New Brands Are Heating Up the Influencer Scene

_{Insights, launches, and strategy from inside the creator economy.}

This week, we’re diving into two creator brands that show just how wide the brand-building spectrum really is.

These two moves are totally different — but both of them show creators thinking past merch and toward real brand equity.

Let’s get into it.

Brent Rivera has been on YouTube for over a decade. He started as a Vine star, rode the early wave of YouTube sketches, and eventually built an empire through group content, viral pranks, and digital brand deals. Now he’s doing something new.

The new snack brand is called Aire. With bright packaging and bold flavors the brand is looking promising. It looks and feels like a brand built for both the snack aisle and your For You Page. Brent’s not just slapping his face on a bag. Aire has its own identity. He’s not even on the front of the packaging.

This move isn’t happening in a vacuum. Influencer-led food brands are everywhere right now. MrBeast has Feastables. Logan Paul and KSI have Prime. Emma Chamberlain has coffee. Even musicians are getting in, J Balvin launched a frozen meal line. Food is hot, but that also makes it crowded.

What makes Brent’s launch interesting is how it’s threading the needle. Aire is being positioned like a real CPG brand, not just a limited-time drop. They’re aiming for national retail. The product is actually good, according to early reviews. It’s not just about brand hype, there’s intention behind it.

But of course the content is still part of the strategy. The launch video is classic Brent. High energy, fast cuts, viral-friendly. The kind of thing that gets millions of views and makes teens want to try the chip just to be in on the joke. That mix of strong product, smart branding, and a built-in distribution infrastructure, is what makes these creator food brands stand a chance.

Still, the question lingers. How many of these brands can actually survive past the initial hype? The drink shelf is already saturated. Snacks might be next. But if Brent and his team can keep the attention and get real retail placement, Aire could carve out its own space.

Noah Beck hasn’t posted much about IPHIS lately. The men’s underwear brand launched in 2022 with a strong aesthetic and a loyal fanbase, but over the last year, it seemed to fade quietly into the background. There were no big drops, no campaigns, and almost no mentions on Noah’s socials.

Now we know why.

This month, a UK-based sustainable fashion startup called Sown Again announced that it has acquired IPHIS. The brand, which was originally positioned around luxury basics and minimal design, will be reimagined under Sown Again’s mission of recycled materials and circular fashion.

It’s a rare move in the creator brand world. Most influencer-led products either quietly dissolve or get licensed out for quick cash. Full acquisitions, especially by foreign companies, are almost unheard of, especially for brands that haven’t scaled massively.

IPHIS wasn’t a breakout hit, but it wasn’t a flop either. It had early buzz, strong visuals, and a small but dedicated base of fans. It never felt like a cash grab, but more like a creative side project with real effort behind it. That DNA may be part of what made it attractive to Sown Again, who’s betting that with the right positioning, IPHIS can live on beyond its original creator.

Noah hasn’t said much about the deal publicly. He’s still doing modeling work, acting projects, and low-key brand partnerships. But this kind of quiet exit could be a sign of how the space is maturing. Not every creator brand needs to become a billion-dollar CPG play. Some just need to find the right next owner.

And in this case, it looks like IPHIS will keep going, just with a new story to tell.