Whereas 2023 and early 2024 were dominated by “core culture”, the way trends move and develop has shifted, Makoni said. “As a culture, as things start to proliferate, we get sick of it. We’re almost in this wave of the algorithm where there is no longer ‘core’ energy, but there’s just your algorithm.” This is more dangerous from a consumer perspective, she added, as they instead look to replicate whatever full look is on their feed. “When we think about copy-paste culture, Gen Z has been trained, like the Pavlov’s Dogs study, to look at something and want to capture the whole image and then consume it. Because that’s what algorithms are.” This is, in part, why Johnson is on an anti-trends kick. “There are so many products out there in the world that the consumer doesn’t have to necessarily abide by what capital F fashion says is the trend,” he said.

On the design side, Bonvicini judges trends by their frequency. Quiet luxury, the panellists agree, has stayed the course. Though it was Bonvicini’s loud designs that got her noticed on social media in her brand’s early days, as she and her label have grown and matured, she’s remerchandised to be more minimal. And while she doesn’t consciously lean into trends (which has always been the case), designers have similar reference points. Only now, online, it’s heightened. “Five designers can put out polka dots in the same season and none of them can be looking at each other,” she said. “It just is an energy of us reflecting and referencing the same thing.”

To break through the noise, the panellists — consumers and designers — are looking to physical spaces. And online, Substack emerged as a standout tool for its expert insights and lack of algorithmic influence, as users sign up for the content they’re interested in. “I do think it is the future of shopping, and I think the brands that are tapping into it early are going to be in a different place in the brands that are not,” Johnson said. Will EB Denim get on Substack? “I will now,” Bonvicini laughed.

How AI will change shopping

Corey Moran, head of industry, luxury and fashion at Google, joined Milnes to discuss how AI will transform shopping. He was quick to point out that, despite the buzz, AI tech remains nascent, and brands and companies are still figuring it out.