For luxury fashion brands that have long relied on their prestige and exclusivity to court new customers, change is afoot. As they face up to a pandemic-induced recession and young shoppers who are digitally-savvy and socially conscious, how are they adapting to earn and maintain loyalty?

Following Cardi B’s record-breaking and much-talked-about single ‘WAP’, the singer has launched a line of tongue-in-cheek waterproof merch. The collection gives Gen Zers the chance to nab unique products while also allowing fans to signal their support for Cardi B amid contentious backlash.

From Run-DMC’s ‘My Adidas’ to Migos’ ‘Versace’, hip hop has a long-standing relationship with fashion. But where rappers once vied to get recognition from haute couture houses, today it’s the labels that are doing the courting. How are luxury brands tapping the cultural cachet of rap royalty?

With fashionistas favouring utility and novelty over the flashiness of yesteryear, it would seem that days of the ‘It bag’ are over. What does the popularity of micro bags, convertible totes, and tech-enhanced backpacks reveal about people’s changing expectations of this everyday accessory?