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, and status is becoming a mode of belonging and connection with like-minded people.

People are taking a patchwork approach to self-expression to feel like they have control over how their identity is generated. Yet as individual expression becomes more mutable and mistrust in social systems abounds, there’s one place above all that people are seeking integrity and guidance: brands.

A quick search online will yield dupes for just about anything. A cocktail of the ever-spinning trend cycle, mixed with financial instability that makes people want more for their money, has shifted the perception of dupes from uncool knock-offs to a way of sign-posting fashion savvy and finesse.

Dupes – skin and beauty products that perform near-identically to brand name mainstays and holy grails – are on the rise. Blogs and TikTokers help savvy consumers to get the effect they want without breaking the bank, meaning that brand names might struggle to maintain loyalty and keep up.

Brand loyalty as we know it is declining among Gen Z audiences as they renegotiate the terms of the business-customer relationship. While this generation has the capacity for some of the deepest bonds, brands will need to meet them where they are with a new set of priorities.

Reddit’s r/RepLadies community is challenging the cultural cachet attached to authentic luxury goods by discussing and trading counterfeit bags and clothes. They’re not doing so out of necessity or frugality, but rather because of a sense of alienation from high-end labels.