Who Made a Mark in Culture in 2025? The Top 10 Revealed
Image: Johnnie Walker x Sabrina Carpenter collaboration
The people and brands who made a mark in 2025 weren’t just riding viral moments – they fundamentally shifted how we talk, think and behave.
And because at Smarts we're experts in helping brands building Cultural Endurance, we thought we'd end the year by celebrating those who shaped culture in 2025. We've asked our cultural experts, including Brand Futures Directors Jess MacIntyre and Nat Moores, talent and partnerships lead Sheila Hozhabri, and content director Laura Smith, to pick those who they believe truly made an impact - outlining the cultural shift that saw them come to prominence, why they mattered this year and why they are ripe to endure well past New Year's Eve.
Some may have been a fixture of your Spotify Wrapped. Others may be sitting in your kitchen cupboard. Some will have captured your attention for the first time in 2025 – some may have broken through before and are breaking through again.
Because cultural endurance isn’t just about arrival. It’s about reinvention, resilience and knowing when to make your move. Here are those who timed it perfectly...
1. Gap
The Breakthrough Moment of 2025
Zac Posen created custom GapStudio looks for major red-carpet moments, including a Met Gala debut on actress Laura Harrier and designs for Timothée Chalamet – proving that GAP could compete in high-fashion spaces whilst remaining true to its DNA.
The Cultural Play
A legacy brand proving that reinvention doesn't mean abandoning your heritage. It means finding visionary leaders who understand how to translate it for today.
Why It matters
Cultural currency through strategic nostalgia: GAP built cultural capital that still resonates. Through the 1990s and 2000s, they connected with customers via music-driven campaigns featuring Madonna, Aerosmith and Daft Punk, and the iconic '90s Khaki line made them a cultural staple. But as fast fashion retailers like Zara, H&M and Uniqlo took over, GAP lost its footing. Fashion shifted away from classic American basics towards trend-led accessibility, and GAP failed to keep pace.
The comeback required visionary leadership: While brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein seized opportunities to bring iconic heritage back to life through nostalgic and relevant collaborations. GAP needed its own vision. Enter CEO Richard Dickson (who revived Barbie at Mattel) and creative director Zac Posen – leaders who understand how to make legacy brands culturally relevant again.
Creating cultural moments, not just campaigns: Posen's hiring generated viral red-carpet moments with celebrities including Anne Hathaway, Timothée Chalamet, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Demi Moore, bringing cultural cachet back to the brand. When Posen designed a shirtdress for Hathaway, it sold out within the day it was released. That's cultural velocity.
The real test is momentum: After shutting down most stores in previous years, GAP is back in the UK with new locations at major stores in Covent Garden, White City and Wembley by the end of 2025. Further UK store openings in 2026 will reveal whether this comeback gains momentum, what partnerships they secure, and whether this reinvention truly resonates with a new generation.
The Endurance Play
GAP isn't chasing trends – it’s rebuilding a cultural pop brand and a future-proofed infrastructure. The question for 2026 isn't whether the brand can create moments, but whether it can sustain momentum.
2. Bold Bean Co
The Breakthrough Moment of 2025
The humble bean is recognised by celebrity chefs as a top shelf item, not back of the cupboard staple, and Bold Bean Co led the charge.
The Cultural Shift
Bold Bean Co is a UK-based, founder-led brand capitalising on the cultural shift towards gut health – proving that even the humblest category can become culturally relevant with the right positioning.
Why It matters
Founder authenticity meets market opportunity: Here is a female founder with a genuine passion for changing the perception of beans, identifying a gap in the market and building a brand around it. In an era of manufactured brand stories, Bold Bean Co’s origin feels refreshingly real.
Riding a genuine cultural wave: Bold Bean Co tapped into a broader cultural shift around people becoming more health conscious. Beans are full of fibre and protein and are vegan - even Jamie Oliver endorsed the movement with his 'Bang in some beans' campaign. Bold Bean Co didn't create this trend… but they positioned themselves to lead it.
