3 OCTOBER 2025
Welcome to this week’s edition of Culture Wire, a newsletter brought to you by Singapore-based pop culture and lifestyle marketing agency Culture Group.
In this week’s edition:
- Headline of the Week: Gen Z brings back crochet, crafts, and community
- Fax, No Printer: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime reveal sparks culture wars
- Before You Leave: From Taylor Swift stand mixers to “vibe working” in Excel – this week’s links you’ll want to share
Headline of the Week
🧶 CROCHET COMMUNITY
DIY creators are gaining traction with Gen Z eyeballs. Once fossilized hobbies such as crochet and scrapbooking are now celebrated as means of self-expression and sustainability. Crafts can build community, via knitting clubs and zine workshops – yes, zines are back!
OUR TAKE
Brands have noticed and now incorporate this enthusiasm in their strategies: from product collaborations with creators to craft-led at-retail experiences. In the war for attention and wallets, it can be tempting to trendjack crafts as a silver bullet to gain traction with new generations of consumers. Luxury especially is rethinking playbooks, as previously safe bet markets such as Japan and China face economic headwinds.
Luxury continues to grapple with Gen Zs, who demand authentic storytelling and articulation of value-for-money. Consumers are savvier than ever about the building blocks of craftsmanship, with popular Youtube channels dedicated to dissecting (literally) luxury handbags.
Southeast Asia as a luxury market is also evolving. Homegrown brands are gaining prominence, to showcase cultural identity and pride and not just be one of the masses with the same monogrammed product. Those handbags, instantly recognizable when carried by politicians and people in power, are now the topic of scrutiny and public backlash in the Philippines and Indonesia. Young people on social media question and protest these examples of extravagance by the elite, with allegations of corruption and cronyism.
This does not mean that Southeast Asian consumers are rejecting brands and labels. Luxury is still sought after, as emotional resonance is more important than ever. Asian players are now shooting their shot, from South Korean and Indonesian leather bags to Chinese fragrances. Regardless of where your brand is from, consumers want a deeply personal experience across all touchpoints.
Fax, No Printer*
For those of you born before 1997, ‘fax, no printer‘ is Gen Z speak for ‘undeniable facts I agree with’
How did Bad Bunny tell fans to share news of his Super Bowl LX halftime show?
Scroll to the end of the newsletter for the correct answer!
Before You Leave
This Week's Trivia Answer
C. “Go tell your grandma we’re going to be the Super Bowl halftime show”
In the official announcement, the three-times Grammy Award winning artist commented: “What I’m feeling goes beyond myself. It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”
Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico residency just drew 500,000+ fans over two months, and his upcoming world tour will hit Latin America, Europe, Asia and Oceania (though not the US, citing concerns about immigration raids). It’s not really a surprise that the halftime announcement triggered right-wing political backlash.
Cultural moments are increasingly intertwined with political controversy. That in turn drives media coverage, which delivers commercial success (Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle campaign gained a million customers). Controversy is part of the value proposition. Brands know the politics come with the territory – and the attention that follows might be worth it.
🚀 Over and Out!
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Your Culture Mavens,
Angela, Catherine, Teri, Twila, & Vicki
