Melody is a writer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. With a background in international relations and media, Melody mostly writes about lifestyle, culture, and human interest. Some might say she’s all over the place, but really she’s just everywhere. Their pieces have covered anything from F&B, fashion, beauty, nightlife, and others; you can find her work on Vice and The Jakarta Post.

In today’s hyper-connected globe, the meaning of national identity is no longer rigid, and we’re seeing a dissolution of cultural borders as we travel through our devices. This shift in mentality is happening against a turbulent geopolitical backdrop as countries prioritise regional allies.

Border Reorder

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

Arvin Keisan (they/them) is a fashion design student who works freelance on their time off. Their work has always pulled a maximalist theme, focusing plenty on corsetry and couture techniques. Their passion in archival and high fashion pulls their attention to detail, drawing inspiration from Thierry Mugler, Charles James, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, and many others. Arvin is also largely inspired by campy queer media – from Hollywood starlets of an earlier era to contemporary pop stars, club kids, drag culture, and even showgirls.


China

Style

Luxury

M+ HK

West K

NetEase

South China Morning Post

CGTN

Statista

Interview with Arvin Keisan conducted by the author

Vogue Business

Channel News Asia

Reuters

East West Bank

Dragon Tail International

Edelman

Asian Review of Books

Accenture

PwC China

China’s first and only couturier acclaimed by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, Guo Pei embodies expressive Chinese luxury in her designs, adding depth to the flashy guochao trend. As these designs travel globally with Guo, Chinese fashion remains evergreen and inspired by her works.

Cultivate

Values and Identity

How Guo Pei turns China's history into high fashion