Retail Unwrapped from The Robin Report

Why Chanel and A$AP Rocky Reignite Luxury

Jasmine Glasheen — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Luxury brands need to attract next gen shoppers to survive. Gen Z and their younger cohort, Generation Alpha, are set to drive 40 percent of all fashion spend by 2035; heritage luxury brands that aren’t relatable to young consumers won’t make it into the 2030s. The issue is that younger consumers often have very different priorities than the luxury brands’ customer base. Stalwarts like Tiffany and Chanel aren’t packing the same punch; they didn’t even make the Lyst index of hottest luxury brands in Q4 of 2025.

Traditional luxury status symbols like Birkin bags don’t resonate with younger consumer demographics that are hyper-focused on individuation, forcing heritage luxury brands to rethink their marketing. For next gens, ubiquity reads as uniformity. So, brands are moving away from relying on legacy as their sole selling point and tapping into unexpected strategies to target Gen Z and millennial consumers. And they’re doing this in some interesting, dare we say, inspiring ways.

How can traditional luxury brands groom next gens as their future customers? Follow the lead of Chanel and Louis Vuitton in appealing to Gen Z’s sense of humor, personalized style, and desire for individuation.

Combatting Uniformity

Ubiquity and devaluation kill the perception of coveted luxury. Two years ago, The New York Times reported, “Luxury brands have triggered their own death spiral by selling overpriced, overexposed and lower-quality products,” calling out Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci for price hikes, for some popular of their items those hikes were as high as 111 percent. Chanel and Marc Jacobs were lambasted for hiking prices while also cutting quality. Two years later, the price hikes continue, but luxury brands are justifying them by refocusing on artistry and quality.

Next gens grew up being exposed to brands like Balenciaga and Burberry through their diffusion lines at T.J. Maxx, so they don’t associate those name brands with a luxury experience. Craftsmanship is no longer assumed as exclusive to luxury brands, so they are highlighting their exceptional craftsmanship on digital platforms to reinforce brand prestige. When it comes to the artistry and quality of luxury brands, next gens need to see it firsthand (on social media or in store) to believe it.

Above all, next gens don’t want to blend in. Brands built around personalization, like the embroidery brand Abbode, are entering the marketplace. And brands including Louis Vuitton, Loewe (next gen favorite on the Lyst index), and Dior offer customization services as part of their value proposition.

Next Gens Say “Prove It”

BCG predicts Gen Z’s luxury spending will rise from 4 percent to 25 percent by 2030. So, how can luxury brands make themselves relatable to next gens without losing their quintessential style? And how can they get them to pay full price for a luxury item, rather than wait to find it at a consignment shop or thrift store? Chanel and Louis Vuitton’s recent artistic collaborations serve as inspiration.

Louis Vuitton and Murakami

Louis Vuitton harnessed Zendaya’s star power for the 130^th anniversary of the Monogram and the Speedy bag, and Japanese artist Takashi Murakami created delightful moments on the Monogram’s offerings and website. Murakami’s iconic re-edition pays playful homage to the LV Monogram. Vivid, color-saturated design livens up the luxury stalwart’s signature pieces. The Murakami experience is inspiring: His art creates an unexpected, immersive twist on an icon that immediately delights and rejuvenates an 1896 luxury staple.

Chanel Taps Gondry

Chanel’s teaser for its Métiers d’Art 2026 show is signature Michel Gondry—fanciful and completely devoid of dialogue film. The brand tapped Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Gondry and brand ambassadors A$AP Rocky, and Margaret Qualley for the charming mini film. Gondry is a master of technique including varied film speeds and surrealism juxtaposed with imagination to entertain and intrigue. The show’s title, translated from French, means “the art of doing it well,” and the film lives up to its name. Chanel (and the New York subway) stars as a perfectly normal wardrobe staple for next gens in a perfectly normal, relatable style in a joyful cinematic moment.

Signaling Safety and Shared Interests

The personalization trend isn’t just about overstimulated next gens trying to differentiate themselves from the herd. While some have called Gen Z’s hyper-personal style “virtue signalling,” it’s more about signalling belonging within their respective communities, on all sides of the political spectrum. In this contentious era, it’s become more important for people with similar leanings to identify one another, safely from afar. Many next gens care more about proclaiming who they are, whom they love, and what they believe in more than conforming to a gendered attractiveness standard. That’s why we’re seeing baggy, sometimes comedic silhouettes like the Alladinesque “balloon pant” and the camo pant of the early 90s come back into the cultural zeitgeist.

Don’t hate us, but the millennial statement tee is also back, buoyed by nostalgia for the early aughts and a bifurcated political climate. Consumers are walking billboards for their causes, interests, and senses of humor. But next gens are taking statement apparel to the next level, wearing statement bags, hats, jewelry, heck even nail art.

Affordable Luxury

Luxury brands ignore Gen Z’s financial reality at their own peril. Bank of America reports that Gen Z and millennial’s spend only rose by .05 percent YoY in August of 2025, compared to 2.4 percent for boomers. Even well-off Gen Zs don’t have the once-promising career prospects as their millennial predecessors, and let’s be real, it’s hard to justify buying a $4,500 Murikami bag with Afterpay if you have no prospect of enough money coming in. The result is a return to affordable, aspirational luxury brands, particularly those like Ralph Lauren and Coach, for staples.

Coach and Ralph Lauren received the top 10 placements on the Lyst index. Coach’s saw its total revenue rise 9.9 percent to about $5.6 billion for the 12 months ended in June. Ralph Lauren saw revenue rise 6.8 percent in the 12 months ended in March. Ralph Lauren’s cable-knit quarter zip sweater was actually the hottest luxury item last quarter. Next gen luxury consumers are also more interested in little-known luxury brands, investing in burgeoning brands like five-year-old Tokyo menswear brand A.PRESSE that focus on craftsmanship over peacocking wealth in recognizable ways that recognizable products aren’t.

In selling luxury to next gens, a recognizable product isn’t enough. For highly individuated Gen Z consumers, overhyped brand awareness can read as ubiquity and work against you. Quality craftsmanship isn’t a given for luxury brands anymore; customers need to see evidence that they’re getting genuine quality for their investment. And artistic inspiration, as we see from Louis Vuitton and Chanel, might just be the key to push prospective luxury customers into making their first purchase.

