Is escapism the emerging trend of a politically turbulent era? 🌪️ 🚀 ✨
When the world feels like it’s on fire (politically, socially, economically) people crave an exit. Not a literal one (though, let’s be honest, the idea of vanishing to a remote island is tempting) but a mental, emotional, and aesthetic one. Enter escapism: the rising trend shaping everything from fashion and beauty to brand storytelling. In a time of uncertainty, people aren’t just interested in reality anymore. They’re turning to fantasies.
As consumers tire of forced relatability, brands are embracing fantasy, spectacle and world-building to captivate audiences.
Vogue Business
🌪️ Political turbulence
The political landscape is exhausting. Crisis after crisis dominates the headlines, and for many of us, the constant stream of bad news fuels a desperate need for relief. When reality feels overwhelming, consumers turn to brands that offer a temporary break. That can take many forms such as hyper-surreal visuals, nostalgic callbacks, or full-blown fantasy worlds.
It’s no coincidence that Vogue’s trend predictions point towards dreamlike aesthetics, whimsical storytelling, and digital utopias. Look at fashion’s shift towards soft, ethereal silhouettes, beauty brands embracing dopamine-fueled colour palettes, and hospitality spaces designed to transport guests to another world. Brands leading this trend are about selling a feeling, a world, an alternate reality.
🚀 From fashion and beyond
Some brands are already deep in the escapist game. Loewe’s surrealist campaigns feel like a fever dream. Gucci’s latest collections lean into nostalgia, tapping into collective memories of the past as a way to escape the present. Even digital platforms like TikTok are flooded with aesthetics that transport users elsewhere, be it "coastal grandma," "fairycore," or "old money" escapism. These micro-movements are more than just trends, they’re cultural coping mechanisms.
But this trend, which seems to have started from fashion, is now exploding everywhere. In the food and beverage industry, brands are embracing multisensory experiences that make eating and drinking feel like an adventure. Even Airbnb taps into escapism by selling more than just accommodation: it sells the fantasy of living in a treehouse, a lighthouse, or a remote desert dome.
✨ Escapism in brand design
Authenticity isn’t dead — it’s just no longer the crème de la crème of customer recruitment.
Vogue Business
Dreamlike colour palettes, nostalgic typography, surreal visuals, or immersive brand worlds, creating an emotional escape are already taking the over the scene. Some brands are starting to lean into storytelling that takes people somewhere else, be it a comforting past, an imagined future, or an entirely new dimension.
It’s about building spaces, both digital and physical, that feel like a break from reality. A packaging experience that feels like unboxing a treasure. A website that feels like stepping into a portal. A campaign that momentarily makes you forget about your problems.
In times of crisis, brands that acknowledge the weight of the world but offer an imaginative, hopeful, or even playful escape will be the ones people gravitate towards. Because sometimes, a little bit of fantasy is exactly what reality needs.
Explore more
❤️ Pinterest Predicts 2025
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💛 Decentraland
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💙 A fragrance adventure
Finery creates its own interactive universe on Roblox, that merges a physical product with the digital world.
🧡 Aldi’s affordable vineyard tours
The escapism trend is not just about digital experiences. Aldi launches a vineyard tour at £2.67 and offers free tastings in exchange for social media reviews.
💚 Wicked collabs galore
Brands are tapping into culturally relevant worlds to connect with their audiences, with Wicked featured in over 60 brand collaborations.