Meg Walters is a UK-based freelance writer who specialises in entertainment and pop culture. She has written for publications including 

, Refinery29, The Daily Beast, Vulture, and others. She specialises in covering how film and TV shift alongside larger cultural trends and generational culture gaps.

Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience. 

Personal Worlds

In a hyper-connected world, it feels like everything previously ‘insider’ is more available than ever: from behind-the-scenes access to the lives of public figures to travel experiences immersing people into worlds previously deemed unattainable. But while people embrace this community-based inclusivity and unprecedented access to their icons, they still yearn for touches of exclusivity to define their status.

As the age-old understanding of exclusivity is eroded, 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 – from luxury dupes to the rise of members clubs and closed-community spaces based on shared interests. Status is becoming a mode of belonging and connection with like-minded people.

People are erecting walls of their exclusive communities, relying on more subtle markers of identity. This is apparent with middle-class people fetishising working-class aesthetics, athletes turning to niche sports like padel, and social media groups organising around niche interests – spawning companies. As status-defined micro-trends on social media accelerate, brands face a challenge to keep up. If previously certain legacy items were automatically associated with exclusivity, now people are much more trusting of the UGC-defined vision of what status means. More than ever, speed, knowledge, inventiveness, and being plugged into the community determine what – and who – is in.

Insider Status

Rustin Yasavolian is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America and the CEO of Masina Diamonds, a family-owned jewellery store that opened in Atlanta in 1984, which specialises in engagement rings and custom-designed fine jewellery. 

recently named the shop the best in Atlanta for fine jewellery.

United Kingdom

Watches and jewellery

Amazon

Interview with Rustin Yasovolian conducted by the author

Elle

Fortune Business Insights

iNews

NatWest

Mintel

YouGov

Campaign

Statista

Kantar

Tatty Devine is a long-standing jewellery brand in the UK. Known for its outlandish, unusual designs and its all-female team, the brand stands out from the crowd by creating fun, pop culture-inspired pieces that appeal to young consumers. How did the brand become such an icon of personalisation?