There’s an AI Encouragement Gap

Jasmine Glasheen — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 05:01:00 +0000

It looks like Gen Z, the generation that’s the most politically bifurcated by gender, can now add the “AI encouragement gap” (the significant divide between the high rate at which students and employees are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and the low level of support, guidance, or encouragement they receive from their institutions or employers) to their list of grievances. The chasm between a tech-savvy generation and their less tech-savvy managers is setting up a workplace showdown. As many have predicted, AI’s impact on next gen career prospects is nefarious: AI is not only snatching up entry-level roles, but it is also creating a worker-manager intelligence gap in the workplace.

Is AI changing the workplace culture? And the answer is: The generation gap at work is also causing an AI information gap; older less-tech savvy workers are unable (or unwilling) to encourage and support younger tech-savvy workers to use AI.

Next Gen Against a Wall

The gap adds to the next gen’s lack of motivation, which has led to derision from their predecessors, and they’ve been dubbed “lazy” by those who fail to understand the concept of a generational mental health crisis. Rising costs of housing amid stagnating salaries, bleak professional prospects, a contentious political landscape, and the fact that the world may burn to a crisp due to global warming have the youngest generation in the workforce feeling anxious. Gen Z is entering a job market where 35 percent of entry-level jobs require 3+ years of experience, and 45 percent of employers post ghost jobs.

McKinsey’s “Women in the Workplace 2025” report shows that gender also plays a role when it comes to seeking career advancement in our dystopian marketplace. While 88 percent of entry-level women say their career is important to them (around the same level as men), only 69 percent of entry-level women say they want a promotion, compared to 80 percent of entry-level men. And, contrary to what our AI overlords once told us, this disparity is only being exacerbated as companies add artificial intelligence to the mix. Companies are prioritizing training and encouraging men to become AI fluent over women. Early data on gender disparities in workforce AI training and encouragement show that the workplace of the future might be gender biased. McKinsey reports that fewer entry-level women (21 percent) report that their managers have encouraged them to use AI, compared with 33 percent of entry-level men. Analysts are calling AI the new “labor market currency.” If that’s true, Gen Z women will have to fight for adequate AI training, sponsorship, and encouragement, or they risk being left behind.

They Can’t Spend What They’ll Never Have

We can’t talk about Generation Z consumers without discussing their financial straits. Gen Z has the highest average personal debt of any generation, at a whopping $94,101 a pop that’s way higher than millennials ($59,181) and Gen X ($53,255). They have fewer economic prospects and are entering a stale job market that economist Diane Swonk told Fortune is “gut-wrenching” for the middle class. There’s a thin line between optimism and delusion, and next gen consumers are realists. Since they have to be ready for an uncertain future, they consume media critically and research every dollar they spend.

The “AI Encouragement Gap” Creates Generational Disconnects

While gender is perhaps the most concerning factor impacting AI adoption in the workplace, it doesn’t stand alone: age, confidence, and politics surrounding AI adoption also play a role. Even the gender factor is layered. Employers aren’t encouraging women to learn AI technologies in the same way, but women are also more reluctant to adopt AI into their daily workflow. The key issue is that while a majority of students may use AI, just a few feel their organization encourages its use. This puts the generational digital divide in stark contrast. Next gens may look at their older colleagues as out of touch with technology, which leads to the encouragement gap: You can’t teach what you don’t know.

A Gender Bias Culture

So, how does gender bias come into play? Although only 7 percent of Gen Z consumers identify as non-binary, those who do subscribe to gender norms are more divided than ever in political leanings, policy, and even in the media they consume. Consider that 80 percent of “The Joe Rogan Experience” listeners are men, while 70 percent of progressive-leaning “Call Her Daddy” listeners are women. They’re even using different platforms, with men outnumbering women by two to one on X and Reddit.

Gen Z women entering the workforce today find their optimistic enthusiasm quickly mitigated by reality. While most companies still say they are committed to fostering an inclusive culture, few are equally committed to giving women equal career advancement opportunities as men, particularly at entry and senior levels. As a result, Gen Z women who are entering the workforce are screaming from the rafters that career milestones that felt attainable to their predecessors don’t feel attainable for them. Fortune blames this disparity on “pessimism,” which would imply next gen’s bleak career prospects are just a matter of perspective, but the truth is more complex.

Grim Career Prospects Dampen Next Gen Spend

Gen Z purchasing behavior is characterized by frugality and underconsumption. They aren’t the only ones clutching their wallets. Millennials are scaling back, too, and consumer confidence across the board recently plunged to a 12-year low. Speaking of millennials, Gen Z watched us go through recessions, pandemics, government shutdowns, and the advent of AI. When they see their university degree-holding predecessors struggle to leverage their decades in the workforce to make a liveable wage, it’s hard to believe in their own career prospects. After all, millennials started our careers when the job market was rife with opportunities, whereas all Gen Z knows is an Orwellian present.

You may think that, AI encouragement gap aside, at least Gen Z can look forward to a prosperous future, but future employment prospects are equally grim. Goldman Sachs economists David Mericle and Pierfrancesco Mei say that “jobless growth” will be the new normal. The middle class is eroding, and Gen Z literally cannot afford to spend like their predecessors did at their age. They’ve had to learn to express individuality in new ways: Showing off their taste through vintage finds and books rather than a prestige label. They are running marathons over buying Birkins.

When AI fluency defines our corporate future, unplugging may be the greatest form of luxury. How to individuate in a culture dominated by AI? Next gens are buying to express their individuality rather than conforming to a certain social caste. Their curated individual styles influence everything from how they decorate their homes to the notebooks they buy for class. They are shifting into using clothing to proclaim themselves to the world. Individuation is the antithesis of AI homogenization, and they’ll continue to differentiate themselves through fashion––as long as they can afford it.

What’s TikTok Shop’s Future?

