Lakeisha Goedluck is a writer who explores media and entertainment, fashion, and beauty through the lens of Black culture.

Diverse representation is an expectation, but as individuals no longer allow themselves to be defined in singular terms, there's mounting pressure on brands to understand and sensitively reflect how the intersections between race, gender, class, and ability impact people's everyday lives.

Collective Equity

When author Kyle Chayka explored 2010s minimalism in Longing for Less, a very different world existed. Today, a polycrisis-ridden and digitally saturated society finds people yearning for more. Whether you chalk it up to post-pandemic release or a general sense of impending doom, people are now looking for a new maximalism of feelings, dimensions, and possibilities to reinvigorate them and make their lives feel full.

While people are craving memorable, visceral, and immersive experiences, there's no longer a singular definition of what this might look like. Some are embracing maximalist hedonism through clubbing, extreme tourism, and different kinds of sensory overload, while others are tapping into more gentle, inward-looking, and contemplative experiences like listening bars and communal spas. It signals the emergence of the' Introvert Economy' of cosy, home-adjacent spaces and activities or seeking soothing and quasi-spiritual encounters through hobbies like birdwatching and forest bathing.

The desire for deeply captivating and emotionally engaging experiences extends beyond the physical world – social media, VR, AR, and even image-based interactions must now resonate to the same degree, creating truly memorable moments and environments.

In this consumer and cultural universe driven by exploration and immersion, the boundary between experiences and material goods continues to blur. We're less likely to see them as a dichotomy, as people are increasingly interested in experiential qualities of things and consuming commodified 'thing-like experiences'. This discovery-oriented mindset is opening up new avenues for fulfilment, gratification, and transformation.

Experience Hunters

Sorrel Holliday is the senior project director of global partnerships at NTS, a radio platform that hosts international events.

Joshua Chin is senior EU partnerships lead at Resident Advisor, an online music magazine and community platform specialising in electronic-music artists and events.

Global

United Kingdom

Travel and Leisure

Bars, pubs, and clubs

Music, radio, and podcasts

General food

Mixmag

Interview with Sorrel Holliday conducted by the author

Metro

Far Out Magazine

Interview with Joshua Chin conducted by the author

Public First

Afrotech

Days Like This Brunch saw a gap in the UK events market, providing a safe space for unbridled Black joy. Combining food, music, and alcohol, the events company hosts daytime and evening parties for the Black diaspora in multiple countries. Now large corporations want in on the action.