Welcome back!
Next week is going to be an exciting one here - if you don’t already subscribe, now’s the time! One thing to look forward to: the first installment of my new interview series, Setting the Table, is dropping a week from today.
Setting The Table: a new interview series spotlighting individuals reshaping the narrative and making room for the rest of us. We’re pulling chairs up to the table and inviting you into the conversation.
The first interview will be with the incredibly talented Taylor Long, the founder, designer, and CEO of Nomads Swimwear. Nomads is a size inclusive, sustainable brand that carries sizes XS-5X - and they are celebrating their 5th anniversary in business with an exciting event next weekend in NYC - more on that soon!
We get real about what it takes to run a small business that caters to a wide size range, why we think big brands with resources choose not to, decode the mystery of why an XXL is a straight size while a 2X is a plus size, and more
So excited to share it with you soon <3
Stay tuned for more!
At The Composite, we serve up a curated collection of culture and critique. Think of The Digest as your quick, thoughtful read to replace the doom scroll, offering a bite of everything you need to stay in the loop. Come hungry. Leave questioning everything.
Aperitif
A little taste of what’s to come
Trending Tidbits:
These trends are tracked not for following, but for what they reveal. Not necessarily an endorsement, but a thought starter
➡️ Pantaloons
➡️ Silk Shorts
➡️ Dill, the “Color of the Summer”
Recommended Reading
📖 What 'too much' gets right about zillennial dog mom culture
📖 How to survive (and unsubscribe from) #SkinnyTok
📖 This Year’s Trendiest Vacation? A Reading Retreat
📖 Would You Pay Nearly $9,000 for a Puzzle?
📖 We Don’t Need To Bitch About Our Bodies To Bond, OK?
The Main Course:
A selection curated to keep you fed
I feel like KFC is in a “watch this space” moment… I’m watching, Colonel
Another “hear me out” for me right now is Papa Johns. They’re doin something
In February I said “Absolutely fascinated by the reimagining of smell-o-vision, a trend I think we’ll see expanding”. Scentbird is doing a “scent-a-long” experience for the new I Know What You Did Last Summer movie. More here
Related: Instyle and Hillary Duff’s home fragrance brand posted this reel describing what different eras of her career smelled like
Olipop is doing something in a similar vein with their Soda Stories series - so far featuring Joshua Jackson and Nicholas Duvernay - where the participants speak about nostalgic memories associated with taste
There’s something happening with cereal. A couple weeks ago I mentioned some Liquid Death x Fruity Pebbles and Cinnamon Toast Crunch happenings. This week, Bread Beauty is promoting Cereal Milk Summer. Ferrero is buying WK Kellogg.
just wrote about the incoming brand Man Cereal (creatine cereal…). But also… Gen Z killed cereal? Feels like I’ll be writing more about cereal imminentlyBrands are often leaning into partnering with serialized social accounts (think Shop Cats or Subway Takes) rather than into traditional influencer partnerships
UNO is rolling out social clubs and the response seems to be very positive
Hinge turned their (very smart) Substack play into a beautiful physical anthology for gifting
Coffee shops are supersizing their offerings, serving drinks in literal buckets
Hojicha is the new matcha, according to the Financial Times
Neeeeeed to know your thoughts about Too Much. I’m halfway through and have mixed opinions. This is a good read RE: something I was worried about: The End of the Funny Fat Lady
One side effect of the show? The return of the nightie
Allure reported that the “demand for noninvasive fat reduction is plummeting”. These procedures, which include CoolSculpting and Kybella, are down 40% year over year according to The American Society of Plastic Surgeons' annual report
Other interesting (read: upsetting) related reporting from this week: The Psychological Cost Of The Plus-Size Retail Collapse and The shrinkflation of plus-size clothing
I think we’re going to run out of fruits to aestheticize soon, so prepare for the rise of the vegetable. Chefs are making vegetable-forward desserts. Sweetgreen just had a corn-shaped ice cream collab. This veggie-centric Cash App ad (featuring Timothee Chalamet) opens with a shot of corn. As we head into fall, this feels like an inevitable shift
People are VERY upset about this article from The Cut: Enough With the Ugly Cakes. Evidently the writer had to delete her IG due to backlash
Gabby Windey is hosting an upcoming dating show on Hulu, Love Overboard, created under Alex Cooper’s Unwell Productions
The country girlies are out to play. Kelsea Ballerini is fronting Pantene’s newest campaign about “Country Fried Hair” and Megan Moroney had a Poppi product placement moment in her new music video (which also falls in line with the hotline trend)
Chipotle brought back Lipotle, a “lip stain made for mukbangs”
Boy Smells is dropping body mists (along with everyone and their mother)
Digestif:
A download on this week’s hard pill to swallow
Just yesterday in the office, a coworker asked for brow gel recs and I confidently said that Ami Colé’s was my favorite. For that reason and far more substantial ones, I’m deeply sad to hear that they are shuttering after four years in business.
In a piece for The Cut, founder Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye shared sentiments that really hit me in the gut (the piece is fantastically written and I highly recommend checking it out).
“While my story isn’t unique, it still hurts to watch an industry preach inclusivity while remaining so unforgiving.” - Diarrha N'Diaye-Mbaye for The Cut
“While I’m sad today, I’m equal parts furious. At the investors who continue to say that beauty brands dedicated to people of color are “too niche.” At the heads of these companies, who so quickly deserted customers of color once the civil unrest of the pandemic era wound down. And even at people who continue to bully dark-skinned creators like Golloria, who are simply trying to make this space a place that everyone of every skin tone can enjoy.” - Ariel Baker for Marie Claire
Obviously I write largely about inclusivity from the lens of bodies and size because it’s something I have extensive personal and professional experience in. But my intention here is to always encourage inclusivity of all kinds - whether it be diversity of bodies, race, sexuality, ability, and beyond. Inclusivity is not a trend, and it’s deeply important that we support the brands, founders, and creators who are doing the real, unrelenting, often unrewarding work.
For Dessert this week…
I usually would leave you with a book recommendation here, but instead I’d love if you could drop recommendations in the comments of small brands you love, particularly those that cater to an underserved community or do some good in the world. While the systemic, discriminatory ways that founders and brands receive funding holds a lot of power, we do still wield our own with wallets and word of mouth. Our individual support still matters.
I’ll start:
Tilt Beauty, a beauty brand engineered for ease of use at all ability levels.
And a recently new-to-me brand, Poundcake, a beauty brand making sustainable makeup that truly caters to all skin tones.
From my scroll: things that caught my eye or match the themes of this week’s letter, formats I think will catch on - you get the vibe
If you’re here for a new perspective on fashion, beauty, and culture, you’re in the right place. Pull up a chair. The table is wide, and the conversation is layered.
Soft Rows (haircare), Tonal Cosmetics (makeup), Moodeaux (fragrance), The Renatural (hair), and Koba Beauty (skincare) are all amazing brands by underrepresented founders that make products for everyone ❤️ love love love each of them!