Having emerged from Tumblr and established a presence on TikTok, the cottagecore subculture has seen young Americans go online to post pastoral aesthetics and participate in activities that are more common in rural areas. But what exactly is driving Gen Z’s interest in quaint lifestyles?

CARLYs – younger Gen Zers who are known for going deep into the niches of meme culture and spending money they didn’t earn – are growing up in an uncertain world. What does this burgeoning group want from brands? And how will they change the game once they begin spending their own money?

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?

Though most of them weren’t alive to experience it first-hand, American Gen Zers are obsessed with ‘90s pop culture. Dumbgood is tapping into this ‘fauxstalgia’ with officially licensed streetwear featuring TV and film stills, turning its young customers into walking, talking, retro memes.