Jasmine Glasheen — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 05:01:00 +0000

The joy of discovery is TikTok’s competitive advantage, so it doesn’t have to have the perfect product for every consumer. It doesn’t try to be Amazon. Consumers don’t go to TikTok Shop to buy Clorox Wipe refills, but 83 percent of shoppers have discovered a new product on TikTok Shop, and 70 percent have discovered a new brand.

The growth of TikTok Shop in 2025 is a case study in consumer interest versus international trade policy. Despite tariffs having cut profits from Chinese companies by the Peterson Institute estimates averaging 47.5 percent on Chinese imports, American consumers still provided the largest chunk of TikTok Shop’s quarterly revenue, which more than doubled from the previous year to reach a projected $15 billion in U.S. sales for 2025. On a global scale, TikTok Shop moved $19 billion in the third quarter of 2025 alone.

Will TikTok Shop U.S. change under American ownership? And the answer is: The platform will carry on with its successful, personalized feeds and has its sights set on behemoths Instagram and Facebook to scale and steal marketshare.

TikTok Rising

Much has been said about TikTok Shop gaining on Amazon. TikTok Shop’s U.S. revenue grew by 128 percent year-over-year through April 2025, whereas Amazon U.S. ecommerce retail sales rose 7 percent in the same period, and its growth is decelerating as Gen Z and millennial consumers shift to social commerce over online marketplaces.

Let’s look at how TikTok is leading engagement-driven retail, how the carve-out of TikTok’s U.S. business into a separate entity could change both its own retail strategy and the U.S. retail landscape overall. A consortium of investors is acquiring its U.S. operations. This group includes tech company Oracle, private equity firm Silver Lake, and the investment firm MGX. As part of the deal, Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle, is leading the consortium. The deal is expected to be finalized by January 2026, making the U.S. division a separate, American-controlled entity.

Leading the Engagement Economy

TikTok wasn’t the first app to give users algorithmic suggestions based on their engagement habits, rather than shopping behavior alone. But TikTok Shop did turn engagement-driven selling into an art. With over 70 million products, a strong coupon strategy for next gens’ value consciousness, and a July “Deals for Days” promotion that rivals Amazon Prime Days, TikTok Shop has revolutionized the way users engage with brands.

Rather than offering a categorical search (where users type their search intent into the bar at the top of the screen and the app provides recommendations), TikTok Shop’s algorithm automatically provides engagement-driven product recommendations. Content users engage with videos watched, creators followed, time spent hovering, etc., all of which inform the content sequence shown to users.

TikTok Shop harnesses the power of interest-driven impulse shopping through entertainment, rather than consumer necessity, like Amazon. This phenomenon is (obnoxiously) called “shoppertainment,” a phenomenon in the retail industry pioneered by QVC and the home shopping network. But using “shoppertainment” to lock down Gen Z consumer loyalty is where TikTok Shop excels. The idea of shoppertainment isn’t giving consumers exactly what they need; it’s incentivizing consumers to buy by creating desire. Instagram and Facebook each generate 3-4 times the GMV of TikTok Shop, and Instagram’s image-based search and heavy influencer presence make it TikTok’s main competition.

Discovery or Consumer Targeting? It’s All in the Algorithm

The joy of discovery is TikTok’s competitive advantage, so it doesn’t have to have the perfect product for every consumer. Since it doesn’t host the household name brands of its U.S. competitors, TikTok Shop can’t compete for U.S. consumers based on specific product assortments. So, it doesn’t try to be another Amazon. Consumers don’t go to TikTok Shop to buy Clorox Wipe refills, but 83 percent of shoppers have discovered a new product on TikTok Shop, and 70 percent have discovered a new brand.

So, how does TikTok Shop “shoppertain” (apologies) notoriously frugal Gen Z consumers into spending on products they don’t need? The surprising product selection is innovative; my feed shows stick-on camera holders, k-beauty serums, hair styling apparatuses, powdered yerba mate tea, etc. often advertised by influencers I know offline. TikTok Shop harnesses the power of its micro influencers and macro influencers to create a sense of safety around imported products. (You’d think Kim K’s diet tea snafu in 2018 would’ve awakened consumers to the fact that the celebrities foisting products upon them don’t always use said products, but here we find ourselves.)

The team behind TikTok understands the discovery-driven niche in the burgeoning arena of social commerce. The platform’s new growth framework is “ACE,” which stands for “Assortment, Content, and Empowerment,” and is focused is on giving sellers the free tools to produce content to attract their audience. And these efforts aren’t lost on prospective sellers. TikTok recently reported 171,000 local and small businesses on the platform, and sales to U.S. SMBs grew by 70 percent YoY.

Federal Pushback on Chinese Social Media

It’s hard for the federal government to make a case against TikTok. Since it hosts so many small and local businesses, the idea that TikTok Shop is stealing sales from U.S. retailers doesn’t stand up to fact. The positioning of data centers and customer data is a data sovereignty issue. The sale is a move to ring-fence U.S. data and commercial activities within the borders of America.

The era of governmentally ascribed consumer behavior has come to an end. TikTok’s fame doesn’t just seem impervious to trade policy; it benefits from the headlines even when those headlines are about the forced sale of its parent company, ByteDance, to U.S. investors. We will be waiting to see how or if the new owners alter the online marketplace.

Far from the sale driving U.S. shoppers back to Amazon or another national seller, TikTok Shop now commands 18.2 percent of total social commerce in the U.S. and that share is expected to hit 24.1 percent by 2027. Now that TikTok Shop is partially owned by a group of heavy-hitting millionaires, we might see it have the investment power to grow from a disruptive underdog into an influential architect of American retail.

Washington’s attempt to curb the influence of Chinese retailers reveals a fascinating disconnect between what consumers want to purchase and the actions of their elected officials. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Retailers can no longer remain neutral. The TikTok controversy wasn’t about a social issue like Eugenics that impacts all marginalized people, like American Eagle’s “Great Jeans” campaign this year. Consumers’ indifference to the government’s drive to abandon the platform evidences a greater shopper shift towards the non-geopolitical. While the government’s issue was, ostensibly, data protection from foreign entities, it hasn’t stopped next gens from using TikTok Shop.

