Once upon a time, labels essentially meant luxury. They were largely and purposely unattainable, reserved for glossy magazines, couture catwalk looks and the mega wealthy. As for the more affordable labels, they were more likely to be seen tucked behind your neck or hugging an in-seam than taking up precious garment retail space.

Then, in the 90s brands pivoted to making themselves boldly prominent. French Connection’s iconic ‘fcuk’ rebrand made them audacious and edgy, courting controversy and column inches backed by a full-throttle advertising campaign. In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority took umbrage at the splashing around of fcuk posters, while over in America it ruffled the feathers of Christian fundamentalist groups.

Equally, velour tracksuit trailblazers Juicy Couture conceived their whole identity and brand around ‘the label’. By the early noughties, everyone from Madonna to Paris Hilton was sporting the instantly recognisable tracksuits – and Britney Spears even had her bridal party change into them during her 2004 wedding to Kevin Federline.

Fast forward to today and the idea of bold advertising and celebrity culture has led to the latest transmitter of label mania: influencers. The vast majority of us are chronically online and brands have found a new platform thanks to those with large social followings.

You only have to open Instagram and you’re met with sponsored OOTD posts, less-than-transparent endorsements and ‘try on haul’ videos from buzzy labels. And once the look du jour has been posted on the grid, it’s time to move on to the next urgently on-trend item.

How to break up with label mania – why ‘brand’ became the new ‘trend’ and the versatile fashion heroes to shop instead