CATCHING FIRE: The remarkable reinvention of Addison Rae, coffee cup clamour and the buy less trend being used to sell you stuff

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1. How Addison Rae finally figured out what to do with all that viral fame

After becoming a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist for the first time this week, thanks to her track Diet Pepsi, Addison Rae came a few inches closer to pulling off a major rebrand that few thought possible.

After blowing up on TikTok when she was just 18, Addison Rae Easterling quickly became the fifth most followed person on the app with 88 million followers who loved her girl-next-door appeal and dance routines. But after struggling to translate that viral success with Gen Z into a tangible career beyond lucrative brand partnerships with the likes of Givenchy, Lululemon and Pandora, she’s finally found her footing in music.

Five years on from her first TikTok post she’s now being talked about in the same breath as top tier artists like Charli xcx, Selena Gomez and Lana Del Rey. It’s a stunning turnaround from the backlash that followed her first attempt at a music career back in 2021. Her debut single, Obsessed, was dragged so badly that Addison considered giving up on music altogether. But after dramatically changing her aesthetic, online vibe and even who she’s hanging out with, she’s forced commentators to reassess.

The tide started turning in 2022 when tracks from her debut album leaked online and got traction with DJs. Addison went on to release four of those in 2023, including one collaboration with Charli xcx titled 2 die 4. Her partnership with the Brat singer continued and this year Addison appeared on the remix of Charli’s hit single Von Dutch, stealing the show by ad-libbing a now iconic scream. The video that captured the moment has been viewed more than 35 million times on, you’ve guessed it, TikTok…

It’s impossible to overstate how vital Charli xcx has been to Addison’s reinvention. Her first attempt at music felt like a stretch as people mainly knew Addison as someone who danced to other artist’s songs. Now she’s relaunched with a collab with one of the hottest women in music under her belt and with all the credibility her association with Charli brings.

And then came the release of the sultry Lana Del Rey sounding Diet Pepsi a month ago, alongside a reboot of Addison’s styling and visuals that are now leaning heavily into nostalgia, Americana and showgirl references.

One of her smartest moves has been to recruit the fashion director of Interview magazine Dara Allen, onto her team. Together they created her edgy and well-reviewed bridal-esque bra and knickers fit for the MTV VMAs.

Addison, now 23, has completely overhauled her approach to social media too. She deleted all Instagram posts prior to March this year and has pulled back on sponsored content in recent months. Gone are the days when she was everywhere, all the time, for no particular reason and in are intentional posts that share the visual language of the Diet Pepsi campaign and her new aesthetic.

And then there’s her social circle. Addison was once seen hanging with Kourtney Kardashian at her Calabasas home, but now she’s more likely to be spotted partying with singer Rosalía, Euphoria actress Alexa Demie and, of course, Charli.

When all of these shifts are put together it’s easy to see why Addison’s got people paying attention to her for all the right reasons. The girls and the gays, the most important demographics if an artist wants success in pop, are taking her music seriously and that’s exactly what she needed.

Whether Addison can gain pop princess status is to be seen but she’s certainly making all the right moves. And they will certainly be followed by other early TikTok stars like Charli D'Amelio and Bella Poarch who’ve also struggled to convert their massive followings into careers, if she pulls it off.

2. Fashion brands got the underconsumption core memo and are using it to sell you stuff

A movement that celebrates buying less is the latest trend to be co-opted by retailers who are using it to generate sales.

Underconsumption core, which rejects the increasingly fast trend cycle, has bubbled up on TikTok and other social platforms over the last year, but saw a sharp rise in interest last month according to Google Trends data.

Many advocates of underconsumption are content creators who showcase their thrifted finds, classic never-go-out-of-style capsule wardrobes and explain how they de-influence their lives. Some, like Elysia German have pledged not to buy anything in 2024, Diana Wiebe is critical of influencer culture, while Hannah Siegel focuses on DIY tricks and tips to save money.

I’ve always been a little skeptical that underconsumption is happening on a large scale, Shein seems to be doing fine after all. And economic data shows that while U.S. consumers are spending less, retailers cite inflation and the higher cost of borrowing and servicing debt as the reason why. But that hasn’t stopped fashion brands from taking note of the trend. And rather than seeing the rejection of consumerism as a warning shot they’ve embraced it and are now cynically selling their Fall wares by co-opting underconsumption core’s language.