For now, the data is clear: If the TikTok algorithm continues to deliver discovery and entertainment, we’re predicting consumers will keep choosing the “For You Page” over the Google search bar or their Amazon feed. And that is proof of a larger competitive ecommerce challenge, regardless of geopolitical issues.

Creeping Out Customers Is the New Normal

Jasmine Glasheen — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:01:00 +0000

Brand marketing has long hawked the illusion of perfection with flawless models, soft lighting, and “aspirational,” i.e., highly photoshopped beauty. But walk into a store right now, and you’re just as likely to see models with contorted faces and gothic product packaging. Take Elf Beauty’s new “corpse paint” collab with Liquid Death water, which is literally packaged in mini coffins. Brands like Elf, that cater to Gen Z, are intentionally creeping out customers to cut through the noise of an oversaturated market…and it’s working.

The creep-out trend is driven by a greater aesthetic shift away from the pursuit of perfection, which smacks of AI’s veneer. Next gens are moving away from the dated and increasingly unattainable, idealized “filtered look” towards Uncanny Valley, reflecting today’s dystopian elements of the economic and political landscape. Whether it’s Columbia’s social media account for the Grim Reaper or everyone and their mom walking out with Wednesday’s dark lipstick, these looks leverage the psychology of fright to create an indelible memory, both glamorous and otherwise.

That discomfort creates thumb-stopping content. Look at millennial skincare brand The Ordinary’s “Periodic Fable” video, a hack on the “non-scientific” table with actors coated with dystopian facial masks promoting the truth about beauty, not exactly the aspirational look we’re used to from beauty brands. But therein lies its genius. Their truth is a shot of adrenaline that triggers a stronger trust to purchase than the uniform, airbrushed celebrity endorsements. Next gens are informed; they know Kim K isn’t really drinking that diet tea.

The human mind remembers what stands out and, for this most individualistic generation, uniqueness is the top signal. These creepy dabbles into darker tropes are meant to differentiate the brand and delight the cynical, overstimulated consumers they’re meant to target. More mature consumers may be alienated by the same content, although they’re missing the point. Brands that cater to wider age ranges have to walk a fine line: go too dark, you’ll alienate a loyal customer base; be too uniform, and next gens won’t remember your ad at all. The key takeaway? If you want to connect with next gens, go to the dark side and embrace the shadows.

The State of Gen Z in 2026: The Checked-Out Generation

Jasmine Glasheen — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 05:01:00 +0000

The generation we thought would be radically progressive is now embracing tradwife aesthetics. In 2026, we anticipate Gen Z purchasing behavior to continue in a disturbing trend: They’re spending less and expecting more from retailers––affordable, upscale-style brands that align with their values. And affordability isn’t an afterthought, either. In a five-year review of Gen Z consumers, PwC found that more than 79 percent wait for products to go on sale, and only 21 percent regularly pay full price.

Who could fault Gen Z for being discerning? Headlines are rife with tales of the unfriendly “no-hire, no-fire” labor market they’re trying to break into, and a generational mental health crisis that now seems could last their whole lifespan. Political and economic uncertainty dog them around every turn, and job opportunities are few. Gen Z is a politically bifurcated demographic of stressed-out, risk-averse consumers facing career stagnation and uncertainty in 2026. Let’s talk about how their lifestyle differs from previous generations and how to sell to them.

Why are so many young consumers disconnected from popular influencer memes? And the answer is: They no longer see their future in influencers (or Emily) wearing Balenciaga boots to frolic in Paris when they have more in common with the person working the McDonald’s counter.

The Economic Reality

It’s hard to sell the American Dream to a demographic for whom it feels unattainable. Gen Z’s obsession with the 2010s “Millennial Optimism Era” isn’t indicative of a longing for financial certainty. Millennials faced the aftershocks of the Great Recession and, according to a Pew Research Center report from 2014, were the “first in the modern era to have higher levels of student loan debt, poverty and unemployment, and lower levels of wealth and personal income.”

But that still feels halcyon to people in their early 20s today. Unemployment is up 2.1 percent for consumers aged 20–24. That number is even higher for those aged 16–19, up 3.5 points. Oxford Economics estimates that 1 million more young adults are living at home than pre-pandemic trends indicated. Gen Z is entering a less hospitable professional playing field than their predecessors faced, so it only makes sense they’re reluctant to spend.

Does it really surprise retailers that twenty-somethings still living with their parents are more concerned with survival than ephemeral fashion trends? Oxford Economics found that consumers who still live at home spend $1200 less annually than their peers who move out, creating a $12-13 billion hit to U.S. consumption. Critics often point to the fact that Gen Z has less student loan debt than their predecessors, assumiung their more positive economic prospects. To put this in perspective, credit card delinquencies are actually rising, which points to an alarming trend: Gen Z is spending less and still falling behind.

A Generation Raised on Quantification

Gen Z was raised on metrics. They learned to chase social media likes and high test scores before they could drive. They were funnelled into the high-pressure American education system, where schools operate like publicly traded companies. Of course, their mental health would be suffering. Nearly 1 in 4 17-year-old boys have ADHD, nearly 32 percent of adolescents have been diagnosed with anxiety, and more than one in 10 have experienced a major depressive disorder.

A generation raised on the constant quantification of social media is now entering adulthood, only to be met with a grim reality of the current job market, which holds few opportunities to reach the success metrics they see on social media. Like their millennial predecessors, “first” homes and mortgages feel unattainable to Gen Z. Perhaps it’s the lack of opportunity that’s made Gen Z nostalgic for a time in which they’ve never lived and returning to tradition where they can revive old fashion, beauty, and lifestyle norms.

Being thin has returned as the model body standard in fashion. While some luxury brands like Coach are still outspokenly size inclusive, many brands are once again pivoting away from crafting clothing that fits their core consumer base to court an unattainable body ideal.

Aesthetics Shift to Identify In-Groups

The U.S. political climate is causing a bifurcation in next-gen fashion proclivities between those who ascribe to a “return to traditional values” and those who don’t. Next gens are watching brands they once loved for their unretouched inclusivity (anyone remember AE’s Aerie line?) that drank the Kool-Aid and began catering to the tradwife aesthetic with modest prairie dresses and the Ozempic-fueled re-engineering of body positivity. Heroin chic 90s aesthetics are back. The dystopian feeling of witnessing celebrities who were once body positivity icons dwindle away is yet another nod to the creep-out aesthetic that’s dominating every vertical, from fashion to CPG.

