The fauxstalgic longing for simpler, more joyful times characterised by a desire for less tech, lower stress and more meaning.
Nostalgia for past decades has increased significantly in the last five years according to a poll by You Gov with 45% and 57% saying life was better in the 1980s and 1990s respectively.
For Gen-Z customers, and the Gen Alphas entering the market after them, vintage clothes and nostalgic designs have become a way to have a point of difference in a trend-saturated world.
“What’s interesting now is that we have younger generations yearning for products and designs from an era that they’ve never directly experienced. It’s being labelled as ‘anemoia’: nostalgia for a time and place one has never known.”
Fiona Harkin, The Future Laboratory speaking to Vogue Australia, October 2024
Nostalgia also represents Gen Z’s search for something fun and comforting in response to the pressures of polarization and crisis fatigue: People are looking for something that makes them smile, with 53% saying they feel happy and 40% saying they feel comforted when they engage with media from the past (source: GWI).
43% of Gen Z said it was “important to them to do things that can give them pleasure” and that they “seek every chance they can to have fun” (source: the Guardian).
Gen Z are also more likely to identify as spiritual than older generations, challenging the assumption that spirituality is declining with each generation (source: The Times).
Castelbajac for Notre Dame
In December 2024, France’s Notre Dame Cathedrale reopened after 2019's catastrophic fire. Veteran 80's and 90's designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac worked with the Chanel-owned specialist Métiers d'Arts ateliers to design the outfits worn by 700 clergy members during the ceremony.
The designer - known for his sense of fun and bold primary colours - was inspired by the cross of Marc Couturier, which remained intact despite the fire. A golden cross is depicted on each white garment sitting in the middle of yellow, red, blue and green splinters – an evocation of the stained glass windows of Notre Dame.
The Passing of Rosita Missoni
Rosita Missoni, the influential Italian fashion designer and co-founder of the iconic knitwear brand, passed away at the age of 93 in January 2025. Internationally admired for her colourful fashion house, which she established with her husband, Ottavio, in 1953, Missoni came to be regarded as fashion royalty.
Missoni’s signature colourful prints and zig-zag patterns became emblematic of the Italian dolce vita lifestyle. Her death shines a spotlight on the house whose most recent SS25 collection featured draped silhouettes in primary brights against a black ground.
IKEA re-releases their 80’s Icons
Available in stores from February 2025, the sixth and final edition of the Nytillverkad collection reimagines a range of iconic Ikea pieces for a new generation.
Niels Gammelgaard’s 'Guide' shelving unit from 1985 launches as 'Byakorre', a colourful open shelving unit. The shelves join 2024’s re-release of two other 80’s classics the Klippan sofa, and the Poang chair by designed and updated by Japanese designer Noboru Nakamura.
Karin Gustavsson, creative director of the Nytillverkad collection stated on the IKEA website.
" We have reimagined the pieces to feel fresh and new. You will find a palette of bold colours, as well as softer, curvier accent pieces and playful prints to make every day that little bit more joyful.”
100 years of Bauhaus Dessau
September 2025 marks the centennial of the Bauhaus move from Weimar to Dessau and the construction of the iconic Bauhaus building. The building was considered groundbreaking at the time due to the glass curtain of the workshop wing.
This impression of transparency, lightness and flatness was in direct contrast to the prevailing ideas of aesthetics at the time, establishing the reputation of the Bauhaus as an ’icon of modernism’.
The Bauhaus Dessau Foundation will celebrate the centennial with exhibitions, an art programme, conferences, and festivals collectively titled ‘To the Core’.
Miffy X Retrospekt
The latest in a line of Miffy collabs for kidults, the Retrospekt x Miffy collection also capitalises on GenZ's love of retro tech. This incarnation of Miffy merch, features a Polaroid instant camera, two 35mm film cameras, an analog flip clock, a Walkman style cassette player, a turntable, and camera bags. Each item showcases classic Miffy illustrations, with products designed in Bruna’s signature color palette of blue, yellow, and red.
Miffy the blank faced bunny created by Dutch illustrator Dick Bruna turns 70 in June this year. Customers should expect collaborations in some new categories, including a move into the beauty space.
Windows 95 Anniversary
August 2025 marks the 30-year anniversary of the launch of Microsoft's Windows 95, with a game-changing media campaign.
A $300 million promotional blitz using the Rolling Stones' song 'Start Me Up,' as well as a 30-minute promotional video with Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry, made it one of the most
anticipated product launches in American business history.
More than one million units were sold in the first four days following the release, and - within two years -Windows 95 was installed on more computers than any other operating system.
Design Directive
Minimalise: Follow the principles of the Bauhaus and IKEA and consider design that is simple, rational, and functional, with clean lines and geometric shapes.
Back to Basics: In a world of AI artworks, the graphic minimalism of colour blocking and primary highlights feels authentic and relatable.
Form follows Function: Use simple but elegant, geometric shapes based on the intended function or purpose. Functionality needn’t be boring or ugly as the Bauhaus Dessau building shows.
Streamline Surfaces: Calm interfaces, using white and cream adds serenity, bringing purity and simplicity to busy minds.
Bring Joy: The designs of Jean Charles De Castelbajac and Missoni's show that a palette of bold primaries doesn't have to be childish or naive. Using cream and camel bases shows that bright accents can be joyful and sophisticated.