Trend Watch: What’s Behind the Resurgence of the Butterfly

01 Nov 2021
Trend Watch: What’s Behind the Resurgence of the Butterfly
More From

LPK

On the cusp of Y2K, the butterfly was everywhere—and now it’s back again. What does this trend tell us about the moment we’re in, and where we’re headed next? Valerie Jacobs talks with Vogue Magazine.

The butterfly has arguably become fashion’s most in-demand motif, appearing everywhere from runways and red carpets to ready-to-wear. As a symbol of transformation and freedom, the butterfly trend points to a broadly felt desire amongst consumers to break free—to undergo a metamorphosis of sorts.

“Over the past year-and-a-half, we’ve all been ‘cocooning,’ literally and figuratively,” Valerie Jacobs, Chief Growth Officer and LPK’s head futurist, tells Vogue Magazine. “We want to reemerge and take flight.”

Jacobs, who specializes in helping brands anticipate change and become Future Fluent, also notes that this isn’t the first we’ve seen of this trend, nor will it be the last: “Y2K posed a similar sense of existential threat as Covid-19, so it’s interesting to see the paralleled prominence of the butterfly in these two periods,” she says. “Y2K wasn’t just the start of a new day, new year, or new decade. It was the start of a new century. Once we turned that page, we saw the butterfly in the highest echelons of fashion.”

To read the full piece on Vogue.comhead here.

 

Image Credit: Vogue: from left: Photographed by Franco Rubartelli, Vogue, January 1968; Photographed by David Bailey, Vogue, November 1967; Photographed by J.P. Zachariasen, Vogue, January 1971; Getty Images; Photographed by Guy Marineau, Vogue, Versace Spring 1995 RTW. Collage: David Vo
Published On Nov 01, 2021

More of Our Thinking

Bullshit-Free Brands
Webinar

Bullshit-Free Brands

Lofty brand purpose statements are a dime a dozen—so how do you create one that’s true to your DNA and creates deeper connection with consumers?
The Refresh Done Right
Webinar

The Refresh Done Right

Leading a brand refresh can be a high-stakes undertaking. Hear from the brand-building experts behind the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library’s recent refresh to learn how to do it successfully.
Talk Like a Challenger Brand
Webinar

Talk Like a Challenger Brand

Learn how to uncover rare and valuable insights to inspire better strategic foundations, unexpected value propositions and a breakthrough tone of voice.

Get LPK in Your Inbox

 

FIND YOURSELF HERE.

We are a coveted brand and innovation consultancy. A collective of curious minds and creative souls. But this is not simply a place. It’s a direction; a movement pointed ever forward. Here, each of us leads by doing. We inspire our fellow specialists, but also our clients and industry colleagues. The work we create means something and makes something: makes minds change. Makes needles move. Makes watershed moments.

You are different here, and you’ll keep on changing. You will grow here. You will be smart, brave, closer to the truth.

And your transformation will also be ours—a progression paved by following your deepest passions and wildest ideas.

Because here, you own a piece of what happens next. Here, we’re united in the belief that LPK is never finished. We are ravenous for the new, the emerging, the uncharted. We know what we hold sacred. And clinging to that, we charge ahead.

Return to Careers page

CPG Brand Workshops

 

Desires Workshop

 

Desires Canvas

 

Innovation Platforms

 

Have a challenge? We’re all ears.
Let’s talk about how we can partner.

 

Have a challenge? We’re all ears.
Let’s talk about how we can partner.

 

Have a challenge? We’re all ears.
Let’s talk about how we can partner.

 

Have a challenge? We’re all ears.
Let’s talk about how we can partner.

 

We use cookies. By continuing we’ll assume you accept the terms of our privacy policy.