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.

Navigating reality has become an almost constant shock to the system. With the ongoing cost of living crisis, wars, political polarisation, and global environmental issues, life’s stresses are becoming increasingly difficult to escape. With individuals and collectives in a perpetual state of disturbance, peop...

People are craving comfort. Amid what can feel like a state of constant crisis – a layering of traumatic societal events – it can sometimes seem like we’ve lost a sense of scale and cohesion. In the face of this, the desire to retreat into nostalgia is more seductive than ever.

The self-made mythos is as powerful as ever, despite societal upheaval testing its limits. Even mundane pastimes have been monetised as people cash in on massive audiences and leave no niche unexplored. Selling out is no longer a source of embarrassment, it’s just what makes the world go round.

E-commerce platform Taobao is a go-to for young Chinese shoppers. But following the release of the Chinese government’s five year plan to develop the ‘silver economy’, it’s modifying its approach to improve its accessibility and usability for the country’s growing elderly population.

Chinese youth are embracing a trend of becoming 'full-time children,' moving back in with parents to achieve work-life balance. Social media – particularly Xiaohongshu – has become an outlet to express frustrations with traditional norms and prompt reevaluation of life goals with a focus on balance.

In contrast to quiet quitting, resignation parties have become a new spectacle online in China. Borrowing from the tacky and nostalgic aesthetics of Chinese corporate culture, these parties demonstrate next-level irony that underscores how younger generations aren't taking themselves too seriously.

China’s top developers face scorn from the nation as they file for corporate default, leaving homeowners-to-be far from the promised land. As the Chinese youth are caught between a housing crisis and long-standing expectations of home ownership, they have resorted to living in ‘refined poverty.’