Building brand equity through strategic B2B visibility: Founder Amelia Christie-Miller has built a strong presence on LinkedIn, generating significant engagement and building influence across two crucial audiences. Whilst most FMCG brands focus solely on consumers, Bold Bean Co understands that retailers, stockists and buyers are just as important – especially for an independent underdog competing against established players. This dual-audience strategy creates visibility where it matters: on shop shelves and in shopping baskets. It's a clever way to build distribution power whilst building brand love.
Distinctive brand DNA: Bold Bean Co has a strong visual identity, and they’ve combined it with an engaging, memorable tone of voice. This isn't just "premium beans" – it's a brand with genuine personality that people want to engage with. They even call their bean-obsessed consumers ‘THE LEGUMINATI’. They come in a giant jar where you can see the product, not a tin. That's the foundation for lasting cultural relevance, not just a fleeting health trend.
The Endurance Play
Bold Bean Co proves that cultural endurance in the FMCG space isn't about having the biggest budget – it's about having the strongest brand DNA – a passionate founder, engaged community and a distinctive voice. When the next health trend emerges, these fundamentals will allow them to evolve rather than fade. That's what makes a true category disruptor.
3. Data, But Make It Fashion
The Breakthrough Moment of 2025
Data, But Make It Fashion (DMIF) started packaging cultural insights, trends and behavioural patterns in a way that feels clean, current and incredibly shareable on social. They took something usually stuck in decks and dropped it straight into the feed, and people responded.
The Cultural Shift
All the ingredients coming together: blending information + visual storytelling in a way that feels premium, editorial and culturally literate - and lives and breathes on social.
Why It Matters
They’ve quietly set the pace for what ‘smart content’ looks like on TikTok: That mix of clean type, simple graphic cues and straight-to-the-point cultural takeaways is everywhere now. You can see creators and brands lifting the format because it just works - it’s easy to read and hard to scroll past.
They fit exactly where the audience mindset is in 2025: People want less noise and more meaning. DBMIF hits that brief: quick insights, tidy visuals, and enough substance to feel worthwhile without feeling heavy.
They make the uncool feel cool: The whole charm is the contrast — taking something usually flat and unglamorous, like data, and presenting it through a fashion lens. It’s unexpected in a way that feels fresh rather than try-hard.
The Endurance Play
DBMIF aren't tied to a specific trend cycle - they sit in the growing space between culture and comprehension. As long as people want to understand the world they’re scrolling through, DBMIF remains relevant.
4. Robert Irwin
The Breakthrough Moment of 2025
Australian underwear brand Bonds selected Robert Irwin to star in their NSFW 'Made for Down Under' campaign alongside a few wild animals.
The Cultural Shift
While we were no strangers to the Irwin family, Robert was viewed as the ‘youngest child’ to Steve, following in his father’s footsteps with his work in wildlife conservation and education. The Bonds campaign launch, followed by a People Magazine cover and winning the latest season of Dancing with the Stars, put Robert front and centre as one to watch.
Why He matters
A Beacon of 'Good Vibes': Robert Irwin is a brilliant example of positive masculinity, blending his father's conservation legacy with refreshing authenticity, emotional openness, and joyful advocacy for wildlife, women's health, and inclusivity. He shows strength through kindness and empathy, making him relatable and inspiring for younger generations seeking authentic role models beyond traditional stoicism.
Continuing his father's legacy: All of the attention on Robert has given him more opportunities to discuss and promote the Irwin family’s conservation efforts at the Australia Zoo. This has led to a bump in both financial support and fans planning trips down under to visit the zoo.
The Endurance Play
Robert Irwin’s authenticity and enthusiasm shine through everything he does, creating an opportunity for him to pave his own path while he continues to build on his father’s work.
5. Lily Allen
The Breakthrough Moment
Lily Allen releases the divorce album to end all divorce albums and connects with anyone who has ever had their heart broken (even if they’d never listened to her music before).
The Cultural Shift
Who says culture belongs to the young? Allen proved that Millennial voices can reinvent themselves without abandoning what made them relevant in the first place.
