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

Dominic Cadogan is the former editor of Dazed Beauty, previously holding titles at 

, and is a founding member of System Beauty. They are currently a freelance fashion and beauty journalist writing for publications including 

, Just Smile, and 10 Magazine and collaborating with brands including Chanel Beauty, MCM, Mercedez-Benz, and Valentino Beauty. 

United States

Fashion and Style

Communications

Similarweb

Wall Street Journal

PR Newswire

Statista

Forbes

Marketing Dive

The Pill Outdoor

Dazed Digital

Wired

Interview with Dominic Cadogan conducted by the author

LinkedIn

In a world where athleisure wear is booming, it’s increasingly hard to stand out from the crowd. How can a brand make practical and functional garments exciting? Look no further than Pit Viper, who seamlessly blend internet nostalgia aesthetics with sharp-witted humor to sell their apparel.