If you were drawing up a list of people most likely to give a keynote speech at the Booker Prize ceremony, Dua Lipa might not be the first person that came to mind. However, it’s now something the singer can add to her growing CV after her book club Service95 put her love of reading into the spotlight. She is not alone though and joins an ever growing list of celebrities running their own book clubs. Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Kaia Gerber, Emma Roberts, Florence Welch, Dakota Johnson are all at it. Move over Richard and Judy indeed. 

It’s hardly surprising really considering how books have become cultural cachet in recent years. Whether it’s a fashion accessory, a home styling prop or political statement, books have taken on a new role in our visually-driven social media world. While celebrities once posed with dogs or designer bags, these days they want to be spotted reading the latest ‘it’ novel or exiting an independent book shop. 

With e-readers forcing physical books to up their cover game style wise and the huge rise in popularity of reading amongst Gen Z on Tiktok (there’s 35.7M posts on BookTok), books are having a moment across the board. It’s hardly surprising then that the UK publishing industry had a record-breaking year in 2022, with a total income of £6.9bn, the highest on record. 

Reading has become a new way for celebrities to engage with their fans, create community and, of course, grow an additional revenue stream. Naturally brands want in on the action too – especially in the fashion world. This April, Italian fashion house Miu Miu launched its inaugural Literary Club, Writing Life. The two-day event with panel discussions and performances hosted at Circolo Filologico Milanese, a library and cultural centre in Milan, revisited the work of Italian writers Sibilla Aleramo and Alba De Céspedes and focussed on women’s position in society. This was preceded by a Summer Reads initiative with pop-up Miu Miu stands in London, New York, Tokyo, Milan and Paris for two days in June where members of the public were gifted free books from the April Literary Club. 

Similarly, Alaïa partnered with Paris bookshop Rare Books to display collectable fashion and art books in its Paris and London boutiques while Saint Laurent launched a new Paris bookshop, Saint Laurent Babylone, with a diverse collection of books curated by creative director Anthony Vaccarello. On the flip side, some brands are tapping authors as their muses. Take writer Ottessa Moshfegh of My Year of Rest and Relaxation fame who launched her novel Lapvona at a 2023 Proenza Schouler show and wrote a series of diary entries to go alongside the show notes. 

It’s a natural collaboration for businesses in the luxury space that want to be aligned with craftsmanship, creativity and slowing down, the ultimate antidote to fast fashion. However, unlike other forms of culture – for example fine art – books are truly accessible to all. Consumers pay the same price for a Danielle Steele as the latest literary work published by Fitzcarraldo Editions. A smart move amidst the cost of living crisis as many luxury brands struggle to stay relevant. 

Across the market, brands are seeing the appeal though. LA-based sustainable brand Reformation partnered with journalist and podcaster Pandora Sykes on an author interview series dubbed ‘Ref Reads’ at their London stores. These public ticketed events are a good example of how to create an offline community, something that increasingly appeals to the younger, experience-led generation. However, at the same time they translate back onto social media well, propelled by the authors themselves, many who are now influencers in their own right (think Coco Mellors or Yomi Adeyoke). 

While in the beauty world, The Body Shop created their Self Love Book Club, a monthly online series speaking to a range of celebrities, campaigners, authors and activists to find out what reading means to them, and the books they couldn’t live without. As brands increasingly position hair, skin and makeup rituals as self-care, expanding this world to incorporate other introspective and slowing down activities makes total sense. 

As big reading fans in the Marble office (we’re often swapping our recommendations), we can certainly see the appeal of book-led partnerships and events – and reckon this trend is certainly here to stay. Would you consider bringing books into your next brand activation or host an upcoming event at a bookstore? Let us know your thoughts!