Why She Matters
Redefining authenticity for the digital age: Her unapologetically honest approach to discussing her private life works precisely because it doubles as celebrity gossip fodder. She's turned vulnerability into a sustainable content model, not a one-off confessional.
Challenging generational narratives: Through her 'Miss Me?' podcast with Miquita Oliver, Allen speaks to honest female friendships, modern-day relationships, dating and what it means to be a woman navigating today's world. She's giving voice to elder millennials who remember her 00s anthems, whilst staying fiercely relevant to younger audiences too.
Cultural timing as strategy: Allen proved she understands cultural momentum when she timed her new album, 'West End Girl', to coincide with David Harbour's press tour for season five of Stranger Things. The show has massive cultural impact. She leveraged it. That's not luck – it's strategic cultural literacy.
The Endurance Play
Allen isn't chasing relevance through reinvention – she's evolving her existing cultural capital. That's the difference between a comeback and cultural endurance.
6. Joe Marler
The Breakthrough Moment
Joe may have been known to England rugby fans prior to 2025, but it was his appearance on the BBC's celebrity version of The Traitors, a show that drew 12 million viewers for the finale, that transformed him into a household name virtually overnight.
The Cultural Shift
Whilst Alan Carr was given the crown, you could argue the real winner of The Celebrity Traitors was Joe. His passion and humour - not to mention his penchant for sniffing out Traitors - allowed him to step onto arguably Britain's biggest TV show and prove he can command mass appeal far beyond the pitch.
Why He Matters
Breaking through with authenticity, not celebrity polish: Joe had a small but loyal fanbase built through his rugby career and as a candid advocate for mental health. The Traitors gave him a platform to reach millions – and his relatability, not his "star quality," made him a breakthrough contestant.
Honesty as a differentiator: People didn't know Joe well, which became his advantage. He didn't rely on existing celebrity cache or lean into performative 'strategy.' His genuine approach stood out amongst contestants playing to type.
Resilience under scrutiny: Joe's personality and openness created opportunities that will extend well beyond one TV appearance. This is absolutely crucial for any brand or talent looking to build longevity in an attention economy.
The Endurance Play
Joe proved that mass appeal doesn't require overnight fame – it requires showing up as yourself, consistently. His trajectory from niche sports figure to mainstream personality isn't a fluke. It's the result of years building authentic cultural equity that finally found its wider stage.
7. Ms. Rachel
The Breakthrough Moment
Ms. Rachel became THE woman to turn toddler-time into mainstream culture. She isn’t just a children’s creator: she’s rewriting what ‘educational content’ can look and feel like for a generation raised on screens.
The Cultural Shift
Ms. Rachel's normalised a new hybrid of gentle pedagogy + hyper-engaging performance, delivered through simple visuals, repetition, exaggerated expression and direct address. What used to live in classrooms or clunky DVDs now exists as high-fidelity digital storytelling that children actively choose, and parents fully trust.
Why She Matters
She set the standard for modern kids' content: Her format is now the blueprint: crystal-clear cues, emotional warmth, and a delivery style engineered for attention without chaos. Countless creators (and major studios) are now lifting from her playbook because it hits the perfect sweet spot of calm, stimulating and bingeable.
She fits the parental mindset for 2025: Parents want content that’s safe, developmental and soothing and Ms Rachel nails it. She gives families useful screen time in a world where attention is fragmented and parents feel guilty.
She made caring cool again: In an era obsessed with snark and slickness, her sincerity is the differentiator. She turned soft skills and speech cues into a cultural fixture.
The Endurance Play
Ms Rachel isn’t riding a trend. She sits in the intersection of child development, parental trust and platform-native storytelling, a space that only grows as more families live part of their lives online. As long as parents want support and kids want connection, her approach stays culturally essential.
8. Sabrina Carpenter
The Breakthrough Moment
After a massive 2024 with 'Espresso', expectations for Sabrina Carpenter were high in 2025. She delivered in a big way - kicking off the year with two Grammy wins and a memorable performance, followed by an appearance on the SNL 50 special, where she participated in part two of the Domingo skit alongside Pedro Pascal, Martin Short, Molly Shannon, and Bad Bunny.
