Miu miu girls, Keds, and the reign of Dopamine Culture
“When they roll out Kylie Jenner to achieve some kind of virality… you know something must be up”
Ciao!
Right now, in London, it feels like the peak of the summer. Not so much in its temperature, but in my relaxed pocket of the city, it feels more akin to quaint tourist town. I’m kind of into it. Tourists lime-bike the streets with me, standing wide-eyed at the pub, sipping their beers, camera in hand.
I, myself, have been laying low. With friends ducking in and out of the city – a weekend in Hydra here, a few days in Marseille there – it’s been the perfect time to keep a low profile.
Next week, this all changes. My calendar is laced with events and dinners and drinks, all primed to lull me out of my summer slumber. I must say, I’m excited for it. Of course, I’ll be bringing you along with me, sharing every step of the way.
Okay, onto the good stuff.
Agenda for today’s letter:
Miu Miu, Kylie and our Dopamine Culture
I think it’s time we chat about Keds
Got a question for Rach? We’re taking submissions for next month’s “Ask Rach” audio letter. Ask anonymously below.
Miu Miu, Kylie and our Dopamine Culture
Everyone’s up in arms with Miu Miu this week
If you’ve been on the internet at any point this week, I’m sure you’ve seen the news: Kylie Jenner graced the latest Miu Miu campaign and everyone’s got something to say about.
The discourse around their Fall 2025 campaign, and more specifically Kylie’s inclusion, is to be expected. In fact, that’s kind of what they wanted didn’t they?
The mainstream appear confused. If TMZ articles, KUWTK Reddit threads and IG comments have anything to say about it, the sentiment is that the images are ‘awkward’ and ‘boring’. “So over the dead eyes and boring faces”, one commenter exclaimed. “Usually I love Kylie’s editorials but this is her worst shoot by far,” another noted.
Much of the fashion crowd aren’t into it either. ‘But she’s not a Miu Miu girl’ seems to be the core sentiment.
Allow me to explain. Miu Miu is a house synonymous with up-and-coming indie darlings. As Alyssa Vingan explains in her brilliant Substack titled, The Kylie Jenner Miu Miu Campaign Is a Huge Bummer:
“When Miu Miu comes to mind, I think about discovery and star making! Since its inception in 1993, it’s been a brand that prefers to cast people in their first campaign, rather than their fiftieth.”
And therein lies the issue. The Kylie casting feels like a marketing stunt, a transactional ploy for virality and clicks. It feels like a disconcerting sign for the brand.
Not even a year ago it was featured in The New York Times under the headline: How Miu Miu Became Fashion’s Biggest Success Story. In December 2024, Dazed called it “the coolest brand in the world”.
While other luxury brands flailed and slumped, Miu Miu was defying the odds, growing stronger and stronger by the quarter. It experienced a 93% increase in retail sales in the first half of 2024. It was a key driver in Prada Group’s 17% revenue increase for the year just passed. It appeared everyone wanted to be a Miu Miu girl.
So, perhaps, that’s why the Kylie stunt feels so ominous. Do Miu Miu really need Kylie to drive conversation, virality, and sales? Could it be that this ‘rising star’ of the luxury industry is beginning to see its decline?
As Amy Francombe comments in her latest Substack, The fashion simulation is glitching:
“For a brand that’s carefully crafted a thoughtful, layered identity, the Kylie pivot feels like a glitch in the matrix — trading substance for short-term virality.”
It makes me think about this concept of Dopamine Culture…
Brought to my awareness by Marc Bain for Business of Fashion this week. Dopamine Culture is a concept popularised by music historian and critic, Ted Gioia in a viral Substack essay published in 2024. In it, Ted describes how algorithms manipulate dopamine-driven behaviour to shape consumption and creative output.
Marc Bain overlaid this concept with the fashion industry in his Business of Fashion piece from this week. And the results are wild.
Instead of couturiers our designers are provocateurs. Instead of seasonal collections, we have drops. Trade events have been replaced by the viral moment. Hot takes over newspapers. Marketing is entertainment rather than selling clothes. Trends aren’t movements, they’re cores. Instead of browsing stores, we’re scrolling feeds. The culture has optimised itself for dopamine. And the industry has followed suit.
With this as context, the Kylie choice for Miu Miu is more understandable.
It doesn’t bode well for what’s to come…
I think it’s time we chat about Keds
Is this the next big shoe trend?
There’s a new footwear trend afoot and we need to talk about it. I genuinely never thought these white canvas shoes would see the light of day again but here we are. Keds are having a moment.
I’d say it first peaked my interest with Audrey Gelman.
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