This year’s street style snaps saw industry influencers like leading blogger Chiara Ferragni and designer Gilda Ambrosio – as well as pretty much every fashion editor – rocking Justin Bieber’s face or an ‘I Feel Like Pablo’ item. Chiara told The New York Times : “I saw it on one of my friends and I was like, ‘I have to get that' [...] Something that back in the day we would have found so stupid and never be caught dead wearing is now the hit piece of the season.”Gone are the days when you need to have ‘been there’ to get the T-shirt. In fact, you don’t really need to be a fan at all. Belonging to a subculture is enough. In 2016, what with hashtags, lyrics trending across social media and the cult of the celebrity, it’s far from just the most die-hard obsessives proudly showing off their participation.And for the artists themselves, merch is now an integral part of their branding strategy. Jerry Lorenzo, founder and designer of Fear of God, who helped to create the looks on Justin’s Bieber’s Purpose tour, told Business of Fashion : “It’s the new CD. It’s as important as the sound, a part of the vision.” Not to mention free advertising in abundance.The fact that the most sought-after merch takes its cue from the streetwear and athleisure trends currently prevailing both on the catwalks and the high street goes a long way to explaining its rabid popularity. Celebrity merchandise now often features oversized sweatshirts, bomber jackets and other effortlessly ‘cool’ pieces. Sporting mashups of familiar, repurposed cultural signifiers, it’s never been easier – or more tempting – to ‘#slay’ or 'Feel Like Pablo'.Where fans would once hoard vinyl or proudly display their CD collections, these days, as technology renders obsolete any physical manifestation of our interests, merchandise allows consumers to own a piece of a celebrity's world. As Felix Carrasco, senior director of product management at Warner Group told Fashionista : “You can’t download a T-shirt.”And so we queue.