The Hollywood agents who broker the deals between talent and luxury brands share how these multi-million-dollar agreements come to pass, how they’ve changed, and what’s next.
Paris Fashion Week has just wrapped, and we’re headed straight into Oscars weekend. It’s a tight turnaround. These days, when brands invite their ambassadors and talent to their Spring/Summer shows, it comes with an added assurance: “We’d love them to attend.
We’ve looked at flights. We can still get them to the Oscars.” But who will they be wearing when they get there? It all comes down to the deal. Most talent at the Oscars will be paid to wear their looks, per contracts negotiated well ahead of Sunday night. Of the five Best Actress nominees, we can expect Renate Reinsve and Emma Stone in Louis Vuitton ; Jessie Buckley in Chanel or Dior ; Rose Byrne possibly in Chanel ; and Kate Hudson possibly in Armani , but the jury’s out. This weekend will wrap what agents agree is the most important period for brokering partnerships between talent and brands. Awards season is made up of moments ripe for brand deals, when fashion houses are most keen to get their clothes on prestigious carpets worn by the industry’s top stars. So far this year, we’ve ogled looks at no shortage of Hollywood events, like the Actor Awards, the Golden Globes, the Baftas, and the Independent Spirit Awards. It all leads to this weekend. “The Oscars is the crown jewel,” says CAA agent Jessica Graboff, who represents talent including Margot Robbie, Connor Storrie and Buckley, and has worked on the agency’s commercial partnerships for 14 years. Brand ambassadorships are “foundational” to luxury strategies in 2026, says Alison Bringé, CMO at brand performance firm Launchmetrics. “We’re operating in a time of hyper-saturation: more content, more collaborations, more launches. In that environment, differentiation doesn’t come from volume; it comes from clarity of identity,” she says. “The brands that are winning are those crystal clear on who they are, what they stand for, and who they are speaking to. And that’s precisely the role of a modern ambassador: to shape, signal, and reinforce brand identity.” The Oscars, Bringé adds, is one of the most powerful global fashion stages on which to do so. “Everyone who’s nominated or going to these shows is a walking billboard for these brands,” Graboff says. “There’s so much exposure, there are so many media impressions, and the brands on the fashion, jewelry, and even the beauty side, really want to align with the talent — especially those having a big run through awards season.” Last year, Chanel came out with the highest media impact value , generating $16.9 million across the five women who wore the brand. Schiaparelli followed with $13.4 million in MIV, thanks to Ariana Grande’s two dresses by the brand. The media impressions that can spill out from a single red carpet look is a signal of how much things have shifted from the early days of brand ambassadorships. “ this overwhelming shift in media spend from traditional advertising to digital advertising,” says Jessica Hudson, an agent at The Gersh Agency, whose recent deals include Chase Infiniti for Louis Vuitton and Sarah Pidgeon for Rhode. This shift means brands don’t need to cast just a couple of big names in splashy campaigns, they can cast a wider net and partner with talent in a host of capacities. Strategies have evolved in step. Brands, who once reserved their dollars for the splashiest A-listers, are now fighting to enlist young, buzzy talent earlier and earlier, while actors, who used to be hesitant to partner with brands too soon, are keen to entertain offers. Over the last decade, the demand for — and pressure to broker — red carpet placements has ballooned, says UTA agent Taylor Rahmani. Multiple agents describe brand deals as “complementary” and “vital” to an actor’s career in 2026. These deals include the carpet, but extend well beyond the ceremony, as part of an entire ecosystem of paid celebrity-brand partnerships. The shift stems, in part, back to Covid and the writers strike, which dried up a significant portion of income. Traditional media buying has become less commonplace since then, Graboff flags. “To activate with people on their own platforms has made it more accessible and interesting to talent, because they don’t necessarily have to be on a billboard in duty-free stores,” she says. And as studio budgets continue to dwindle, it’s the well-financed fashion houses that hold power. These days, one-off brand deals like paid appearances can be in the five-figure range, but more often veer into six figures, depending on the talent, according to those who broker them. Larger, longer-term brand deals — like brand ambassadorships and ‘face of’ agreements — can go into the seven to eight-figure range for major names. There’s big variation, Rahmani says. “There are circumstances where they get wildly large and competitive, and there are circumstances where it’s a rat race to just make the placement,” she explains. “There is a lot of money to be had during awards season.” What goes on behind the scenes to make these big-money deals happen? Those who broker the partnerships between brands and their talent break it down — without breaching contract. A new deal structure Different tiers of brand deals, with varied requirements, have emerged