A decade or so ago, brands shifted from increasing value of their products through utility, competitive comparison, and creative advertising to endowing products they made with aesthetic, sustainability credentials, a story of artisanship and provenance, and/or a community in order to give their products identity and singularity. (Virgil Abloh made

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In a sense, this is another manifestation of “Power to the People.” While often viewed through the lens of socio-political or -economic strife, this flock toward the excessive and extravagant is a push against another type of commercialized institutionalism:  wellness .

From seductive night luxe, to innocent kidcore, it’s as

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According to Fiske and Silverstein the three kinds of “new luxury” share certain common traits, which set them apart from old luxury. Whereas old luxury goods were based on status, class and exclusivity, a new luxury philosophy inspires consumers to forge stronger emotional ties to the products and brands. Companies engage consumers and reap the be... See more

Along with intangibles like access, experiences, and knowledge, the modern aspiration economy also created a cultural class unto its own. Oriented towards wellness and self-perfecting, this class of self-proclaimed “creatives” (regardless of what they actually do) defies the hierarchy that socially bound the previous generations to their economic s

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