内容摘要：Royalty may have bred them for lap duty, but their appeal goes far beyond a soft coat and small frame. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels were once constant companions to English aristocrats, often seen lounging beside kings or riding along in carriages. That history shaped a breed that craves closeness and reads expressions well.

Royalty may have bred them for lap duty, but their appeal goes far beyond a soft coat and small frame. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels were once constant companions to English aristocrats, often seen lounging beside kings or riding along in carriages. That history shaped a breed that craves closeness and reads expressions well.

—pale in comparison. But that story is proof that influencers have always been around in some form, and that their role as social lightning rods is nothing new. And with so many influencers now not just promoting, but designing, brands, it’s a markedly strange time for the industry. While in the past, a celebrity or model’s behavior could sink an endorsement deal, what happens when the spokesperson themselves also owns the means of production, so to speak?“Any time you put a name on a label, whether it is an influencer brand or a designer’s name, you risk that individual running into reputational issues and harming the brand in some way,” says Susan Scafidi, the academic director of Fordham’s Fashion Law Institute. While influencers are using their vast followings to leverage their own brands, that following is “built on shifting sand. There is always a danger that something will happen and the whole sandcastle will crumble.”

To avoid that “key person risk,” as it’s known in the business, there are a few ways to future-proof an influencer-led brand. Some investors will ask for a “morals clause.” Says Scafidi, “It sounds very 19th-century, but it is about reputation.” She always recommends to emerging designers that they create some sort of separation between the personal and the professional. For example, not making the name on the label their own, and maintaining separate social media accounts.At the same time, “we want someone to follow who isn’t just a generic company without a face. So we’re basically dealing with a double-edged sword,” she says. “On the one hand, a great influencer with a personal touch and appeal to followers is brilliant marketing. On the other hand, humans are fallible.”Which explains why several brands founded by influential people, like

(co-founded by Elin Kling) and, don’t lead with the image of their founder front and center. (An approach famously pioneered by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen at The Row.) Lia Haberman, author of the

and creator economy expert, points to

and her coffee company as a sort of Gallant to some fellow influencers’ Goofus: “She’s trying to establish a good product versus [it] simply being an extension of who she is and who her fandom is. She has encouraged fans to approach and consume Chamberlain Coffee, but at the same time, she has not pinned all its success on herself. She doesn’t post constantly whenever there's a new product launch; it’s a pared-down presence. And I think that’s smart.”This brisk, refreshing wine from one of Marche’s top producers is a smart pick for summertime entertaining. It comes from a selection of the best grapes from the winery’s Montecarotto vineyard.

Is Tiberio a coastal wine producer or a mountain one? That’s hard to say, as its vineyards in Abruzzo lie between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennines. Either way, this fragrant, graceful white is a buy-by-the-case no-brainer.Abruzzo star Masciarelli is run by mother-daughter team Marina Cvetic and Miriam Lee Masciarelli. This minty, melony, rich white helps dispel any idea that Trebbiano is only good for simple quaffers.

The Tuscan Montecucco region has gotten more attention in recent years, thanks to wines like this lush yet bright Vermentino. It comes from organic vineyards high up in the Montecucco hills.Rocca di Frassinello, owned by Paolo Panerai of Chianti’s Castellare di Castellina, is known for its luscious Maremma reds, but this finely cut Vermentino is a worthy addition to the portfolio.