By 2024, the erosion of democratic institutions will be palpable, particularly in Western countries, where rising autocracies fill governance gaps. This period will see the continued fragmentation of the regional world, with power shifting away from Western-centric globalism to multi-regional authorities. Consumers, disillusioned by democracy’s decline, will turn inward, seeking refuge in smaller, decentralised online communities, a trend known as Post-Internet Fatigue​.

As AI-driven innovation saturates society, AI boredom will set in, adding to the Exhaustion Culture consumers are undergoing since 2024. People will begin to reject the blending-aspect and commodification of creativity by machines, favouring failures and human-centred, artisanal products and services that prioritise a raw and feral authenticity over efficiency​. Coupled with the Post-Internet trend, users will abandon centralised digital platforms (like social media) in favour of decentralised, private spaces that offer more genuine interactions​. Expect brands to shift their focus from mass engagement to micro-community building, tapping into the rising desire for digital-free, intentional living.

Fashion market will see a rise of both challenger brands and contrarian marketing strategies repositioning some key players in the luxury and sportswear market. Meanwhile, by 2026, fashion brands will increasingly embrace cultural subversion and affirmation, rejecting Western luxury codes and opting for aesthetics that reflect polarised politics. This will coincide with the rise of the Middle East as a cultural powerhouse while Western countries will embrace the Decorp Culture macro-trend, which will redefine brand communications​​.

Decorp Culture refers to the deliberate rejection of traditional corporate values, particularly those rooted in Western ideals of status and success. As institutions like employment and education become increasingly inaccessible, consumers—especially younger generations—are subverting corporate aesthetics and norms. This manifests in fashion through the reappropriation of workwear and tailoring, blending these once formal codes with alternative, anti-establishment cultural expressions. Decorp Culture challenges the unattainable ideals of achievement, embracing a more pragmatic and subversive approach to identity, wellbeing and success.

With the decline of democracies and the rise of protectionist and nationalist policies, a certain romantic throwback to traditional and past cultural narratives and their archetypes will emerge, from Tradwives to Grandpacore and Catholicore, as consumers seek stability and self-assertion by reclaiming a sometimes conservative aesthetic or definition of family, home and leisure. As older generations search for new purposes in post-career life, younger consumers may romanticise the past, adopting re-imagined aesthetics of domesticity and tradition.

In response to the decline of traditional democracies, Autocracy Appetite will grow. Populations disillusioned with liberal inefficiencies will embrace safety and order over personal freedoms​. This will shape new consumption habits where brands tap into a Safety Culture, offering products that emphasise protection, stability, and long-term security—mirroring the rise of gated communities and localism​. As a demographic shift is expected with Boomers outnumbering younger generations, this growing older population will demand products that focus on long-term security and stability, reinforcing the Safety Culture trend.

The post-growth era will begin to take hold by 2027 as economies, unable to sustain previous levels of expansion, transition to stagflation-focused, slow-growth models​. Statutory Frugality—where frugality is no longer a choice but a social and economic necessity—will dominate consumer behaviour, giving birth to multiple counter-trends and new indulgent cultures where abundance is redefined. Consumers will seek experiences that maximise joy within ecological constraints. This period will see luxury brands innovate to cater to consumers who embrace Frugal Hedonism: seeking joy in minimalism, localism, and ethical indulgence through gated communities​​.

As Statutory Frugality and Frugal Hedonism rise, promoting minimalism and ecological living, a counter-trend of Hyper-Individualistic Hedonism will emerge. Consumers who reject frugality will indulge in conspicuous consumption, openly celebrating wealth, opulence, and personal pleasure. Luxury brands may cater to this group with extravagant, over-the-top experiences, emphasising the freedom to consume and celebrate wealth in opposition to societal pressures for restraint.

By 2031, True Rage will erupt as younger generations confront the failures of both capitalism and democracy as techno-feudalism gains influence. Disillusionment with government systems, corporate greed, and climate inaction will fuel decentralised, grassroots movements aiming to dismantle entrenched power structures​. Brands aligning with these causes—or risking irrelevance—will need to embrace activism as part of their identity. Subverted Activism will become a cultural force, where encrypted communications and underground networks foster a new era of rebellious, eco-driven dissent​.

By 2040, Spirited Tech—where technology intersects with alternative spiritualities—will reshape human relationships with machines and the environment​. Techno-paganism, a blending of ancient symbols with cybernetic enhancements, will drive new forms of body art, fashion, and personal identity. Post-species innovation will redefine luxury and sustainability, as humans begin to manipulate biology to create hybrid organisms and biotechnological symbiosis​​.