This month everything we’re watching comes back to one idea: identity as a daily carry. The person buying David protein bars is the same one wearing a pimple patch to brunch, carrying a Coach book charm, and browsing the Olive Young zone at Sephora. The brands paying attention are building around the consumer’s entire life, not just their routine.

Here’s what caught our eye.

From labubu dolls to book bag charms

Labubu made it acceptable, even aspirational, to hang something personal off your bag. Coach took that energy and matured it.

Their literary-inspired charm collection hits at the right cultural moment. People are logging off and picking up books, journaling, writing letters and choosing analog as a kind of resistance. A bag charm shaped like a book turns that into a wearable signal.
I'm that person. 

We're all becoming performative readers and apparently we want accessories to match.

Playbook of turning a cultural microtrend into a luxury accessory product.

Skincare wearables as beauty accessories

Rhode’s lipgloss case opened the floodgates of beauty accessories 

And now they’re expected to expand into pimple patches, which, if it lands with the same cultural weight, won't just be another acne product. It'll be another wearable. 

The pimple patch market is projected to nearly double to $1B by 2033. Collagen patch interest jumped 359% year-over-year in 2025.

Protein as a beauty product?

"Protein is a beauty product, in a way," says David co-founder and CEO Peter Rahal.

The protein-maxing of 2025 never really ended, but the audience has shifted. This isn't a gym story anymore. The consumer is the same one buying ingestibles at Erewhon, stacking peptides, and reading ingredient labels. Protein slotted right in.

"Winning women is more important, because the protein gap is more in women's health than it is in men's health."

When a supplement brand starts talking like a beauty brand, you pay attention.
More here.

In K-beauty we trust

The gravitational pull of Korean beauty products just keeps amplifying. Western retail is finally building infrastructure around it instead of just reacting to it.

Olive Young, South Korea's largest beauty and wellness retailer, is partnering with Sephora for a long-term omnichannel initiative: dedicated K-beauty zones, curated by Olive Young, in-store and online.

What makes this smart: Sephora is leading with partnership rather than trying to anticipate competition. K-beauty fans get a better, more curated experience. Sephora solidifies its relevance in one of the fastest-growing categories in the market. Everyone wins.

Wellness is the new flagship

In 2026 wellness is a strategic opportunity.

84% of US consumers rank wellness as a top priority. Fashion brands are responding not with product lines but with spaces 

• Kith Ivy in New York

• Lululemon performance studio, Yet

• Dior branded spas

• Alo Wellness club & Retreats

The collab that actually makes sense

Summer Fridays' first-ever apparel collaboration landed with Gap, and the fit is natural. Shared audience (Gen Z), comfort-oriented, living somewhere between self-care and aesthetic intentionality.

Brands we’re watching

Maude 

From the Wuthering Heights “Come Undone” collab to their Valentine’s Day partnership with Brooklinen, Maude consistently demonstrates a deep understanding of their consumer. Partnerships are strategic, cultural, and emotionally aligned.

Lola Blankets (new to the VAAN roster)

Luxury blankets, elevated through creative direction, influencer collaborations, and smart visibility. They’re everywhere right now and for good reason.

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