Hi all,
We’re back with another edition of GOOD SIGNS — these are signals, patterns, counter-trends. Stuff that’s emerging, continuing, sticking out, or simply what we’re finding interesting in the last month.
This month’s episodes are sponsored by Herman Miller.
Kirsten’s house is basically a MillerKnoll showroom at this point. We both now have the pleasure of sitting in two Herman Miller chairs for every podcast that we were fitted for (a service they offer in all their stores!). I can safely say mine is a wellness investment. My back is my weakest link, and after a month of travel in the US, being back in my chair is a true delight. If you spend eight hours a day in a chair, make sure it fits you perfectly. Get fitted or order yours here.
Now onto the episode. Enjoy! And let us know what you think in the comments.
Skip to the bits you fancy
1.
04:48 — EXHAUSTIVE CHECKS // The question used to be whether something was good. Now the first question is whether it’s real, and we’re all doing the checking ourselves. I wrote “I checked. Not AI.” under a stunt I liked this month. ZINE & YouGov found that “Americans now default to ‘This is fake’ six times more often than they default to ‘This is real.’” ANU has a great read on it, calling the age we’re entering ‘post-reality marketing’. This Sentimental Garbage note Anu shared really explains the exhaustion. But as I said in the 2026 predictions, the question now is how long before we all stop showing up to platforms that we can’t trust?
Places it’s showing up:
* Stan Lee’s estate sold his voice and likeness to ElevenLabs. Nobody is asking for this IMO.
* Oblist’s ad is lovely conceptually, but AI-gen’d. Does it matter? Maybe.
* Louis Vuitton built a car to look like its own bag and got trolled as “AI slop IRL.” But it was real.
Pendulum Swing → Bobbie rolled out its own Substack called Sally Forth. It’s full of real stories, from real people, with real unvarnished takes on parenthood. Belmond appears to have bought out Sam Youkilis’s IG stories. He’s a trusted, real photographer, and every story is saturated in his credibility.
2.
22:47 — WHICH ALPHA? // Brands keep guessing at what kids want, missing, and then wondering what’s happening (often coming to incorrect conclusions). The kids are extremely clear about what they want. Just go talk to one.
Places it’s showing up:
* Build-A-Bear downgraded its outlook and the CEO blamed overdoing it on innovation. Wrong analysis. They misunderstood the innovations Alphas/Zs are looking for.
* Skylrk beat Apple to the punch. Everyone wants an MP3 player. They made one.
* J.Crew’s cropped roll neck felt confusing when Alphas openly want baggy and have for years.
Pendulum Swing → Aiming at whoever’s paying could work. Maybe. Maisonette’s new tween brand Neon Rebel reads like a gifting site for adults for tweens.
3.
31:44 — HOME CLINIC // In the SILVERS 2026 predictions, I said distrust in medical institutions, thin infrastructure, and the cost of care would push people to handle it at home. That part happened. What’s new is the hardware finally got good, and it finally looks good.
Places it’s showing up:
* Strolll built AR glasses that walk patients with neurological disorders through physical therapy on their own.
* Luffu launched a wearable that does the Life Alert job and looks vastly cooler. Martha Stewart had the right instinct first with her Life Alert challenger.
* Dyson made a toothbrush with a camera in it, arriving right as the dental health to brain health conversation gets loud. Ick, but it will take off. Humans love gross things.
Pendulum Swing → Katie Stone and I got into the death of expertise on the pod, where GLP-1s might be the miracle and DIY peptide cocktails are very much not.
4.
40:29 — SOURCE CODE // Everyone has the same tools and the same Pinterest boards, so the work all looks the same. Sources and good choices matter again.
Places it’s showing up:
* Figma launched Source Material, a show where the creatives share their references.
* Andrew Chen is predicting Adversarial Creativity: make something specific, timely, weird, and useful right now, then make the next thing.
* Nordstrom’s series with Recho Omondi gives instant clout back to a brand that had fallen off.
Pendulum Swing → Not a true pendulum but an adjacency. People are now reading their Substack essays aloud on Instagram. We keep leaning harder into what makes us us.
5.
48:13 — THE FUTURE OF NO // Is the affliate link era over. Likely not. But “no” is becoming a differentiator. Credibility, uniqueness and a curated guest list are a positioning statement.
Places it’s showing up:
* Shop Rat by Emilia Petrarca is done with affiliate links, press trips, free product, and sponsored posts. Credibility is worth protecting at almost any cost.
* Pellicano’s Marie-Louise Sciò says scaling and standardization aren’t worth what it would cost.
* Wimbledon will not accredit creators. Who you allow in is a positioning statement now.
Pendulum Swing → The pendulum here is just the other side of the misunderstanding. Katie Stone made the same case on the pod. Rigid press trip itineraries kill the story. There’s a whole deep dive to be done on the new frontier of PR.
Letters referenced:
* Brand love or trust? Bobbie says trust
* Science is getting Substacked
* Justin Bieber is one-upping Apple
* The sauna bubble, GLP-1s and the death of expertise
* Dior x A24. No provincial product.
And for paid readers, in case you missed it, our first-ever quarterly GOOD TRENDS.
Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy
BOLD CAPPED links jump to that moment in the recording. Brand names take you to past letters where they were mentioned.
03:11 — CULTURE // HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT // The trust collapse has brands and businesses having to respond. Ramp · Vittles · Shop Rat
11:40 — F&B // MOMENT MAKING // Food has always been an experience. But it’s not all dinners. Goop Kitchen · Fortnum & Mason · Oatly
17:02 — DRUGS & BOOZE // MODERATING MODERATION // The wellness anarchist, a term coined by Tom Garland, is underrepresented. Diet Coke · Cannes · Columbia · Romanticized hangovers
20:42 — SILVERS, ALPHAS & ZS // HELLO, ALPHA // Alpha zones were the 2025 prediction. Alpha agency is 2026. Here they merge. Tututu Space · Claire’s · Comme’N
25:19 — FASHION & RETAIL // VALUES VERSUS VALUE // Showing what you’re invested in is the right investment. Chanel · Aritzia · Greenrow
29:32 — TECH // AGE OF AUTHORSHIP // The age of authorship isn’t about AI. It’s about mindset. Jeff Dean · Lovable · Age of Authorship
37:04 — SPORT // EXPANSIVE GAMES // Sport has been unbinding. Not all unhinged, but many of the rules aren’t welcome anymore. Exercise Snacks · Salomon x Pas Normal · $1 Ultra
41:48 — WELLNESS & BEAUTY // DATA DON’T DO IT // Measurement isn’t the goal. Improvement is. Dumbo Health · MyFitnessPal · WHOOP
45:38 — TRAVEL // LUX NOT LUX-ING IT // We’re questioning what luxury is, and most isn’t cutting it. United · The Stanza · Anagram
50:52 — FUN FOR THE QUARTER // B2B UNBOUND // B2B marketing has evolved. Most brands just haven’t caught up. Frontify · Okta · Air
That’s all, folx.
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That’s all, folx.
-Chris
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