Daisy Edgar-Jones Has Proved The Age-Old Power Of A Rebrand
The start of the new year, my birthday and particularly bad PMS all trigger an urge to rebrand like Daisy Edgar-Jones, Addison Rae and Sophia Richie Grainge have of late. For me, this usually entails a half-hearted attempt to mood board all the areas of my life I’m going to change. Most of these plans don’t last beyond the Pinterest stage. Occasionally it results in a new signature hairstyle for a couple weeks, but rarely does it lead to a fundamental transformation.
We’ve all been there: a brief surge of resolve to reinvent ourselves — even if just temporarily. Whether it hits as a mini existential 3am crisis and manifests as a determination to wake up anew; or a rehash of the 'winter arc' or 'become unrecognisable' TikTok rhetoric, there has long been a fascination with metamorphosis — whether it’s our own or someone else's.
This year, though, it feels like everyone is talking about several reinventions in. First up: Addison Rae’s. Once derided as just another TikTok influencer, Rae became a meme, a figure seemingly trapped in the label of 'talentless.' Any attempt to branch out — as an actress, Kardashian associate and beauty brand owner — was met with public ridicule. With her early association with the Hype House, Rae was seen as an eager but shallow figure, desperate for fame yet unable to convert her popularity into cultural capital.
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But the recent collaborations with Charli XCX and releases of early 2000s inspired singles 'Diet Pepsi' and 'Aquamarine' have shunted her onto a new timeline. 'Addison Rae’s rebrand needs to be studied,' declared TikTokers, astonished by the sheer scope of her transformation. 'Nothing beats a successful rebrand,' wrote another user, nodding to what has quickly become one of the year’s most celebrated phenomena.
Indeed, 2024 has become the de facto year of the rebrand. It all started earlier this year when Daisy Edgar-Jones, who is rumoured to be entering her Disney princess era, recently ascended the style ranks, praised for her A-list fashion transformation guided by stylist Dani Michelle. Sofia Richie Grange, too, made waves with her quiet luxury rebrand, becoming one of the year's most influential trendsetters. Others missed the mark but still captured attention: Mark Zuckerberg’s attempt to evolve from 'incel dork' to 'cool tech bro' sparked exasperated eye rolls, while JoJo Siwa’s shift from Dance Mums alum to self-proclaimed 'gat pop inventor' raised eyebrows. Even Katy Perry’s Bianca Censori-inspired, Gen Z-pilled rebrand provoked equal parts fascination and bewilderment.
Historically, rebranding was a tool reserved for corporations and big brands. But in recent years brands have started to behave like people, while people behave like brands — and with it rebranding has permeated every corner of our culture. And it’s not just celebrities that are locked into constantly rebranding either. Thanks to social media amplifying a generational fear of irrelevance we’ve become competitors and stakeholders in the attention economy. And to feed the machine we need to feed it the elusive currency of newness.
But this mindset often forces us to view ourselves through an outsider’s eyeballs. In our hyper-visible world, where identity is forged as much through others’ perceptions as through our own, rebranding has become more about how others see us than about deep introspection. Just look at the chaotic micro-trend mass psychosis of late, where influencers seem to adopt a new aesthetic or identity every other week, embodying a different 'core' with each iteration.
However the anatomy of a successful rebrand isn't about churning out viral content or mass appeal at breakneck speed. It’s about slowly shaping culture, shifting perceptions, and ultimately creating an experience that moves the public consciousness. Something beyond metrics and data — it’s about a world where artistry and cultural relevance intersect. Celebrities who successfully rebrand don’t simply pivot; they build a cohesive, layered narrative that audiences can follow. As Charli XCX told The Observer ahead of the release of multi Grammy award-nominated album Brat: 'The internet has broken the distance that a lot of artists used to have. What gets me interested in an artist is when they have – not really a backstory, it’s more like lore…'
Lore; it’s the element that draws fans deeper, blending the line between the public and the private, between what’s shared and what remains mysterious. This layered storytelling lets fans feel they’re part of the journey, a contributing piece of the narrative. Take Addison Rare, by embracing the cringe she has turned it into iconic unseriousness, and now everyone wants in.
'This past spring, Addison came over to my place and played me her upcoming songs and I knew right then that I’d work on her upcoming videos, because I liked her vibe and could tell that she was down to have fun with me,' Interview magazine editor-in-chief Mel Ottenberg, who has become the star’s creative director, tells ELLE UK. 'The “Diet Pepsi” and “Aquamarine” videos were so enjoyable to creative direct because Addison’s cool, talented and really open to people and ideas. And people are ready for her. Everyone wants to work with her now because she’s got that thing and she knows what to do with it.'
This current modern rebranding phenomenon shows us that true transformation isn’t merely an occasional shift; it’s an ongoing, iterative process that mirrors the complexities of identity itself. This is where the true power of rebranding lies - not in a single aesthetic overhaul, but in a gradual, intentional reinvention that resonates with audiences on an emotional level. A successful rebrand invites followers to participate in a shared story, creating a sense of kinship and trust. When done right, rebranding can feel almost therapeutic, a collective acknowledgment of the right to evolve and expand. In a world where we often feel defined by static labels, the allure of reinvention reminds us of our own capacity for growth, for transcending expectations, and for becoming something new.
Recently, Rae posted a quote to her Instagram story, an epigraph that read, 'Let yourself evolve.' It’s a line from The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, a book that explores growth, loss, and resilience through the eyes of a wise dog who understands that life is a series of laps - races that aren’t just about speed but about navigating the curves.
Ultimately, the most compelling rebrands embrace evolution rather than erasure. They allow us to believe that we, too, can move beyond the confines of our present selves. Rebrands remind us that growth, no matter how messy or unexpected, is a universal part of being human. And maybe that’s why we’re so drawn to them: they offer a vision of change that feels like a promise of something better.
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