Working Theories with Anu Lingala
On the difference between trending and a trend, synthetic expression and imposter syndrome
Who are you?
I’m a Brooklyn-based Trend Strategist. It’s a hybrid term that I sort of made up because I never quite felt that any of the other common titles accurately captured my expertise, which bridges trend forecasting and brand strategy. Some people might use ‘cultural strategist,’ but when I’ve tried to use this title in the past I received a lot of inbound requests for ‘corporate culture’ HR or DEI-focused work.
In my current role at Mejuri, I’ve had the unique opportunity to develop and implement a trend strategy process from scratch. I research and track trends throughout the year, and translate these into quarterly aesthetic trends & product strategy for our jewelry design team, quarterly cultural trends & creative strategy for our marketing team, and monthly trend updates for the entire company. I also function as a sort of in-house consultant, working on ad-hoc strategy projects to inform potential new initiatives, like our recent Play launch.
On the side, I write What’s Anu, a trend strategy newsletter. It’s an outlet for me to explore macro trends and themes across a much broader range of categories outside of fashion. I’ve found that writing is a great way to process higher-level concepts — the sorts of big-picture ideas that there isn’t really an appetite for at my day job, but which inevitably still inform and improve my day-to-day thinking.
What’s a working theory you hold right now about the industry, culture, or creativity?
I’ve been workshopping a theory, for several months now, that I call Trend Bipolarity. It borrows from geopolitical terminology that describes the state of the world at any given time as unipolar, bipolar, or multipolar. Back around 2021-2022, I felt that niche-ification and fractalization had led us to a multipolar state of trends, which is part of why I developed my Macrotrend Framework to help make sense of things.
Now, I increasingly feel like we’re in a bipolar state of trends, where two oppositional trajectories feel equally relevant in culture. One example might be what I call Synthetic Expression, which includes AI-produced art, versus Analog Soul, which includes the rise of offline hobbies like reading, knitting, and chess. It’s essentially trend vs. countertrend, but the difference is that one is not more dominant than the other — both have equal relevance at the same moment in time. As a strategy tool, trend bipolarity is sort of a twist on tension mapping. I’m working on writing a post about this!
What’s a belief or assumption in your field that you think is overdue for a rethink?
There is widespread confusion between something trending vs. a trend that is worth thinking about in a strategic context. Momentary microtrends and passing fads are not the same as trends that indicate long-term cultural shifts and changes in consumer behavior. The rise of Tiktok “trends” has contributed to this distortion, leading people to presume that all trend forecasters are concerned with tracking and/or predicting viral moments. This is an issue both inside and outside the field, because of an influx of people adopting the title “trend forecaster” when their expertise is tracking social media trends. While that work is entirely valid, it’s not what I do, and it’s part of why I tend to avoid the title nowadays.
What’s your favorite dumb thing you’ve seen on the internet recently?
Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I don’t think I can really answer this question because my phone has been bricked for two weeks now — that stupid piece of plastic really works! My friend sent me this, though, which made me lol:
What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in work—and what did it teach you?
Starting my newsletter felt like a big risk because it was the first time I’d ever shared my work in a public forum. I’ve always had some imposter syndrome because I sort of developed my own approach to doing this work without any formal training in cultural trend forecasting or brand strategy. After my first job, I’ve never really had a hands-on manager — most of my entire career has been a series of jumping at opportunities, winging it, and learning by doing. I guess taking the risk of starting the newsletter taught me to…(I don’t know how to make this sound less corny)…believe in my work. I’ve been blown away by the positive response that my writing has received, the incredible people I’ve met, and the opportunities that have come my way, just from sharing my ideas.
What are your absolute go-to cultural resources?
I read a lot of newsletters. In terms of helping me expand my perspective and think about things differently, I particularly enjoy Zine, Concept Bureau, Nemesis, 8Ball, and anything Kyle Chayka writes. For a unique approach to studying Gen Z, I think The Up & Up is doing great work.
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I did the same! My title is self-created since my role overlaps so many areas. I’m a creative consultant at a trend forecasting company called WGSN. The industry definitely makes room for that kind of hybridity. Great piece!