Joey Levenson is a writer and editor with a wealth of experience across art and culture. This includes working on the editorial team for 

 as well as freelance political and economic journalism for 

. They have conducted countless interviews and have shared their expertise on aesthetic trends with the likes of Facebook, Adobe, and Squarespace.

In a hyper-connected world, it feels like everything previously ‘insider’ is more available than ever: from behind-the-scenes access to the lives of public figures to travel experiences immersing people into worlds previously deemed unattainable. But while people embrace this community-based inclusivity and unprecedented access to their icons, they still yearn for touches of exclusivity to define their status.

As the age-old understanding of exclusivity is eroded, people are redefining status for themselves using a broad range of factors beyond solely economic ones. This new iteration of status is often based around increasingly niche and local signifiers – from luxury dupes to the rise of members clubs and closed-community spaces based on shared interests. Status is becoming a mode of belonging and connection with like-minded people.

People are erecting walls of their exclusive communities, relying on more subtle markers of identity. This is apparent with middle-class people fetishising working-class aesthetics, athletes turning to niche sports like padel, and social media groups organising around niche interests – spawning companies. As status-defined micro-trends on social media accelerate, brands face a challenge to keep up. If previously certain legacy items were automatically associated with exclusivity, now people are much more trusting of the UGC-defined vision of what status means. More than ever, speed, knowledge, inventiveness, and being plugged into the community determine what – and who – is in.

Insider Status

Obi Anyanwu is a New York City-based fashion journalist and photographer who has reported on menswear, the fashion industry, and the modern male lifestyle for over a decade. He founded and operates Daydreams Come True, a creative marketing and brand development company and consultancy. He most recently served as men’s reporter at Women’s Wear Daily, contributed to fashion marketing publication The Impression and international fashion trade website FashionNetwork.com, and has written for websites like Complex.com, Sneaker Report, Capsule Show, Infinite Legroom, Selectism.com, and Details.com.

United States

Fashion and Style

Luxury

Interview with Obi Anyanwu conducted by author

Business of Fashion

Harper’s Bazaar

Statista

Glossy

OnlineDasher

Smartly

Harper Bazaar’s

PRMoment

Fast Company

Rolling Stone

Forbes

Thanks to social media trends and pop culture moments, ‘quiet luxury’ and ‘stealth wealth’ aesthetics are making a fashionable comeback. Brands such as Rowing Blazers are reimagining these style codes for younger, nostalgic Gen Zers, making aspirational wealth more accessible in fashion.