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Every brand says “community.” Topicals actually means it.
Does anyone rememeber Amina Muaddi?
What Skims and Rhode know about selling out, that most brands don’t.
This is the quietest brand in fashion—and here’s why it works.
PLT’s beige era is here — but is it believable?
How to build a brand world (and sell sunscreen while you're at it).
November always brings a strange tension in the world of brands, the race to close the year colliding with the quiet pressure to stay relevant, meaningful, and memorable. It is the season when sentimentality meets sales, and consumers start curating what they will carry into the new year. Habits, aesthetics, even values. Personally, I love this in-between moment. The noise softens just enough for you to actually see which brands are doing something interesting and which are simply doing what is expected.
This month, culture and commerce are moving in sync but not always convincingly. Dua Lipa’s new skincare brand, DUA, powered by Augustinus Bader science, has sparked conversation for its strategy as much as its formulas. It’s sleek, approachable, and priced far below the parent brand’s usual range — which invites a bigger question. If Bader’s hallmark science can now be made affordable under a different name, what does that say about the elasticity of “luxury” pricing? The move might democratise access, but it also shifts how we define prestige. Maybe transparency around value, not exclusivity, is what modern luxury really looks like.
Over in wellness, Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme continues to blur irony and sincerity with her new colostrum line. Kim’s playful “gatekeeping” cameo turned it into something almost satirical — proof that the family still knows how to sell humour, intimacy, and chaos in the same breath. The product barely matters; the cultural choreography does.
Meanwhile, Heaven Mayhem’s art deco holiday collection feels like a mood reset. Glossy, maximal, nostalgic — a complete pivot from the restraint that’s defined the past few years. And as Stranger Things returns to Netflix, nostalgia continues to be the emotional currency of both entertainment and advertising. We keep buying the past, only repackaged with better lighting and design.
Underneath it all, one question keeps circling in my mind: what do we actually buy into anymore? Because it’s rarely just the product. We buy into credibility that feels earned, storytelling that feels alive, and brands that act like people — imperfect but intentional.
This month on Brand Insider, we’re unpacking exactly that.
We’ll be sharing our favourite Christmas adverts of 2025, those perfectly soundtracked few minutes that somehow manage to capture the collective mood better than any marketing report ever could. We’re also diving into Black Friday Fatigue, exploring whether consumers are finally done with endless discounting and what value looks like when price is no longer the main hook.
And in our long read, The State of Gifting 2025, we’ll explore how the psychology of giving has evolved — from luxury to longevity, from product to experience, from status to sentiment. Because even gifting has become a mirror for what people really want to express: thoughtfulness, connection, and care that feels human again.
November feels like the industry’s mirror month, the last quiet moment before the reset. A chance to reflect on what’s working, what’s losing resonance, and what kind of meaning brands want to build next.
So yes, expect strategy, culture, and a touch of sentiment. Because sometimes the most powerful thing a brand can do — and a person too — is remind us how to feel something real.
What’s been in my bag, on my wish list, and in my browser tabs this month.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive weekly case studies and insights from Brand Insider.
This brand perfected basics, here's how.
The activewear brand loved by celebs. But what's behind their success?
We’re obsessed with Reformation — and there's two big reasons why.
The surprising evolution of this everyday store.
How Jess Hunt brought this brand to life through brand activations.
While the brands mentioned are not sponsored or paid advertisements, some of the products highlighted may earn us a commission.
November always brings a strange tension in the world of brands, the race to close the year colliding with the quiet pressure to stay relevant, meaningful, and memorable. It is the season when sentimentality meets sales, and consumers start curating what they will carry into the new year. Habits, aesthetics, even values. Personally, I love this in-between moment. The noise softens just enough for you to actually see which brands are doing something interesting and which are simply doing what is expected.
This month, culture and commerce are moving in sync but not always convincingly. Dua Lipa’s new skincare brand, DUA, powered by Augustinus Bader science, has sparked conversation for its strategy as much as its formulas. It’s sleek, approachable, and priced far below the parent brand’s usual range — which invites a bigger question. If Bader’s hallmark science can now be made affordable under a different name, what does that say about the elasticity of “luxury” pricing? The move might democratise access, but it also shifts how we define prestige. Maybe transparency around value, not exclusivity, is what modern luxury really looks like.
Over in wellness, Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme continues to blur irony and sincerity with her new colostrum line. Kim’s playful “gatekeeping” cameo turned it into something almost satirical — proof that the family still knows how to sell humour, intimacy, and chaos in the same breath. The product barely matters; the cultural choreography does.
Meanwhile, Heaven Mayhem’s art deco holiday collection feels like a mood reset. Glossy, maximal, nostalgic — a complete pivot from the restraint that’s defined the past few years. And as Stranger Things returns to Netflix, nostalgia continues to be the emotional currency of both entertainment and advertising. We keep buying the past, only repackaged with better lighting and design.
Underneath it all, one question keeps circling in my mind: what do we actually buy into anymore? Because it’s rarely just the product. We buy into credibility that feels earned, storytelling that feels alive, and brands that act like people — imperfect but intentional.
This month on Brand Insider, we’re unpacking exactly that.
We’ll be sharing our favourite Christmas adverts of 2025, those perfectly soundtracked few minutes that somehow manage to capture the collective mood better than any marketing report ever could. We’re also diving into Black Friday Fatigue, exploring whether consumers are finally done with endless discounting and what value looks like when price is no longer the main hook.
And in our long read, The State of Gifting 2025, we’ll explore how the psychology of giving has evolved — from luxury to longevity, from product to experience, from status to sentiment. Because even gifting has become a mirror for what people really want to express: thoughtfulness, connection, and care that feels human again.
November feels like the industry’s mirror month, the last quiet moment before the reset. A chance to reflect on what’s working, what’s losing resonance, and what kind of meaning brands want to build next.
So yes, expect strategy, culture, and a touch of sentiment. Because sometimes the most powerful thing a brand can do — and a person too — is remind us how to feel something real.
What’s been in my bag, on my wish list, and in my browser tabs this month.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive the latest brand news and insights from Brand Insider.