Fashion is becoming more about in-group identification between gender bifurcated “traditional values” customers and those for whom self-expression and inclusivity are still a priority. Fashion also reflects the strained job market with pandemic styles like athleisure, pajama dressing, and quiet luxury falling by the wayside. Fueled by nostalgia for the millennial hipster life of the 2010s and a strained job market, young people are wearing office attire everywhere.

The Voice of Reason

The Gen Z consumer of 2026 is overwhelmed, still living at home, and nostalgic about fashion. Many are no longer spending to express their individuality; they are spending to express their values in a politically bifurcated society. In this environment, the old methods of aspirational marketing no longer work. Young consumers no longer see their future in influencers (or Emily) wearing Balenciaga boots to frolic in Paris when they have more in common with the person working the McDonald’s counter.

Ignoring Gen Z’s sober economic reality will only alienate them. Instead, meet them where they are (their parents’ house) with transparency, value, and awareness while they weather the storm. And, for goodness’ sake, don’t pull your plus-size section.

Shein Gets Bookish with New Alibris Collab

Jasmine Glasheen — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 05:01:00 +0000

When you think of rare books, do you think about Chinese fast fashion retailer, Shein? You soon will, as Shein is following in H&M and Zara’s footsteps by expanding into lifestyle categories. However, unlike H&M and Zara, Shein is dealing with declining apparel sales by honing in on intellectually curious readers—partnering with used books retailer, Alibris, to offer more than 100,000 cross-genre titles—including affordable textbooks for students.

Shein’s Alibris partnership points to the greater trend of fast-fashion retailers seeking competitive differentiators beyond low prices in light of massive import tariffs. While Shein and Temu had long been transitioning to local fulfillment centers to circumvent tariffs before the de minimis exemption ended, they now must compete with U.S.-based discount retailers with better reputations, like Old Navy. Let’s take a look at the current retail climate and why fast-fashion retailers like Shein are experimenting with lifestyle categories to stay relevant.

The Shein-Alibris partnership points to a greater retail trend: product assortments as a branding move. As consumers navigate economic uncertainty, there’s a strong chance that apparel will take another hit. But people will always spend on their hobbies and interests.

Tariffs Call for Differentiation Beyond Price

Fast-fashion brands are hustling in the face of U.S.-China tariffs. Price increases abound and, in May, the Washington Post reported a price hike of 43 percent on a sampling of women’s clothes on Shein. Whether a result of U.S.-China tariffs or increasing social pressure not to buy from environmentally destructive fast-fashion brands, Shein was losing U.S. customers, and it wasn’t alone in this. Chinese fast-fashion retailers like Shein and Temu can’t offer the low prices that once made them competitive. Customers noticed the price hike and altered their shopping behavior to reflect this change.

U.S.-based discount retailers like Old Navy, Kohls, and Nordstrom Rack have been reaping the benefits since tariffs began. So have value stores like Savers Value Village. In October, Shein sales reportedly declined 8 percent YoY. In May, Michael Gunther, Head of Insights at Consumer Edge, told Chain Store Age, “The data isn’t just showing a slight dip—we’re seeing a rapid reallocation of spend from these popular Chinese discount platforms.”

At first, it looked like the Chinese discount retailer boom of recent years might come to an end. But the fast-fashion behemoth still plans to almost double profits in 2025, from $1.1 billion to $2 billion this year. Shein’s strategy to achieve said profits in light of unprecedented tariffs? Localizing shipping centers is just part of the puzzle. Shein is also following in the footsteps of H&M, Zara, and even Temu by diversifying their offerings.

Identity-Driven Consumers Love Brands that Get It

The retail industry has long been driven by the relationship between brand identity and customer identity. In the olden days (prior to year 2000), it was all about brands building awareness to create the illusion of trust. Today, brands need to exhibit the values and cultural markers of their core customer base—such as dialect, aesthetic sensibility, awareness of purchasing priorities, etc. Generation Z is identity-driven, so retailers’ need to reflect their consumers will only strengthen as next gens step into their adult career paths and strengthen their buying power.

PWC highlights this relationship in “The Gen Z Paradox,” saying, “It turns out Gen Z isn’t just price-conscious. They’re value-conscious, with an emphasis on emotional and social value, not just discounts.” Think about that aforementioned emotional and social value in terms of retailers like Shein choosing to expand into lifestyle categories––the categories they choose to offer are as much a branding opportunity as a sales opportunity. For next gens, emotional and social value is achieved when they see their unique identities reflected through the more obvious retail marketing, yes, but also in the inventory of their favorite brands and retailers.

Fast-fashion brands like Shein are creating correlations between their platform and lifestyle categories that speak to the consumers they want to target. In a proprietary survey, more than half of survey respondents from Shein’s customer base said they read “one to three books a month.” And what better way to show consumers your brand reflects their lifestyle than to stock a category like rare books, that’s ignored by other brands in Shein’s price bracket?

Fast Fashion Retailers Do “Lifestyle” Now

Shein is not the first-fast fashion retailer to offer a more diverse product mix. Retailers that are historically value-conscious, like fast-fashion retailers, caught on that adding categories can help them attract consumers beyond their usual value-conscious base back in the early aughts. In fact, H&M and Zara have been on the expansion track since the early 2000s, whereas Chinese retailers Temu and Shein only recently followed suit.

H&M

Home goods were once relegated to luxury and mid-market sectors. But millennials are all grown up and, guess what? We still can’t afford an $85 towel. Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M caught onto this disparity, branching out into home goods under the banner of democratizing categories that were once reserved for the wealthy. Now H&M is soft launching H&M Beauty with clean, often vegan cosmetics, self-care, and hair products that haven’t been subjected to animal testing.

Why?

