How to Become a Tastemaker, not Trendsetter

You know that friend who you bring along on every shopping trip because she has an exquisite instinct for what looks good? We all love her. Was this green thumb for style something she was born with? Perhaps she knows something you don’t– how to be a good tastemaker. 

What is a tastemaker?

A tastemaker is someone who has both good instincts and good skills and determines what is fashionable. 

While a trendsetter decides what is new, a tastemaker decides what is worth keeping. A trendsetter introduces an idea or style to the world before it’s widely accepted, and a tastemaker curates her options. Tastemaking is increasingly rare in today’s fast-moving trend cycle. In a culture of speed and slop, it requires discipline to define what is truly worthy of your surroundings, the eye to style it well, and the intention to shape how others feel within a space and in your presence.

Tastemaking and formation go hand in hand; it all starts with what you surround yourself with. To refine your taste, you need a strong foundation. What do you stand for? How do you want to be known? There must be a clear perspective to begin from. Akin to being rooted in Truth, you’ll grow from a firm confidence in who you are and then ornament it with what you resonate with, and can do the same for others. 

After you establish what the foundation is, you must create a set of standards to hold items up against. This could start as a Pinterest board or color palette. But don’t get stuck in a rut– challenge yourself to try new things, go new places and meet new people, this will assist you in your tastemaking creativity. While exploring, note what resonates with you and consider why. Why do I like that painting? That food? That song without words? It may tell you something about yourself that you don’t realize. 

Taste is formed by something personal, not commercial. You probably won’t find your taste in a HomeGoods set or a TJ Max catalogue. In the book “How to Be a Tastemaker: Forget the Influencers” by Gestalten & Semaine, they researched creative leaders and cultural figures who have become tastemakers, considering what they do differently. A few patterns emerge. They all read frequently, travel intentionally, and are collectors of art, music, and niche objects. Their taste happens over time, not immediately from a catalogue. 

Gestalten & Semaine emphasize curation as a skill, and noted that influence follows afterwards. By selecting carefully, editing ruthlessly, and focusing on their unique craft, perspective, and integrity, influence came naturally. 

Taste, ultimately, is not something you stumble upon or are born with, but something you build.

In a culture that rewards speed and constant novelty, the woman with taste will inevitably stand apart. Not because she is chasing what is next, but because she has taken the time to decide what is worth keeping. Her eye is not trained by algorithms or seasonal displays, but by a clear standard.

Without formation, taste becomes reactive and shifts with the mood of the moment, borrowing from whatever is loudest and newest. But the formed taste is steady and intentionally selects what works. It creates environments, wardrobes, and experiences that feel cohesive because they are rooted in something deeper than preference.

This is what makes tastemaking rare by requiring patience in a world that wants immediacy, and discernment in a culture that celebrates excess.

To become a tastemaker, then, is not to consume more, but to choose better. To refine your eye, not by asking what is trending, but by asking what is true, what is lasting, and what aligns with the life you are intentionally shaping.