in the last few years, Graboff explains. It starts with unpaid appearances, which function largely as relationship-builders; then one-offs, which are paid appearances such as fashion shows or red carpets, and social posts; ambassadorships, which are paid partnerships that do not include paid media usage; and finally face-of deals, which include paid assets behind the campaign and feature the talent in advertising. The latter two rungs tend to have exclusivity clauses. The billboard, Rahmani says, remains the North Star. Notably, though, brands use different language for different terms of agreements, making the conditions of each deal less cut and dried. “More often than not, an ambassador typically has some advertising component attached, versus a friend of the house, which is more of an extended dressing deal,” Rahmani explains. Red carpet and awards season deals are becoming more prevalent, says Dylan Browne, a commercial agent at Curtis Brown, who counts Paul Mescal and Stellan Skarsgård as clients. He points to Mescal, who doesn’t have a fashion brand contract, noting how he aims to engage with brands that Mescal could eventually wear on a carpet. “Brands have a need to place product on people. If most people are in long-term contracts or larger ambassador contracts, you need to seek out the people that aren’t.” Buckley, for instance, has worn both Chanel and Dior to awards shows this season, per one-off brand deals negotiated by Graboff. This splintering of deal formats has opened the floodgates for talent opportunities, CAA’s Graboff says, noting that the one-time paid tier is a relatively new phenomenon. “One-offs are newer because the larger deal includes all those things as deliverables. But now, those exist as deliverables on their own as well,” she says. “When you’re the face of the brand, part of it is doing editorials, part of it is going to fashion shows and doing shoot days, all the above. But there are also opportunities for people to do just one of those things with a brand as a way to get their foot in the door and build that relationship.” For Graboff, one-off deals are a quick temporary win with the view of securing a long-term ambassadorship down the line. “We’re looking for a company that they could grow with and maybe do more than one category with over time,” she says. Rahmani avoids them if she can: “It’s disheartening and really obvious to the consumer that this was a play and that’s not it.” Still, like Graboff, she’ll do them if it could lead to something they’re eyeing. For other agents, one-offs are seen as an additive for talent not keen to get fully into bed with brands. Some may prefer to wear what they want to wear; others might be taking time off soon, and can’t fulfil long-term contractual obligations. The deals don’t stop at the clothes. The format varies, depending on the services brands view as a priority, and what talent are willing to commit to. “Some talents are more comfortable on social media than others, and some are more comfortable showing up to events than others,” Hudson says. These days, there are many more options, Graboff flags, because much of the money that once went to traditional media buys is being redirected to the talent themselves. “Now, the talent has the platform. Whereas before, the actual TV or print or whatever, those were the platforms.” Inside the shuffle Last September kicked off a major creative director reshuffle, with many brand ambassadors following designers to their new houses. Hudson’s Gersh client Drew Starkey worked with Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, and was named a Dior ambassador in January. Starkey aligns with Anderson’s vision at Dior, Hudson says, which is key when weighing whether a star will follow a creative director to their new gig, as they then shift the aesthetic and tone of that brand. “It’s up to the talent to make sure that they’re aligned with the future of the brand,” she says. It’s illustrative of the strength of relationships borne out of brand deals, Browne adds. Brands would be surprised how attuned talent can be to these changes, Rahmani says, because of how central fashion is to their careers. Mia Goth, for instance, wasn’t a Loewe girl — but she admired Anderson’s work, says Browne, who negotiated Goth’s Dior deal, announced last September. “When the move to Dior happened, that relationship came about really naturally,” he says. “ is a huge fan of Mia as well. If you look at Mia pre-Dior, she is a Dior girl.” Rahmani sees new creative appointments as opportunities to place talent with different houses, since not all celebrities follow designers to their new homes. Ayo Edebiri, for instance, worked closely with Loewe under Anderson, but was announced last October as a new Chanel ambassador under Matthieu Blazy. Rahmani and her colleagues spend a lot of time in Paris, going to shows, she adds. “I remember seeing Jack and Lazaro’s first collection and Jonathan’s first collection , and really starting to mentally be able to play with who can wear these pieces,” she says. Rahmani then negotiated the deal confirming Isla Johnston, who will star in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Joan of Arc, as the first Loewe ambassador under the new creative directors. Locking into contracts Clients with longer-term deals are typically limited in what else they can wear — how limited depends on exclusivity stipulations in the contract. Oftentimes, brands will explicitly ban talent from wearing their main competitors. Some brands that aren’t explicitly banned can still be touchy, agents flag. “I think if you are going to wear a brand that teeters being on a competitor list , you have the conversation with your talent and their stylist: ‘Is that going to rock the boat?’ Longevity is so important, so I would say don’t rock the boat,” Browne says. Rahmani agrees; her rule of thumb is to be fair, and try not to irritate designers. This is where independent designers can shine, typically at smaller awards shows or film premieres. They won’t ever be on a restricted list, says Browne, whose client Mescal wears many such brands, including New York’s Commission and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, with the help of his stylist Felicity Kay. Stylist Danielle Goldberg also prioritizes indie designers alongside major brands: her client Greta Lee frequently appears in New York brands such as Diotima, Colleen Allen, and Luar. More opportunities for brands lie in the full look. Talent who work with a brand’s jewelry and watches or beauty arm don’t necessarily have to wear the clothes. Some agreements are multi-category, which means the talent will be required to wear, say, fashion and makeup, but many don’t stipulate this, Hudson says. At UTA, they try to keep the deals separate, Rahmani says. “If you are an ambassador for X brand and they would like you to wear their jewelry, we typically don’t have much issue with that,” she says. “But they don’t need to be required to wear it on a red carpet.” Head-to-toe looks, from the earrings to the nail polish, tend to feel forced. Robbie, for instance, is now the face of Chanel Beauty, as well as its watches and jewelry. This means she can wear any brand, given she’s not the face of its fashion product, Graboff confirms. But jewelry and beauty deals can open a window for talent who are keen to dabble in a brand’s fashion. Pidgeon is a newly minted ambassador for Chanel watches and jewelry, and has worn the brand’s clothes on a number of recent occasions, including to the Love Story premiere and for a Jimmy Kimmel appearance in New York. Next gen Brand deals are a guaranteed income boost for actors in a rocky film landscape. They also help to both inform and communicate an actor’s identity — especially younger talent — and market their work, agents agree. “If you place them with the right brands and roll out the right strategy, you elevate their profile and make them more seen,” Browne says. “And through that, casting directors, producers, and studio executives have a desire to work with them because that’s the sort of category that they want to be engaging with.” When Browne sits down with clients to talk acting roles, the conversation very quickly veers into brand and endorsement strategy territory, he says. “It’s a long, long game that we play.” These deals are shaping actors’ careers earlier than before. While brand deals used to come into the mix once actors reached A-list status, they’re now tapping in early on in an actor’s career, Hudson says, leaving less time for low-stakes experimentation on the talent’s part. Getting in early, in Rahmani’s view, makes for a better long-term partnership. “You feel like you’re invested in the ride,” she says. Graboff’s team at CAA has grown over the years, as it’s ramped up strategic work with brands, she says. “ to have our up-and-comers and younger talent on their radars, and start the process of brand ambassadorships or deals as early as possible to elevate them in the global marketplace,” Grabof says. At Curtis Brown, they’ll start talks with brands ahead of an actor’s first or second project, according to Browne. Rarely will they be paid, but there’s value in starting those conversations. Some young talent do land big deals fast. Infiniti was named a house ambassador for Louis Vuitton in December 2025, only three months after her breakout role in One Battle After Another. The actor decided the brand was right, Hudson, who was behind the negotiations, says, adding that she serves as an educator for the young talent she works with. “My job is to bring as much information to her as possible, so that she can make the most informed decision.” Similarly, Storrie of Heated Rivalry fame already has an awards season deal locked in with Tiffany, and has been spotted in Saint Laurent on many a carpet , leaving onlookers speculating about a partnership announcement. His co-star Hudson Williams has been snapped up by Balenciaga, which added him as a friend of the house in February. For young talent especially, awards season deals are key. “It’s often their first time, so they’re making a statement when they show up to these major events like the Oscars,” Hudson says. “Having the right partner behind you when you make this statement is important.” Graboff hopes brands will continue to be more agile with these deals. “We’d love to see brands continue to be more open and not reactive, but forward-thinking and creative with how and who they’re engaging,” she says. More from this author: The New Brand Playbook for Unpredictable Times The Business of Street Style “It’s Le Labo!”: Why Equinox’s Big Soap Swap Matters
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