H&M says their expansion into beauty is a natural step given their brand positioning. “Our positioning is not about exclusivity,” H&M beauty global general manager, Cathrine Wigzell, told The Times of India, “but about making high-quality, fashion-forward beauty available to everyone.”

Zara

Zara was one of the first-fast fashion retailers to diversify its offerings, expanding into homeware with its Zara Home line back in the early 2000s. However, in 2021, the retailer launched Zara Beauty and recently launched a Zara Hair line in collaboration with the division’s new creative director, Guido Palau. Zara even has its toes in the experiential retail pond with Zacaffé, an in-store café concept.

Why?

Zara branched out into home goods for similar reasons as H&M, there was a market for low-cost home goods, and they wanted to keep their millennial consumer base, which was spending less on apparel when tariffs first hit. But Zara’s foray into hair care with its private label line truly set them apart. While H&M and Zara compete for value consumers’ beauty spend, H&M is quickly gaining a monopoly on hair with its own low-cost, celebrity stylist-affiliated haircare line.

Brand Building Through Product Assortments

The Shein-Alibris partnership points to a greater retail trend: product assortments as a branding move. As consumers navigate economic uncertainty, there’s a strong chance that apparel will take another hit. But people will always spend on their hobbies and interests, whether it’s the escapism afforded by a rare Russian novel from Shein, or the fortifying power of a cruelty-free Zara lip gloss with a strong punch of color.

A final word of caution: Think of branching out into new categories as a branding move. Retailers that look for a lifestyle fit as profit potential will be best positioned for long-term success.

Creeping Out Customers Is the New Normal

Jasmine Glasheen — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 05:01:00 +0000

Until recently, the concept of trusted household name brands like Heinz, Columbia, and Burger King using creep-out marketing tactics was unfathomable. But it’s 2025 and, like most things the old guard said would never come to pass, we’re seeing legacy brands dip their toes in subversive waters once relegated to campaigns from niche startups. From Heinz ketchup’s macabre take on the old milk mustache trope featuring Joker-like “Heinz Smiles” to Gushers “Fruithead” video series, we’re seeing an unprecedented level of subversive and scary brand marketing.

Let’s look at the factors driving retail’s shift to the macabre, the brands doing it right, and how to roll out creepy marketing without alienating your consumer base.

Generation Z seeks out unpolished emotional experiences from brands, but the same subversive societal critiques that pique next gen’s interest may alienate traditional consumers.

A Shot of Adrenaline to Customers’ Wallets

Creep-out marketing tactics draw upon emotions that cut through the noise of the oversaturated retail landscape. This year, brands realized that there’s sound psychology behind creep-out marketing, which is why brands we’d never expect are now taking big risks with creepy visuals that would’ve alienated our predecessors. I recently covered the overwhelm next gens face when they encounter overstimulating physical and digital retail spaces and how low-stimuli spaces can help next gens feel comfortable in stores. Creep-out marketing cuts through overwhelm in a different way: by stimulating consumers’ emotions.

Have you ever heard the saying “no publicity is bad publicity?” This theory may no longer have legs in light of today’s political unrest. But could this theory hold true in terms of evoking consumer emotion? Is no emotion a bad emotion when it comes to evoking consumers’ intent to purchase? People don’t forget what makes them feel, whether it’s through tender moments or making them fear for their lives for a split second. The Harvard Business Review described our attraction to horror themes, saying, “Exposure to terrifying acts, or even the anticipation of those acts, can stimulate us (. . .) Fright can trigger the release of adrenaline, resulting in heightened sensations and surging energy.”

And brands are catching on. Unsettling ads permeated every aesthetically driven retail sector in 2025, from fashion, skincare and food to software solutions, consumer packaged goods and the resurgence of wrought iron in home décor.

The Goth Aesthetic Reigns Again

Fashion responds to the zeitgeist of the times, and creep-out marketing is emerging in a time when gothic fashion is coming back with a bang, reflecting society’s reaction to an imbalanced economy and political unrest. The goth aesthetic emerged on the tail end of a period of unemployment and economic uncertainty in the late 70s in Britain, when youth turned to a dark aesthetic to express their inner turmoil. The 2007-2009 recession brought new life to goth fashion; black clothing and smudged eye makeup became the norm.

Last year, Vogue said it’s “Showtime for the Goth Revival.” This year, Coveteur asked why beauty has become so unsettling. Many journalists point to the goth aesthetic as a recession indicator. While the correlation is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, parallels abound between the current economic and political climates and those preceding past crises. Perhaps most notably, financial Reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin spoke to Vanity Fair about the parallels between the economy in 1929 before the Great Depression and the global financial climate today. Once again, consumers are aesthetically and emotionally drawn to the macabre and smart brands across verticals are already heeding the call.

What could be more indicative of the Gothic revival than its influence on CPG goods and software? Enter the Halloween-themed “Fruithead” horror film from Gushers and Yahoo Mail’s “Reply All Is Scary” ad. Even sportswear brands like Columbia are taking a walk on the dark side. As part of its “engineered for whatever” campaign, Columbia came out with a Death Wishes line with a “Last Will and Testament” sewn into each piece. The cheeky slogan of “Columbia makes its gear so tough it could outlive you” and a Grim Reaper character, @Reaper_1938 on TikTok and Instagram, topped off the campaign.

Creep-Out Marketing Cuts Through Conformity

Generation Z seeks out unpolished emotional experiences from brands, but the same subversive societal critiques that pique next gen’s interest may alienate traditional consumers. Take this ad called “Periodic Fable” from millennial skincare brand, The Ordinary. While some say the ad responds to the perfectionism of the beauty industry, others maintain that it critiques buzzy skincare lines that don’t perform as promised. The actors in the ad uniformly tap their strangely contorted faces as they repeat skincare buzzwords in tandem. But this creepy ad, created in partnership with Uncommon Creative Studio has inspired discussion way beyond the Halloween ad push.

The creep-out trend is a sharp departure from the days when brands simply hired attractive celebrities to apply their products in slow motion outdoors. Together with the goth revival, creep-out marketing tactics will continue in 2026. However, just like there are numerous subversive subcultures that fall under the goth umbrella: steampunk, cybergoth, gothabilly––brands using creep-out marketing tactics will need to find the unique approach that resonates with their customer base.

