- With the success of NikeSkims, brands like Abercrombie, Staud, Old Navy, and Urban Outfitters are expanding their activewear lines. Urban Outfitters' Bec line, designed for Gen Z’s lifestyle, has gained traction, particularly with the Bec Skort, which repeatedly sold out and spiked “skort” searches by 75%. Meanwhile, Urban Outfitters is also tapping into nostalgia with sweat skirts, while collaborations like UO x Hanes and Fila x Hailey Bieber continue to push stylish comfort. Hollister is also leveraging Gen Z influence by partnering with Spencer Barbosa on a size-inclusive swimwear line.
- Still Here and Levi’s are fueling the rise of buckle-waist and low-rise baggy denim, while Gap’s ultra-baggy striped pants are trending on TikTok. Levi’s CEO aims to increase women’s share of sales by expanding beyond jeans, though their non-denim offerings have yet to make a major impact. Meanwhile, vintage denim remains a hot commodity, with Urban Outfitters selling vintage Gap jeans at a premium. Distressed and ultra-worn-out fashion is also taking over, with brands like Sumshitifound and Moth Food making heavily thrashed clothing a sought-after aesthetic.
- Shorts-over-tights, a signature Alexa Chung and Sienna Miller look from the 2000s, is making a comeback with Gen Z icons like Bella Hadid and Sydney Sweeney. Diesel is experiencing a full-fledged revival under Glenn Martens, using oversized silhouettes, vintage washes, and unconventional marketing (including Diesel-branded condoms and 12-hour raves) to attract younger consumers. However, ultra-low-rise jeans remain controversial, with many reluctant to embrace the return of visible plumber’s cracks. Meanwhile, oversized t-shirt dresses, reminiscent of early 2000s streetwear, may be the next major silhouette shift after years of baby tees dominating the market.
- Launched on February 21, The Glow House has already gained 1.2 million followers, despite revealing only six of its 14 members so far. Managed by L.A.-based talent agency Tiddle (which represents Sol de Janeiro, Bloom, and White Fox), the house is still accepting applications and will fully roll out content on April 10. Positioned as a next-gen beauty collab house, Glow House is leveraging TikTok-driven anticipation with a staggered member reveal strategy, mirroring the hype-building techniques of past influencer collectives.
- Starface, best known for its viral pimple patches, has expanded into skincare with a salicylic acid cleanser designed to make washing your face feel fun for its largely Gen Alpha audience. Meanwhile, the constant flow of viral lip balm launches from brands like Starface, Summer Fridays, Rhode, and Glossier suggests a shift from the traditional “Lipstick Index” to what’s being called the “Lip Balm Economy.” The psychological appeal of small indulgences remains strong in uncertain times, with people justifying splurges like $32 lip balms that are mostly Vaseline.
- Taylor Swift’s signature red lipstick, long rumored to be Pat McGrath’s MatteTrance in Elson, now has a matching nail polish in a bizarre collab with Candy Crush, complete with a real-life treasure hunt for diamond-encrusted rings. LoveShackFancy’s first hair accessories collection (in collaboration with Wet Brush and Goody) sold out almost immediately. Sexy compact mirrors from Rhode, Merit, and Refy are becoming status symbols, with Google searches for them up 70% year-over-year. Meanwhile, the butterfly haircut and hair crimping—both Y2K staples—are making a strong comeback, with Chet Lo bringing crimped hair back to the runway at London Fashion Week.
- With their sleek, candy-colored glass packaging and high-end scents, Touchland’s mists are more of a collectible than a hygiene product for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Kids are trading and displaying them like past generations did with Pokémon cards and Bonne Bell lip smackers, with limited-edition releases (like the Hello Kitty collab) driving intense demand. Some schools have even had to limit how many bottles students can have at their desks. Despite launching in the U.S. in 2018, Touchland’s popularity surged post-pandemic, with revenue jumping from $15.9 million in 2022 to over $100 million in 2024.
