The Relevancy Read

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Hot takes, early calls and astute observations, carefully curated.

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Cringe it-brands and commercial anxiety.

October 10, 2023

Consistency beats going viral.

Once the epitome of stealth wealth, Loro Piana traditionally avoided logos and marketing. However, the Italian fashion house got a little louder as the "quiet luxury" trend blew up and Kendall Roy (then Jeremy Strong) became a billboard for the brand on Succession. They endorsed a viral Instagram account, launched NFTs, and put logos on products. Much like finance bros made Patagonia vests a meme, the visibility of nuevo-riche tech titans and fashion "core" culture has demoted the brand from cool to cringe—a cautionary tale on the curse of the modern, social media-accelerated trend cycle.

Anxiety got a little too trendy.

Mental health has become a Gen Z branding topic in the way diversity and inclusion did for Millennials. Look to the sea of anti-depressant themed merchandise and performative anxiety online, and you'll notice a fine line between supporting mental health and outright capitalizing on it. Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty is an example of a brand doing it well—they promote practical mental health tools, eschew box-checking initiatives, and donate significantly to its own Rare Impact Fund, which was built into the brand mission before they launched. Moving forward, brands’ efforts should prioritize expert-backed organizations and community initiatives over merchandise.

NFTs enter their flop era.

Like the dot-com bubble, the overhyped valuation and speculative fervor surrounding NFTs came to a head. According to a recent report, over 95% of collections have lost nearly all their value, showcasing how exuberance can precede a sobering market correction. The sharp decline in the worth of NFTs can be attributed to a fundamental misunderstanding of their purpose. Many individuals and brands approached NFTs as a standalone commodity, rather than a tool that provides tangible benefits to their holders.

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First came clean beauty, now comes clean medicine.

After the F.D.A. declared a common decongestant in cold medicines doesn’t work, all eyes are on OTC medicine ingredients. At the recent WWD Beauty & Wellness Forum, we heard from the CEO of Genexa, a “clean medicine” company delivering the effective active ingredients consumers need without the artificial one’s they don’t. Consumer businesses have tackled this problem in food and beauty—currently the clean beauty market is expected to double from $7 billion to $14 billion by 2028. Mark our words. There will be a similar movement in medicine as wellness priorities home in on longevity and body fortification.

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Consumers want tastemakers, not influencers.

Tired of the copycat trend cycle that's fueled by the influencer economy, consumers are craving true taste and originality. Fan of her eccentric style or not, former Man Repeller editor Leandra Medine has undeniably made a comeback with the launch of a new newsletter, The Cereal Aisle, reviving the notion of a go-to fashion bible with a clear point of view. Courtney Bishop's e-shop concept, Album, similarly cuts through commercial sameness; monthly "tracklists" of items are inspired by the interior designer's favorite music. As influencer marketing loses appeal, true tastemakers will be key for partnerships and promotions moving forward.

But wait, there's more...

Bridesmaid burnout and home economics.

October 03, 2023

Fast Company Findings

September 26, 2023

Paris Design Week

September 19, 2023

Munich Musings

September 12, 2023

Retro living and artificial surfing.

September 05, 2023

Gas stations, small homes, and a good ol' office

August 29, 2023

New romance, New England, no morals.

August 22, 2023

Gen Z’s quarter-life crisis and collectibles craze.

August 15, 2023

Jell-O, dolls, and religion return

August 08, 2023

Ralph reborn, peak produce season, and the circus is in town

August 01, 2023

Peak Pickles

July 25, 2023

Big female energy drinks.

July 18, 2023

Nostalgic IPs never end.

July 11, 2023

Fresh findings from Paris.

July 05, 2023

Tourist traps' ironic allure.

June 27, 2023

Shopping's existential crisis.

June 20, 2023

Rising tides for surf culture.

June 13, 2023

Fashion’s foot fetish.

May 30, 2023

Micro clout beats follower count.

May 23, 2023

The dupe culture wars.

May 15, 2023

PMS and EDM.

May 08, 2023

Cruises’ Gen Z era.

May 01, 2023

Vegas and mahjong

April 25, 2023

Boob jobs and Judy Blume.

April 18, 2023

Condiments and Gwyneth’s $1 win.

April 11, 2023

Pasta as creative direction.

April 04, 2023

We took our talents to Texas for SXSW

March 28, 2023

Weddings’ glow-up.

March 21, 2023

Scream queens and F1 fangirls.

March 14, 2023

Rock stars and english majors.

March 07, 2023

Sleep sells.

February 28, 2023

A Goop-ified hospital giftshop.

February 21, 2023

The best Super Bowl strategies.

February 14, 2023

Kinky fashion and dupe culture.

February 07, 2023

Hikers, bikers, and ravers, on my!

January 24, 2023

The brandland business model.

January 17, 2023

Laissez-faire fashion and religious retail.

January 10, 2023

Postpartum products and anti-aviation travel.

December 20, 2022

Self-care climate control and sassy snacks.

December 13, 2022

The great sardine surge.

December 06, 2022

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