There’s a disparity in how consumers respond to creepy tropes, with younger audiences (18-24) responding most favorably to horror tropes. Consumer data is brands’ guiding star when determining whether creep-out marketing initiatives will resonate with their customers. Brands with a significant segment of mature consumers might opt for the more kitsch side of creepy, like Columbia’s “Grim Reaper” character. Others will aim to mesmerize consumers with an eerie horror art film they’ll never forget, à la The Ordinary. Overstimulated customers need a strong sensory reboot, and creep-out marketing provides them with just that. So, going into 2026, there’s no question about it: from apparel to software and CPG, something wicked this way comes.

Urban Outfitters’ New Store Design Is Far from the Mark

Jasmine Glasheen — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 05:01:00 +0000

Urban Outfitters is launching a new store experience—one they insist is driven by “customer insight and market preferences.” Walk in and the whole thing feels less like a modern retail vision and more like a 90s Limited Too reboot that nobody asked for. By year-end, Urban plans to open three of these new stores, with seven more coming in 2026. But instead of winning Gen Z over, the redesign risks pushing them further away.

In the revamp, Urban is expanding the footprints of its in-house brands—BDG, Out from Under, and Standard Cloth—calling them “outfitting essentials.” The problem? Gen Z is already skeptical of UO’s in-house labels, and many of these shoppers say the prices don’t match the quality. Choosing to spotlight more high-priced, low-durability private-label clothing while ignoring the iconic name-brand staples—like Levis and Polaroid—that built Urban’s original credibility just widens the gap.

Then there’s the store layout. Urban calls their new modular fixtures “responsive,” designed to shift with trends and seasons. But the setup looks like a discount trade show floor: temporary, flimsy, and anything but premium. For a generation that values authenticity and thoughtful design, this reads as yet another attempt to chase vibes instead of creating an authentically desirable product.

About the “brighter, more spacious fitting rooms,” Urban brags, “enhanced experience.” Gen Z says sensory overload. Here’s the deal: Urban Outfitters claims they’re listening to consumers. But if they truly want to reconnect and improve, the answer might be simpler: Bring back the real staples. Bring back the brands. Bring back the Levis.

Who Is Becca Bloom?

Jasmine Glasheen — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 05:01:00 +0000

“Becca Bloom” by Rubyzinner, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license, via Wikimedia Commons.

Fashion designers aim to answer the question of “what does the world need right now?” Now it’s the social media universe that has answered this searing question in the form of the 27-year-old queen of #richtok, Becca Bloom. Critics say that Bloom’s lavish lifestyle and opulent wardrobe make her the “Marie Antoinette of the Digital Age.” Nonetheless, with 4.8 million followers on TikTok and 2.7 million on Instagram, Bloom is piquing Gen Z’s genuine interest in luxury brands.

Bloom’s social media feeds share access to topics normally relegated to the insider knowledge of the privileged few. In so doing, Bloom makes her lavish lifestyle feel motivational for her millions of followers.

Who Is Becca Bloom?

Becca Bloom, real name Rebecca Ma, is blowing up memes in a time where there’s contradictory discourse around nepotism in every field. Bloom grew up in Atherton, California, a small Bay Area town that also boasts the most expensive zip code in the country. Her parents met working at IBM in Silicon Valley and, together, they founded Camelot Information Systems, a China-based technology company.

Becca achieved her success skipping the rags-to-riches story and therein lies a lesson for luxury retailers. The fact that there’s nothing faux riche about Ma is a selling point for many of her followers who decry the in-your-face aesthetic common among luxury influencers on social media. Bloom’s followers appreciate that she wears luxury fashion like old money because she is the modern version of old money (granted, that’s old money, first-generation style). Modern, self-made wealth has a different persona in 2025: Becca’s day job in finance technology and the way she presents STEM and finance information to her followers set her apart as a luxury icon.

How is Bloom redefining fame and luxury for Gen Z, and why is her authenticity more important than relatability in the modern luxury landscape?

Quiet Luxury’s Replacement

Quiet luxury is officially over; consider Becca Bloom’s success its death rattle. Next gens don’t think about the aged faces of established fashion houses like Donatella Versace, Giorgio Armani or Karl Lagerfeld when they think of luxury. They’d be mortified by the logomania trend of the early 2010s. Performatively flaunting wealth feels toxic amid the uncertainties of today’s world and next gen’s obsession with authenticity. And the Succession-inspired quiet luxury movement that let logo-free designers like Bruno Cuccinelli and Tom Ford take center stage? Not in 2025. So, if next-gen luxury isn’t flaunting wealth or hiding it, what will replace quiet luxury?

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal shows Bloom assembling chef-prepared quail eggs on a Versace platter for her Scottish Fold cat named Oscar. So, it’s safe to surmise that keeping her wealth under wraps isn’t exactly a concern of Bloom’s. But the difference between Bloom and maximalist luxury influencers like Miiadio is that Bloom wears her wealth naturally. Bloom wears luxury like she was born in it because she was. Her take on luxury is not at all low-key, but it is creative, inspiring, and intentional.

Making Luxury “Relatable”

Bloom was born into her parents’ self-made wealth. That security net may have given her an added confidence boost to begin founding companies when she was still in high school: Studipal, a peer-to-peer tutoring platform, and Hearth Wireless Chargers. Her luxury lifestyle may not be relatable to most of her followers, but she gives them access to her lifestyle and the aesthetic discernment that comes with it. Bloom’s success is a lesson for luxury retailers trying to attract next gen spend; taste as an influencer can be monetized

But it’s not just the insider knowledge of how to dress with natural luxury style that attracts Bloom’s followers. Similar to how she gives her followers access to her aesthetic on social media, she also gives them the financial advice to, ostensibly, help them achieve wealth of their own. Her lifelong involvement in tech and finance gives her firsthand experience of the gatekeeping that occurs within both industries. Men as gatekeepers to STEM and finance is a “pet peeve” of Bloom’s, so she regularly shares STEM and finance advice with her 90 percent female following.

