Punk isn’t dead – it’s just gone posh. Following a wildly popular pop-up boutique, celebrity piercer Maria Tash has been invited back to department store Liberty for good. Her permanent piercing studio brings counter-culture aesthetics to London’s high fashion crowd.

Socks have traditionally been treated as a dull yet necessary purchase, often received reluctantly at Christmas. But with US shoppers spending over $2.8 billion on men’s socks in 2013, they’re now seen as cool, partly thanks to start-up Stance. How has a sock brand revolutionised the mundane?

Amid growing health-consciousness and shifting dress codes at work, activewear is now everywhere. Yet the garments produced by the likes of Nike and Under Armour don’t cut it for many luxury shoppers. What’s the appeal of premium sports apparel for these discerning consumers?

Brits are spending like the recession never ended. But while the purse strings have tightened when it comes to necessities like groceries, products that promise aesthetic perfection are enjoying huge growth. Why do skint 20-somethings feel the need to look good when times are hard?