The Cultural Shift
Unlike many female pop stars who have broken through over the past few years, Sabrina has been working at this for years - her last album ‘Short n’ Sweet’ was her SIXTH studio album. In an industry where many artists don’t get the opportunity to release more than two albums without delivering a #1 hit, Carpenter’s mainstream success is a reminder that labels shouldn’t give up so quickly on artists.
Why She Matters
Breaking the 'Disney Curse': Carpenter successfully shed her Disney Channel image without the public mental health struggles many of her peers went through. She’s become a mainstream pop star with chart-topping hits and major tours, solidifying her status and breaking the ‘Disney curse’.
Authenticity & Empowerment: A leader in a new wave of pop feminism, Sabrina’s music and public persona focuses on self-love, empowerment, and humour, even while navigating messy relationships in her lyrics.
The Endurance Play
Sabrina Carpenter’s relevance isn't just about her music; it's about how she leverages her personality and relatable narratives, social media, fashion and brand partnerships, to connect with her audience, becoming a multi-faceted figure in pop culture.
9. Richard E. Grant
The Breakthrough Moment
Richard was a true dual acting and fashion threat in 2025. He was recruited by Burberry for their Summer 2025 campaign and walked in the brand's London Fashion Week show, and was also cast in Lena Dunham's Netflix series Too Much, which premiered July 2025. It elevated his cultural capital significantly.
The Cultural Shift
Grant proved that viral fame doesn't belong to gen z – and that authentic joy, consistency and strategic timing can turn a respected actor into a cultural phenomenon.
Why He Matters
Long-term cultural investment paying off: Grant isn't new to social media. Since 2019 he's been using his British charm to laugh, cry and connect with fans, sharing genuine career highs and vulnerable lows. He'd built steady cultural equity, but it was falling out of the limelight that made his return so powerful.
Authenticity as fuel, not performance: When some funny social posts about feeling genuinely positive went viral, it wasn't manufactured – it was real. That authenticity had a tangible impact on his career in 2025 - the fashion and film industries are hungry for real, smart talent that connect with audiences. Grant delivers both.
Strategic cultural timing: Grant's resurgence coincided with a broader cultural appetite for joy, sincerity and substance over cynicism. He didn't chase the zeitgeist – he embodied it. That's the difference between going viral and building lasting relevance.
The Endurance Play
Grant proves that viral moments mean nothing without years of cultural groundwork. He didn't suddenly become relevant – he became visible at the right time because he'd been consistently showing up as himself. That's cultural endurance, not cultural luck.
10. Nara Smith
The Breakthrough Moment
Smith starred in SKIMS' Holiday 2025 campaign alongside her husband Lucky Blue Smith and their children – a significant brand partnership with the Kim Kardashian-founded label that validated her evolution from TikTok creator to fashion industry collaborator.
The Cultural Shift
From Mormon 'trad wife' curiosity to legitimate brand builder – Smith proved that carving out a niche, timing your expansion and building genuine expertise creates longevity beyond viral controversy.
Why She Matters
Turning cultural scrutiny into cultural capital: Smith hasn't shied away from being in the spotlight over the past few years since she married Lucky Blue Smith. She was labelled a Mormon influencer and 'trad wife,' which generated both fascination and criticism. Rather than retreat, she leaned into growing her own online audience as a springboard for something bigger.
Strategic revolution, not reinvention: Whilst she made her name on TikTok with her beautifully styled recipe content, Smith understood that trend-led viral content has a shelf life. Courting controversy is fine to get your name out, but in 2025 she proved her staying power: launching her own products and a significant brand campaign with the Kardashian brand SKIMS.
Building expertise and commercial value: Smith moved from 'internet personality' to legitimate brand partner. She didn't abandon what made her interesting – she expanded it. That's the difference between chasing the next trend and building a sustainable platform.
The Endurance Play
Smith demonstrates that the right timing, longevity and niche focus can keep you relevant beyond a viral hit point. She's not just a creator – she's building a brand. And in 2026, we'll see whether she continues to expand that equity or whether the novelty fades.
