thinking on culture, brands & design.
Explore my latest thoughts and articles.
Bridgerton & Beyond
In an era of increasing social awareness, postcolonial narratives, and a cost-of-living crisis, British luxury can feel stuffy, rigid, and out of touch. The question for heritage brands is no longer how to uphold tradition – but how to reinvent it for a new generation. The answer might lie in the global success of Shonda Rhimes’s Netflix series, Bridgerton.
dupes vs authenticity
The rise of high-end dupes presents a unique challenge for premium and luxury brands. Social media feeds overflow with influencers flaunting designer knock-offs – from furniture and fashion, to tech cosmetics – blurring the lines between real and replica. For luxury brands, this presents a crisis of legitimacy.
soft masculinity
Within a changing cultural context that begins to question, interrogate, and deconstruct concepts of masculinity, how can beauty brands increase their cultural relevance for the ‘Modern Man’?
LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES
Since the age of the Aztecs and Mayans, chocolate has been deeply embedded with notions of gifting. As gifting culture changes, shifting from an emphasis on indulgence, monetary value and luxury towards sustainability, convenience and sophisticated enjoyment - chocolate packaging design will need to continue to evolve to reflect these emerging values.
THE CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF TEA
Although sales of black tea have been on the decline, with a reported 10% drop between 2015-2019 (due to the growing popularity of more sensual and wellness-based herbal infusion offerings) – it seems that in the face of Covid-19, its cultural associations with comfort, informal domesticity, and national unity, could renew the relevance of traditional tea. From Coronation Street to Downton Abbey, ‘putting the kettle on’ is one of popular culture’s conduits for soothing conversations and close social interactions. The physical and metaphorical warmth of tea is evoked and harnessed by black tea brands in various ways.
love in the time of coronavirus
The very semiotic nature of the conventional dating app – be it Tinder, Bumble or Grindr – sets up partner potentials as swipeable commodities: users are displayed via quick-view profiles focusing on photographic appearance, with more detailed bio information only visible to those who care to click through past initial display pictures. Like a game, users swipe left to discard a partner potential, or swipe right to make a match, allowing for speedy efficiency in sifting through the endless sea of possibilities available through the app algorithm. The Covid-19 outbreak, however, brought this high-octane hook-up culture to a halt, as countries across the globe went into lockdown and dating app users were left with no option but to engage in more meaningful, prolonged communication with their online love potentials.
WITCHCRAFT & BRANDING
Is it possible for major brands within capitalist structures to touch upon spirituality in a meaningful way? And if so, how can they do so sensitively and authentically? In any case, as brands, celebrities and consumers continue to jump on the mystical bandwagon through 2019, they should firmly remind themselves of the history of violence and marginalisation of non-traditional spirituality – practises that have been revived in recent years as a wider process of decolonisation, and which are deeply intertwined with feminist and queer politics.
lunar cosmetics
Where Fat and the Moon and Moon Juice have built their entire brands around the mystical allure and natural associations of this celestial body, others such as Fig + Yarrow, Crystal Cactus, and The ILUUM are bringing out moon-inspired products, including ‘Moon Mists‘, ‘Moon Oils‘, and ‘Moon Water Magic‘. Beyond the botanical sector, emergent cosmetic brands like Glossier and Sunday Riley have developed ‘Moisturising Moon Masks‘ and ‘Blue Moon Cleansing Balms‘. What is it about the Earth’s only natural satellite that is proving to be so culturally relevant for consumers? And what does the moon say about the products it’s inspiring?