The juxtaposition of financial advice alongside images of Bloom on sailboats wearing Van Cleef and Arpels carries the implicit message, “this could be your life too, if you do as I do.” While this isn’t going to be true for most of her followers, not born into wealth, her message of hope through aesthetics and brass-tacks financial management makes her feel like a successful older sister who is ready to divulge how she built a beautiful life moving up in male-dominated industries. Who wouldn’t tune in for that?

Intentional Luxury without the “Cringe” Factor

Bloom is selling luxury to Generation Z by sharing access. She does very few sponsored posts because she doesn’t have to, so there isn’t the cringe “add to cart” factor that we see with other luxury influencers. Bloom’s aesthetic is less about overt branding and more about confident quality, which feels refreshing in a time when the job market is uncertain and financial anxiety is at an all-time high. Bloom’s social media feeds share access to topics normally relegated to the insider knowledge of the privileged few. In so doing, Bloom makes her lavish lifestyle feel motivational for her millions of followers.

Bloom also dispels the notion that one needs a rags-to-riches story to be celebrated as modern success. Speaking authentically about her privileged upbringing and, more importantly, sharing access to her financial, STEM-focused, and aesthetic knowledge makes Bloom feel authentic even when she’s wearing $10,000 shoes. Her success proves that quiet luxury and maximalism are two sides of an outdated coin: Curation, access, and authenticity drive today’s luxury market.

The Oxymoron of Tech and Nostalgia

Jasmine Glasheen — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 04:01:00 +0000

Gen Z’s dream of the 90s is alive and well on social media. The fact that this version of the 90s gracing social never existed can be attributed to the ease of creating AI-generated movies with tools like Midjourney and DaVinci Resolve. Videos of seven-fingered, phoneless groups of friends sitting around bonfires to the tune of Blues Traveler’s “Runaround” may be fake, but their impact on nostalgia-driven purchasing behavior is anything but fictitious.

Consumers are deprioritizing retail authenticity and diving headfirst into escapism. A few extra fingers matter less to next gens than the emotional resonance of the video on their screens. The irony is that these videos are generated with deepfake technology that only recently became available, and it feels right on brand for 2025.

The Oxymoron of Tech and Nostalgia

Gen Z’s desire for nostalgia can be attributed to the rise of technology. Here’s a reality check: The lens of digital nativity that we once used to describe next gen purchasing behavior doesn’t have legs. We now know that there are no “digital natives.” Next gens have never experienced a world without tech, but human brains aren’t wired for constant connectivity. So, the accelerated demands of new technology feel as foreign and oppressive to Gen Z as they do to older generations. The 90s came before cell phones, which made us forever on call to everyone we know, and now there is a new trend of video content centered around their absence that is blowing up social media. Escapism is back. Online creators using AI to generate deepfakes have next gen consumers nostalgic for a fictitious 90s ideal, which has very real implications for the retail industry.

AI Tools Bring Good Vibes

A low-tech life feels idyllic to many chronically overstimulated next gens. A wide range of nostalgia-based accounts are popping up on Instagram and TikTok, promoting fake historical content to hundreds of thousands of followers. That creators need to create AI-generated videos of an ideal 90s to bring positive energy to their followers in 2025 speaks to the state of our culture. On a different note, AI-generated deepfakes have made headlines recently for nefarious reasons. The potential for widespread misinformation took form when TikTok creators used AI to generate misinformation about Alligator Alcatraz and other hot-button political topics.

And then we often hear about TikTok influencers earning an “average” salary of $131,874, but the average is skewed by those top creators making millions of dollars. Most creators earn under $15,000 on TikTok each year and have hefty aspirations of higher earnings. Producing AI-generated, idyllic 90s content in Midjourney and using Photoshop to clean up the glitches can fast-track content creators’ monetization capabilities; they don’t need a script or real actors. Just dream of the 90s, get a computer, and a fanbase is ready to consume these videos.

Escapist Marketing

Escapist marketing always comes to the forefront in uncertain times. Phys Org defines escapist marketing as “a strategy that creates emotionally immersive experiences to help consumers temporarily escape from reality, often through fantasy, nostalgia or idealized lifestyles.” And today’s customers aren’t escaping into the present or the past; rather, a large language learning model’s idea of what the past could have been.

There’s a reason the LA Times just asked if culture peaked in 1997. Consumers are shouting “retail overwhelm” from the rafters, and the AI-generated nostalgia accounts they follow on TikTok show us that this isn’t just lip service: Consumer attention goes where serenity flows and to find it, our futuristic tools are looking to the past. Consumer nostalgia is also evident in luxury. Look at how Burberry is calling upon Blockbuster romcoms of yesteryear with its seven-part “London in Love” video series featuring Kate Winslet. Or the Gucci Continuum video series, an ongoing “circular narrative” of interviews and digital art collages that hit home for anyone who lived through the Clinton administration.

Making Margins of Our New Shared Past

AI-generated 90s nostalgia is rooted in longing. While the AI-generated cheerful weekend bonfires on Instagram and TikTok never happened, the emotional resonance they have with next gen consumers is real. Creators have tapped into a zeitgeist that retailers have barely scratched the surface. Take away the demands that connectivity places on customers to be on call 24/7, and they will seek out low-stim joy making themselves at home on retailers’ social media pages, immersing themselves in retailers’ online catalogs, and visiting their physical stores.

Consumers are shifting and deprioritizing 2025 retail authenticity by diving headfirst into escapism. A few extra fingers matter less to next gens than the emotional resonance of the video on their screens. The irony is that these videos are generated with deepfake technology that only recently became available, and it feels right on brand for 2025.

However, if AI tools can fabricate a shared history that soothes next gens into spending with creators, imagine what brands and retailers could do if they took the time to reach customers on a human level. We’re already seeing this in nearly every retail vertical. Even Ikea Norway recently launched a “Made for Life” video series featuring people quietly exploring life’s challenges in well-designed, Ikea-furnished settings. The 90s may not have lived up to the hype, but low stimuli, nostalgic advertising is the next retail marketing bandwagon. Retailers need to adapt their messaging to meet the nostalgic, low-tech demands of our time – even if they get there through using advanced technology.