News & Thinking

Snapshot Vol.8 Dinner parties, dating IRL and bringing the 2000s (Juicy) Couture back

  • News
News 16 Sep

This month: Lads are taking over as Britishcore breaks the US; But aren’t we moving away from the core and embracing the lore?; Gen Z continue to lead the print renaissance; Elon Musk helps Brazilians bypass the imposed ban on X; and how people are reacting to Trump’s claims on the recent presidential debate.

Source: Bon Appetit

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Lifestyle

Rafa has spotted that ‘dinner with strangers’ is peaking on Google Trends. The loneliness epidemic is driving Gen Z consumers to find a new era of shared spaces with food at the centre of their search for community. Timeleft, launched in 2020, has been on the scene for a while but is gradually gaining popularity with Millennials and Gen Zs through its unique goal: unite strangers over food. With consumers navigating an ever-changing social landscape ranging from dating apps and to the rise of platonic ‘marriages’, Timeleft aims to take away the pressure of first encounters and give the power to their users as to whether they want to find friends, lovers, or simply a great night of fun. & The Table, founded by Samantha Wolfson, follows a similar prospect, uniting 6 women to host or attend dinner parties. With a focus on providing women a comfortable space to enjoy each other’s company over great food, its new ‘Community Table’ service cultivates a more casual setting, allowing regular guests to skip the application process and host their own dinner parties of their dreams. This new wave of communal gathering has consumers excited to host and ‘break bread’ with strangers in hopes of making new connections.

Source: Abercrombie & Fitch

The early 2000s classic mall brands fashionable comeback 

Fashion

As a millennial, Marina is loving to see the revival of fashion brands that defined her tween years. While the renewed success of these retailers is largely down to their willingness to embrace change and evolve with a new generation of consumers, the resurgence of items like the babydoll top and polo shirts from the early ‘aughts are evoking a sense of nostalgia for the OG audiences. Starting with Abercrombie & Fitch which reported a 21% Q2 sales surge last week, making it the seventh straight quarter of gains and evidencing its seemingly unstoppable comeback. Saying goodbye to its previous exclusive, elitist image, Abercrombie is embracing diversity, inclusivity and authenticity by featuring a wide array of body types, ethnicities, and gender expressions in its advertising, plus partnering with micro-influencers like Mollie Campsie who showcase its products in real-life scenarios on TikTok and Instagram. With their namesake brand now thriving, a new impetus is being put on its subsidiary company, Hollister which is set on becoming a teen powerhouse brand this autumn. Last week, they announced plans to enlist more than 350 college student-athletes across 10+ sports to serve as ambassadors and share their Hollister game day outfits on social media. And with things starting to look promising for American Eagle and Limited Too staging its return after a 15-year hiatus – the momentum behind the comeback of classic teen mall retailers may only just be getting started.

Source: Ad Week

Modern meet-cute

Dating & Relationships

If you missed our 2024 trends report – young consumers are idealising romance that doesn’t involve the internet. More than a decade after the dawn of dating apps, we’re seeing the emergence of a new strain of meet-cute nostalgia. Tinder is already looking for ways to jump on this trend by reimagining classic rom-com meet cutes in their ‘It Starts with a Swipecampaign, plus the launch of their ‘SoleMates Run Clubs’ which aims to facilitate meet cutes and wellness. The belief in traditional, IRL romance is clearly alive and well, but how are young singles manufacturing said meet-cutes, you might ask? By embracing third spaces that provide a welcoming atmosphere for people to mingle and discover shared interests. According to Eventbrite’s first dating report titled Niche to Meet You – these are the top five trending third spaces for an in-person meet cute amongst young singles today:

  1. Coffee shops (55% Gen Z / 49% Millennials)
  2. Outdoors (44% Gen Z & Millennials)
  3. Bookstores (33% Gen Z / 32% Millennials)
  4. Music Venues (31% Gen Z / 27% Millennials)
  5. Libraries (30% Gen Z / 23% Millennials)

What’s on your mind?

Curious about trends? Want to know more about something we’ve spotted? Let us know! Be it for businesses or personal curiosity, we’re here to help!