Safa Arshadullah is a behavioural analyst at Canvas8 with a background in organisational studies and strategic communications. To her, exploring behavioural and cultural insights is a means of learning nuances to better foster equity and justice in the world. Outside of work, you can find her tinkering with her chai recipe, taking meandering walks in neighborhoods she’s never been to, or analysing one of the multiple TV series she’s watching.


People are craving comfort. Amid what can feel like a state of constant crisis – a layering of traumatic societal events – it can sometimes seem like we’ve lost a sense of scale and cohesion. In the face of this, the desire to retreat into nostalgia is more seductive than ever. 

Nostalgia Reimagined 

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

Gen Z (born 1997-2010)

Gen Y (born 1982-1996)

Gen Alpha (born 2011-present)

United States

Toys and hobbies

Clothing, footwear, and accessories

PUMA and plush toy brand Squishmallow have launched a line of ultra-soft footwear and apparel appealing to adults and kids alike. Brand collaborations like these highlight how people are finding comfort in subcultures that tap into their need for connection amidst turbulent times.