<\/a> the rise of this creator group. But in recent years, as intellectual corners of the internet like #booktok have hit the mainstream and platforms like Substack and Discord have surged, fashion brands are finally taking note of this creator class to build more resonant connections with consumers.<\/p>\n Last month, Substack writer Zara Wong shaped luggage brand July\u2019s transition into handbags, co-creating an edit for their site and in-store, while Vivian Tu, founder and CEO of the business podcast Your Rich BFF<\/em>, has worked with Depop since December to reframe resale through a financial lens. Elsewhere, wellness podcaster Jay Shetty attended Jonathan Anderson\u2019s Dior debut men\u2019s collection in June 2025. And the internet\u2019s self-proclaimed \u201cresident librarian\u201d Jack Edwards \u2014 who has become a regular attendee at Valentino events \u2014\u00a0joined Esquire<\/em> as a contributing literary editor earlier this year. Taken together, it suggests a widening definition of fashion authority \u2014 one that is shaped by those who can interpret culture as much as by those who participate in it.<\/p>\n The momentum of this expert class is less a new type of creator than a response to what our feeds have become, experts agree. \u201cDuring a moment defined by anti-intellectualism, escapism, and AI tools that let you skip cognitive work entirely… intellectual creators are doing something kinda countercultural,\u201d says Death To Stock\u2019s culture researcher Agus Panzoni.<\/p>\n These influencers, who have already built established communities around intellectual pursuits, hold greater meaning and engender more trust than pay-to-post creators. \u201cAgainst a backdrop of AI reliance, attention hacking, and short-form overload, audiences have started reaching for something that actually means something\u2026 depth has become its own signal of credibility,\u201d says Eve Lee, founder of creative agencies Digi Fairy and Source Material.<\/p>\n \u201cAudiences have so much insight, transparency, and cynicism around the inner workings of advertising right now,\u201d says fashion commentator Rian Phin, noting growing skepticism towards creators who appear too easily aligned with brand agendas.<\/p>\n \u201c[Today, they] expect value-driven content\u2026They want a strong perspective and informed opinion.\u201d Phin notes that she trusts intellectual influencers like scientists or scholars more readily than traditional creators, even when they\u2019re posting fashion content or beauty routines, because their sole career focus isn\u2019t simply selling stuff.<\/em><\/p>\n Knowledge-seeking is also increasingly becoming an important shared activity<\/a>. As Panzoni observes, it is now \u201ca site of belonging\u201d, with Gen Z gravitating towards book clubs<\/a>, lecture series, and reading caf\u00e9s as social spaces. Intellectual life is no longer confined to solitary study, but embedded within community \u2014 a shift that helps explain the growing appeal of this creator archetype.<\/p>\n Brands wanting to work with intellectual creators should focus on substance, authorship, and cultural relevance. \u201cIt\u2019s such a waste of someone\u2019s trust with their audience to ask an intellectual influencer to do a cheesy unboxing, GRWM, or try-on haul like every other creator on every other campaign,\u201d Phin says. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean long videos, it means tailor the ad to what actually sets them apart. Campaigns must be uniquely tailored to the content they make, otherwise it has the opposite effect.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe intellectual influencer leads the anti-slop agenda<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The value of sparking conversation<\/strong><\/h2>\n