I WOKE UP LIKE THIS

From the frenzy of year-end festivities to the upcoming Lunar New Year period (never known as a stress-free holiday), the signs of emotional wear and tear on the psyche continue as people seek out balance. Fashion has always been a reflection of our own psychology, and our yearning for calm can now be channeled into low-energy dressing. On the surface, this would suggest that on the min-max scale, our appearance to the rest of the world has reverted to Minimum Viable Product as energy levels run empty.

OUR TAKE

The end look, when viewed in isolation, may suggest emotional decline or a complete void of joy and feeling. But the mindset and methodology indicate far more dynamism and self-assuredness than what the name alone might convey. Softer, quieter colors and silhouettes can indicate confidence, an acceptance of identity that is unshackled by a million different details—or a million different algorithms. From our perspective, low-energy dressing and friction-maxxing are both tools for people to take back control from chaotic socio-economic forces and chronic digitization. Completing these small tasks aid the search for equilibrium and connection, and inject a bit more meaning into our lives.

Products and brands still have a part to play in these habits and rituals, but the overarching desire for holistic wellness and belonging is clear. It’s no longer just about correcting a flaw, but creating a healthy approach to everyday life. The increasing global awareness and popularity of Thai beauty (T-beauty) is a result of Thai brands and providers flexing legacy wellness traditions and ingredients as commercial differentiator. Kim Kardashian’s Bangkok clinic playbook goes hand in hand with acclaimed brand Pañpuri. Modern wellness methods intertwine with age-old practices. Even the Chinese government is pouring money into scaling traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with AI and technology.

The enthusiasm for rituals is especially present as a trend in food, with fashion and beauty brands taking note of the preference for sensory experiences and everyday “guided rituals” as a path to balance. Sensory comfort can also be attained in the form of mini analog tasks such as using punch cards to hit one’s goals, far more satisfying than using the Reminders app and a vehicle for self-expression on social media.

For consumers, the search for meaning remains a constant, and brands should take heed as we head into another heavily commercialized holiday. What sort of evergreen ritual can your brand cultivate?

For those of you born before 1997, ‘fax, no printer‘ is Gen Z speak for ‘undeniable facts I agree with’

Scroll to the end of the newsletter for the correct answer!

Despite lukewarm trailers, widespread online ridicule, and an IP that doesn’t follow a traditional storyline, A Minecraft Movie has just pulled off the biggest box office debut of 2025 — raking in over $160M in the US and Canada alone. Forecasts initially pegged it at a modest $65M, later revised to $85M as buzz picked up. But nothing came close to the reality.

The hype didn’t stop at the cinema. Minecraft daily active players jumped 35% over two weekends, thanks in part to in-game events and the kind of fandom momentum money can’t buy. Online, the movie sparked viral chaos with the rise of the “chicken jockey” moment, where teens reenacted a rare in-game occurrence (baby zombie riding a chicken) by hoisting friends onto shoulders and launching popcorn mid-screening. At the same time, Minecraft: Volume Alpha — the game’s original lo-fi soundtrack — was quietly added to the Library of Congress for its cultural, aesthetic, and emotional significance.

So this week, we’re unpacking how a film that was widely dismissed online ended up outperforming every industry prediction — and what it reveals about how younger audiences are reshaping cultural consumption, participation, and power.

OUR TAKE

The unprecedented success of A Minecraft Movie wasn’t just a box office anomaly, it marked a cultural shift that’s been a long time coming. Gen Alpha, long mythologized in trend reports and think pieces but dismissed due to their lack of spending power, is finally stepping into the spotlight. And they’re not writing haikus about intergenerational trauma like Millennials, or posting shaky-camera TikToks with half-baked think pieces like Gen Z.

Unlike previous generations, Gen Alpha has been immersed in digital environments from birth, with games like Minecraft and Roblox serving as foundational platforms for creativity, social interaction, and self-expression. The screen was never just entertainment — it was where their identities were formed.

Their engagement with media is not passive; it’s participatory, blurring the lines between virtual and real-world experiences. The “chicken jockey” trend exemplifies this shift. What might seem like chaotic theater behavior is, for Gen Alpha, a natural extension of their digital lives into physical spaces. Why wouldn’t you recreate a moment from your favorite world with your real-life crew? For Gen Alpha, content is something you inhabit, not just consume.

Notably, this moment is being driven by young boys — a group rarely spotlighted in today’s fandom economy. While girls have long been the intended audience of pop marketing, Gen Alpha boys are showing up with full meme energy, reminding us that fandom isn’t gendered — it’s generational.

Sure, older Gen Z and Millennials were also at the theater, chasing one last dopamine hit from their pixelated childhoods. But while those generations built culture by remixing the past, Gen Alpha is building it in real time. Their instinct for collective chaos, their comfort in blurring boundaries, and their refusal to separate online from offline points to a future that’s less curated and more communal.
The success of A Minecraft Movie is just the beginning.​ Gen Alpha doesn’t need permission, this world has always been theirs. And now, they’re taking up space. Online, offline, and everywhere in between.

For those of you born before 1997, ‘fax, no printer‘ is Gen Z speak for ‘undeniable facts I agree with’

Which idol launched a sanitary pad brand in China?

Scroll to the end of the newsletter for the correct answer!