Waxing Cynical

In these Time Capsule editions , we make our predictions about the year ahead and seal the conversation away. The episode is time-stamped, archived, and only released the following year. When it drops, we revisit the thinking: what we got right, what we got wrong, and what changed along the way. Think of it as our punk response to the endless churn of industry hot takes. Instead of rushing to feed...

Thrilled to announce our new podcast, Waxing Cynical – where Jamila Ali and I, two unapologetic outsiders, get real about the culture brands push and the realities they ignore. In our first episode, we tackle Jamila's hot take: “Short-form is dead.” As TikTok’s future in the U.S. hangs in the balance and brands race to keep up, we ask the hard question: Is the obsession with short-form conten...

In our second episode, we're taking a cynical look at the trend forecasting industry in 2024. Spoiler: it's not pretty. We dive into why everyone seems to be recycling the same tired insights, with little depth or staying power. From relentless trend cycles to "culture-vulture" brands and the flood of vapid research, we're asking: has trend forecasting lost its edge? Tune...

In this third episode, we dive deep into the "flop era" of luxury brands – how once-iconic names seem to be losing the plot. We break down why the allure of luxury is fading: declining quality, a loss of unique brand identity, obsession with trends, and a creativity crisis that’s left many brands looking more the same than ever. In a world where the cost of living is skyrocketing and lux...