We’re very happy to share Episode 2 of our short documentary ‘Cultural Fluency: Merchandise’.

Across this documentary we found connecting threads amongst these seemingly disparate fans, subcultures and communities. In this episode we explore how people use merchandise to showcase their identity. 

Through a fascinating conversation about brand heritage with the co-founder of Daunt Books (little known fact: the colour of the iconic green tote bag takes its cues from a stained glass window in the Marylebone shop), an exclusive interview with anonymous Instagram meme maker Socks House Meeting about hyper-local status symbols, voluntarily sending ourselves to Coventry to meet with a community representative of the Two-Tone movement, and checking out a Bristol-based china shop to learn how souvenirs are used as acts of resistance.

LEARNING 1:

We’ve always expressed what matters to us through outward identity, but the way we do it has evolved. 

Social media demands we curate our own existences, whilst digital technology allows us to interact with all of recorded culture, prompting us to remix, assemble, and present our lives as narrative. Whilst we juggle influences from multiple subcultures, identity markers remain central to how we signal who we are. 

LEARNING 2:

Brands have a powerful role to play in people’s lives, however, that role is changing. For lasting impact, brands must authentically embody their unique identity whilst engaging with the cultural conversation. This means going beyond trends. The key to cultural fluency is to enter into dialogue with audiences, and provide value through allowing them to participate and use brand assets to shape their own identities.

You can watch episode 1 with a focus on nostalgia here.