I first spotted it in the window of a Uniqlo store in London that proudly declared that their “2024 Fall & Winter Collection” was all about “Timeless Tones”. Then rich mom brand Anine Bing sent me a series of newsletters titled “Timeless in Black”, “Capsule Wardrobe Essentials” and “Uniform Building”. While NET-A-PORTER got me clicking on a mail shot titled “5 style staples you need now” by boasting that they’d curated a list of “must-have investment pieces” that I’d turn to “season after season”. To be fair if I’d paid $2,990 for a bag I would turn to it until it fell apart.

So if you’re tempted to “invest” in a sweater because it’ll be the cornerstone of your A/W capsule wardrobe just know that you’re being played by Big Retail after they were over exposed to overconsumption core content on TikTok. Resist! At the very least try not to be this lady…

3. Drinks containers are the new designer handbags

First they created the must-have water bottle for back to school, displacing the mighty Stanley Cup, and now Owala’s got people waiting in line for five hours for their new coffee cup.

Thousands of people formed long lines in Silverlake, Los Angeles, to get their hands on one of the $25/£19 cups, creating chaos and a marketing buzz for the cult brand.

The frenzy for Owala, following the Stanley Cup stampedes, speaks to a broader trend that’s elevated drinks containers way beyond other Gen A/Z obsessions like Glow Recipe Dew Drops or Laneige’s Lip Sleeping Mask. Instead these cups now hold the cultural cache once reserved for a designer handbag.

Unlike the vast majority of beauty products, a drinks container is visibly carried, the colour and style can reflect the holder’s vibe, and the brand? Well that says a lot too. Stanley is quickly becoming basic thanks to its ubiquity and acquisition by older generations. Lululemon’s Back to Life Sport Bottle ($48/£38) screams that the holder is a proteinmaxxing fitness girlie, while Owala is for those who want to be seen as both bang on trend and chic.

When the stakes are that high then maybe waiting in line for five hours seems worth it. But my main question is why hasn’t Hermes designed a water bottle?

✨Callback corner✨

After becoming the queen of tenniscore Morgan Riddle has now been signed as a Vogue contributor

I’ll never not be obsessed with the Gen Z politics gender gap and new research from Gallup confirms that in the last eight years American women have become increasing liberal

Reesa Teesa’s TikTok series Who TF Did I Marry??, that exploded on the app in February, is being developed into a TV show

Hawk Tuah Girl’s podcast has inevitably launched

This week I’ve been…

OBSESSED WITH:

The eight-year-old girl who drove her mother’s car to Target and was found by police sipping on a Frappuccino

Nutter Butter’s unhinged TikToks

How uncomfortable socialite scammer Anna Delvey looks throughout her interview with the incredible Ziwe

The hype around The Corner Store restaurant in New York City that’s reached such a fever pitch influencers like Tinx are asking how they can get a reservation on their Instagram Stories

Everything in the Reformation x Kacey Musgraves capsule collection

PREDICTING: That the new it dog is the English cream dachshund. They were on my radar then I saw that one made it onto the cover of the much-feted and newly relaunched J. Crew catalogue…

READING:

Nuzzi’s RFK relationship, a big scoop from Oliver Darcy for his new media newsletter Status

Gen Z Has Regrets from The New York Times. The guest essay is written by Will Johnson and Jonathan Haidt who campaigns against smartphones before 14, wants them banned from school and argues that social media should be restricted to over 16s.

MOVED BY: The many who applauded Giséle Pelicot as she made her way into court where her husband is accused of drugging her and inviting men to rape her

WATCHING: Season four of Slow Horses on Apple TV+

DEVOURING: Trader Joe’s Chantilly Cream Vanilla Bean Mini Sheet Cake. It’s actually as good as the TikTok girlies say.

highly flammable is produced and written by Rachel Richardson

She’s a content creator, commentator and consultant at Beginning, Middle and End

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Contact me at rr@bmend.com