Very demure, very mindful: How brands should navigate ‘internet speak’

For Ssense’s Yotka, this is the easy part. “Pairing pictures with text is the oldest formula in the book — literally — when it comes to storytelling,” she says. “It’s just about finding the right look or product for the turn of phrase. We don’t overthink it: keep it simple, legible and obvious.”

The fine line between cultural relevance and cringe

Brands that have a grasp on ephemeral marketing should get on board, Makoni says. “If you are an ephemeral brand by nature, you can take advantage of things for a quick second and it will seem like you’re in touch and people will love it and you will likely grow from it as a result,” she says.

Founder-led brands that have high-profile creators are particularly well positioned, Makoni adds, because it feels natural for culture-attuned spokespeople to riff off of what’s going on online.

But, she cautions, not all brands can — or should — speak to their consumers in this way. If it’s not a fit, brands will seem out of touch. Yems agrees, and says brands need to be honest with themselves about whether they have the right to engage with a trend. “‘Demure’ itself is dripping in irony and satire. If your brand doesn’t embody these qualities, or is simply not a humorous brand, then jumping on the trend won’t land and could even read as mockery,” she says. “In the land of internet humour, there’s a fine line between cultural relevance and cringe.”

Brands need to assess whether these turns of phrase align with both their brand identity and their consumer ethos. “Hermès making content around ‘demure’ would feel weird, right? But Loewe making content on ‘demure, mindful’ would make so much sense,” says Makoni. Hermès is an ultra-luxury heritage brand with a high-net-worth, older consumer; while under Jonathan Anderson, Loewe has consistently leaned into internet aesthetics and normcore, and boasts a digital-savvy consumer base.

Ssense falls squarely in the latter camp. “At Ssense, we want to speak the language of our audience,” says Yotka. “More than half of our content on social media is not about viral trends — we publish designer Q&As, editorials, photo and video stories — so we want to balance those deeper state fashion pieces with content that has a bit of levity and humour. The balance matters because it reflects what Ssense is: the place to find the best edit of The Row and the new emerging designer nobody knows about yet. Everyone who liked the ‘very demure’ meme also got an intro to Chopova Lowena, one of the best-performing independent brands on Ssense right now.”