- Unlike traditional gels, Touchland’s mist format prevents spills, making it backpack-friendly. The brand also hired luxury fragrance house Givaudan (known for working with Dior, Marc Jacobs, and Tom Ford) to craft its scents, elevating hand sanitizer into a premium product. Fans love that it “doesn’t smell like sanitizer,” and the limited-run collaborations and exclusive scents add to the brand’s desirability. At Sephora, it’s become an easy add-on purchase, and collectors seek out rare editions, sometimes trading five regular bottles for one exclusive release.
- The brand recently launched a $20 body mist line inspired by its most popular scents, a move influenced by its young fanbase. The body-mist market, valued at over $7 billion, is booming on TikTok, with 11 million weekly views. Touchland’s pricing aligns with higher-end fragrance brands like Phlur and Sol de Janeiro rather than more affordable options like Bath & Body Works. With tweens and teens fueling the demand, Touchland has successfully transformed personal hygiene into an aspirational beauty category.
- Reels has become synonymous with low-quality, cringeworthy, or unwanted content, with users applying the term as a pejorative beyond the platform itself. Many view the algorithm as chaotic, pushing random, bizarre, or engagement-farming videos that feel more like digital junk than entertainment. Unlike TikTok’s algorithm, which surfaces eerily relevant content, Reels delivers an incoherent mix of raw milk enthusiasts, anti-yoga conspiracy theories, and “boy mom” sentimentality—leaving users questioning why Instagram thinks they’d be interested.
- Reels doesn’t necessarily surface content people enjoy but rather videos with high view counts, regardless of whether they’re actually liked. This results in an overwhelming amount of repetitive, clickbait-style videos that tease a payoff that never comes. Even creators find the platform limiting—while Instagram boosts engagement on conventional beauty and fitness posts, more nuanced or creative content struggles to reach an audience. TikTok, by contrast, allows for greater organic discovery, making it feel like a more dynamic and supportive space for creators.
- Instagram’s early dominance among millennial women means its content ecosystem remains shaped by their tastes, leading to an overabundance of parenting advice, wellness hacks, and other lifestyle trends that feel increasingly uncool to younger users. The platform is often described as a “social media retirement home,” where aging influencers talk to each other while Gen Z moves on to TikTok. While Meta could improve Reels by curating better content, it seemingly lacks interest, leaving the platform to flounder as an uninspiring and awkward alternative to its competitors.
- The digital landscape continues its rapid expansion, with 5.56 billion internet users (67.9% penetration) and 5.24 billion social media user identities (63.9% of the global population). Mobile remains dominant, with 5.78 billion mobile phone users (70.5% penetration) and 87% of mobile handsets being smartphones. AI adoption is surging, with ChatGPT attracting up to 560 million unique visitors in a single month, while Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot continue to expand their reach. Consumers are also engaging more with mobile video content, which accounts for over 75% of all mobile data traffic, highlighting the increasing demand for short-form and streaming content.
- Internet penetration has surpassed traditional TV, with 5.56 billion online users compared to 5.32 billion TV viewers. While linear TV still represents 57% of total TV viewing time, younger audiences (16-24) now prefer streaming (51% share). Digital ad spend reached $1.1 trillion in 2024, now making up 72.7% of global ad investments, with social media ads seeing a 15% YoY increase. Notably, online retail advertising (e.g., Amazon ads) now commands 21.2% of total digital ad spend, nearly double its share from 2019. Search engines remain the top source for brand discovery (32.8%), followed closely by TV ads (32.3%) and word-of-mouth (29.7%), indicating a continued need for omnichannel marketing.
- Internet access is becoming faster and more accessible, with global median mobile data speeds increasing by 25% in the past year to 61.52 Mbps. AI integration in platforms like Google, Meta, and Microsoft is growing, but standalone AI tools remain dominant, with DeepSeek AI seeing a 100x increase in search interest in early 2025. AI-driven content is reshaping social media, customer interactions, and marketing strategies, with businesses increasingly relying on AI-powered tools for automation and content personalization. Despite this shift, email remains a key communication tool, with 75% of internet users engaging with email monthly, making it more widely used than online shopping or music streaming.
