Trends & Artefacts: glomad edition
In this week’s edition of Trends & Artefacts, we round up the snackable trends, stats and insights from around the world, including:
Vinyl Sales Rise for 19th Consecutive Year
Comfort Becomes Fashion's Design Standard
Set-Jetting Becomes an $8 Billion Industry
Explainer: Glomads
Amtrak Ridership Jumps 10% as Flying Worsens
Vinyl Sales Rise for 19th Consecutive Year
US vinyl sales grew 8.6% to 47.9 million units in 2025, led by Taylor Swift's 1.6 million copies, whilst digital album sales dropped 15.9%. Film and gaming now drive sustained streaming uplifts, with Netflix's Led Zeppelin documentary increasing streams by 16% and Fortnite's Daft Punk experience boosting audio plays by 47.9%. When physical formats outpace digital for two decades straight, does that signal nostalgia or a rejection of ephemeral ownership?
Comfort Becomes Fashion's Design Standard
Fashion is reframing comfort as a baseline expectation rather than a compromise, driven by fluid work environments and rejection of restrictive clothing. Modern design now integrates stretch fabrics, breathable materials, and movement-friendly tailoring from the outset, treating ease and aesthetics as complementary rather than opposing goals. If comfort signals confidence instead of casualness, does that finally dismantle the idea that style requires suffering?
Set-Jetting Becomes an $8 Billion Industry
Expedia's 2026 report shows 53% of global tourists now book trips after seeing destinations on screen, surpassing social media as a travel driver. HBO's White Lotus turned luxury hotels into instant icons, whilst Paramount+'s Landman is reshaping Fort Worth tourism after its premiere drew 9 million views in 48 hours. When fictional narratives convert viewers into high-spending guests, does storytelling become the most effective destination marketing available?
Explainer: Glomads
Gen Z travellers are planning more international trips in 2026, using AI to build itineraries and choosing destinations around beauty treatments, supermarket visits, and meeting new people. Over half plan to travel with parents or grandparents, blending affordability with cross-generational connection. When grocery shopping abroad becomes a travel goal, are we witnessing experience culture or just content creation?
Amtrak Ridership Jumps 10% as Flying Worsens
Amtrak logged 34.5 million trips in FY 2025, up 10% from 2024, as airline fares spiked 25%, seats shrank, and perks like free checked bags disappeared. Meanwhile, startups like Dreamstar and Lunatrain are launching overnight sleeper services using existing tracks, whilst Amtrak's improved punctuality on shorter routes makes trains competitive with gridlocked driving. When convenience tilts away from speed, does that reveal infrastructure priorities or just passenger exhaustion with air travel's decline?
