The trend cycle is shorter than ever: how can brands keep up?

Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes… or in Rishi Sunak’s case, walk a mile in his Adidas Sambas. Adidas Sambas, once sported by It-girl Bella Hadid and instrumental in popularising the ‘bloke-core’ trend on TikTok, have attained widespread appeal. The Evening Standard called them as common as rats in London — you’re never more than six feet away from a pair. Even with their uncontrollable appeal, the recent public mocking around the PM slipping on a pair and his light-hearted apology highlights how a shoe can go from a must-have to a meme-able joke.

‘Core-this’ and ‘Core-that’ have complemented a rise in subgenres of micro-trends ranging from tomato girl summer to bow-ification, to the mob wife trend, to office siren and preppy-core. Seasonal dressing has embraced aesthetic community-led direction, particularly on TikTok. In a departure from cultural buy-ins that spread over aesthetic to ideology, we’re in a unique position to be able to channel simple ways to tap into trends that accessorize your personal style, rather than overshadow. TikTokers dominate these spaces through styling and tutorials on how to achieve looks. Brands have hopped in on this as a way to present their latest range of offerings on social, in copy, patterns and product lines … tied up in a ‘core’.

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