Are brands crossing a line in the pursuit of relevance?
The widespread mocking of Gary Barlow’s son proves that virality alone should not equate marketability. Oh boy, does the internet love a spectacle. Over the past week, a photograph of Gary Barlow’s son, Daniel, towering above his dad, went viral. The memes arrived shortly after, and overnight Daniel became a...
Current in Culture
Are Christmas markets losing their appeal?
We’re only halfway through November, yet Christmas markets have been open across the UK for weeks already. Are these once-magical festivities becoming too blatant of a cash grab? Although the team at Thred always looks forward to our annual Winter Wonderland trip, we’re not oblivious to the fact that we’re...
Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year is ‘manifest’
Meaning ‘dream’ or ‘willing something into existence,’ it beat out ‘brat’ and ‘demure’ after a surge of celebrity-inspired popularity on social media. Clearly, 2024 was all about positive thinking. ‘Manifest’ has been named word of the year by Cambridge Dictionary. Though it’s more than six centuries old, it’s been given new...
Explaining the controversy around the Mexican song ‘Tu boda’
Is it problematic for musicians to use femicide as inspiration for their art? In the last few weeks, the public has expressed mixed opinions over the release of the song “Tu boda” by Oscar Maydon & Fuerza Regida. The song has gone viral on social media and has secured the...
Exploring Gen Z’s love of horoscopes
From Aristotle to A-listers, astrology has been popular for centuries. Gen Z is particularly obsessed, with star signs playing a major role in how they interact on social media. Whether you believe in the power of the Zodiac or not, star signs have been in magazines since 1930, when...
The Film and TV industry reckons with its own shortcomings
Reports of staff abuse and toxic work environments, particularly amongst Runners, are forcing industry regulators to face uncomfortable truths. The film and TV industry is often sold as a world of glitz and glamour, a pipeline to the stars where creativity reigns and dreams come true. But for the runners...
The rise of Instagrammable museums
In the age of social media and the pursuit of aesthetics it promotes, the way we engage with and appreciate art has undergone a radical transformation. Thanks to social media, the ‘instagrammability’ of museums and galleries now plays a significant role in drawing in crowds. More and more, visitors are choosing to seek out visually striking exhibitions and instillations that will translate well online and make for captivating content. This has...
Has being a ‘roadman’ finally gone out of fashion?
It’s 2024… ‘low them tings there People, especially kids, will adopt what’s deemed to be fashionable. Thankfully, the ‘chav’ to ‘roadman’ arc appears to be on its last legs in England. Growing up in south London in the noughties was incredibly fun. Your mates were always out after school on bikes or playing football. We’d knock on each other's doors – and the odd stranger’s door – grab sweets, share a...
Have tattoos become too expensive?
For various reasons, getting inked increasingly involves breaking the bank. What does this mean for the industry and for the future of an art form that’s been around for generations? If you cast your mind back to the days of T-shirts and shorts earlier this year – now replaced by jumpers and thermals as British winter rolls in – an afternoon of people watching may have had you believing that...
Let’s talk about MEXCLA Spotify: Palenque, Feria y Cotorreo
The festival, organised by the music streaming platform Spotify, was a celebration of Mexican artists, culture, and tradition. Last weekend – November 2nd and 3rd – the MEXCLA festival organized by Spotify took place. It had a 100 percent Mexican lineup, becoming the first festival of its kind in the country. According to Spotify, the streams of Mexican artists have increased 100 percent year on year since 2013, making it one...
