What does tastemaker mean?
A tastemaker is a person whose preferences and approvals shape what other people like, want, or regard as fashionable. The word is especially common in reporting about fashion, music, art, entertainment, and consumer culture, where it identifies someone with enough taste and influence to establish trends or lend credibility to a product, idea, or performer. Its meaning is broader than “trendsetter”: a trendsetter initiates a new style or direction, while a tastemaker may guide taste by endorsing what already exists or by exercising judgment on behalf of a wider audience. The term can sound admiring when it marks expertise and discernment, but it can also carry a faintly critical implication that commercial influence, status, or personal preference is determining what others are expected to enjoy. Tastemakers are therefore cultural authorities, though their authority may come from professional expertise, celebrity, reputation, or simply the power to attract attention. Knowing the word helps distinguish making a choice from shaping the choices of many others.
nounA person who has enough influence to determine or strongly shape what others find appealing or desirable, especially in fashion, culture, or consumer trends.
- A person whose preferences, judgments, or endorsements influence the tastes and choices of a wider audience, especially in fashion, culture, or consumer goods.
"The designer quickly became one of the fashion industry's most influential tastemakers."
"Several respected tastemakers praised the collection, increasing expectations for the show."
"Critics accused the streaming service of letting commercial interests determine which films it presented as must-see cinema."
The regular plural is formed by adding -s.
"The exhibition attracted artists, collectors, and tastemakers from around the world."
A tastemaker does more than like something: their approval can turn it into what everyone else is supposed to want.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tastemaker come from?
Tastemaker is a compound formed from taste and maker. The word taste came through Old French from Latin tastare, meaning “to taste,” and is ultimately connected to Latin sapere, “to perceive by the senses; to taste or experience.” Related words including taste, tasty, distaste, and savour or savor descend from this same Latin root. The compound tastemaker became established in the mid-20th century in discussions of fashion, art, and design before developing into a general term for influential figures in culture and consumer trends.
Related word forms
How tastemaker is actually used
Common in journalism and cultural commentary, particularly about fashion, music, art, entertainment, and consumer products. It may sound admiring when it refers to discerning expertise, but it can also imply that commercial influence, celebrity, or social status is shaping what others are expected to enjoy.