Glamping and vintage love
This is the consequence of an unstable economy. We're still consumerists at heart, we still have to want something.
So if new designer clothes and hotels are out of the question, look for the next best thing.
This is the new cool.
ChatGPT's note
There's something interesting happening here: when people can't afford the traditional markers of status, they don't necessarily stop consuming — they change what counts as desirable.
Second-hand designer pieces, vintage furniture, niche hobbies, thrifted objects, cheap-but-authentic travel, repairing instead of replacing — these can become status signals in their own right. The thing that used to communicate “I can afford this” gets replaced by “I know where to find this.”
And eventually, scarcity itself can become part of the aesthetic. Being able to find something great for €20 can feel more interesting than simply buying something expensive for €2,000.