Consumer Culture

Apr 3, 2026

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20 min read

Lululemon has a dupe problem. This counterfeit brand is the funniest

A fake yoga brand manufactured with 100% renewable energy just proved what a company worth $11 billion says is too hard. But Mumumelon is not merely a stunt. The campaign from Action Speaks Louder and Serious People offers a case study in what so much fashion campaigning gets wrong.

JD Shadel

Dear Anxiety

Mar 28, 2026

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11 min read

Dear Anxiety: How do I stop getting sucked into fast fashion and social media?

In our very first advice column, Amy answers a reader’s question on how to resist fast fashion and social media’s constant push to consume.

Amy Miles

Consumer Culture

Fashion’s accountability gap is widening. Here’s what we’re doing about it

Mar 21, 2026

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6 min read

Fashion’s accountability gap is widening. Here’s what we’re doing about it

For almost five months, we’ve been publishing journalism fashion’s billionaires don’t want you to see, so here’s a reading list of the spiciest stories we’ve run so far. And we reflect on why fashion accountability and independent media is more urgent than ever.

JD Shadel, +1

Chemicals

5 beauty industry facts sure to cause wrinkles (from frowning!)

Dec 9, 2025

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10 min read

5 beauty industry facts sure to cause wrinkles (from frowning!)

One year ago, I authored the first report of its kind about the beauty industry’s lack of transparency on sustainability issues. This week, I caught up with my report collaborator, Good On You’s Becca Willcox. She shares the facts that surprised her.

JD Shadel

Consumer Culture

What keeps “conscious consumers” up at night? Hundreds of you told us.

Nov 29, 2025

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12 min read

What keeps “conscious consumers” up at night? Hundreds of you told us.

Readers from different generations, geographies and income brackets told us your biggest anxieties about fashion and consumer culture. We mapped them to seven big themes that speak to our moment.

JD Shadel

Essay

Fashion media is as unsustainable as fast fashion. It's only getting worse.

Nov 1, 2025

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14 min read

Fashion media is as unsustainable as fast fashion. It's only getting worse.

It’s time mainstream fashion media faced a reckoning for its role in the climate crisis, labour exploitation, and making people feel bad about themselves. Here’s why we’re trying to build something entirely different from the ground up. Welcome to anxiety.eco.

JD Shadel