August 2026

The names we kept coming back to

Meta 7Nike 6Anthropic 5OpenAI 5TikTok 5YouTube 4IKEA 4Supreme 4Google 3Apple 3Amazon 3Adidas 3

Rising in August

Names we covered more in August 2026 than in July 2026, each with its latest story.

• TikTok5 episodes, up from 2Texas negotiated a $1.35B side deal with Meta, conditional on TikTok and YouTube changing behaviour
• IKEA4 episodes, up from 1IKEA hides clutter behind its own billboards. The product and the problem share the same frame
• Supreme4 episodes, up from 1Supreme's CCO exits after 22 years. Creative tenure at the top is compressing
• Kith3 episodes, none in JulyKith and BMW's one-of-one car builds turn automotive into a gallery object, not a product
• Sephora3 episodes, none in JulyNIOD enters Sephora with cold plunge activations, not skincare demos

See the Rising index

The month in three threads

Its first, middle and last episodes.

1. First · Sat 1 AugResale claimed the high street. Primary retail blinked firstAnthropicOpenAIGucci
2. Middle · Sun 16 AugObjects replaced media. Distribution just changed handsMetaInstagramRolex
3. Last · Mon 31 AugCommunity replaced content as the premium cultural productNikeAppleOlivia Rodrigo

Where the stories came from

• Brand and Business 32
• Design and Architecture 30
• Fashion and Style 28
• Music and Entertainment 21
• Tech and Digital 21
• Culture and Ideas 19
• Art and Photography 14
• Lifestyle and Taste 9

Every episode

• Mon 31 Aug · Ep 188Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields raises $20 million for women and girls
• Sun 30 Aug · Ep 187AI now makes 89 of China's top 100 animated dramas on Douyin
• Sat 29 Aug · Ep 186The RealReal's resale report links archive demand to luxury revivals
• Fri 28 Aug · Ep 185YouTube lets creators tag Amazon products in their videos
• Thu 27 Aug · Ep 184TechCrunch says Google's Gemini struggles to explain itself
• Wed 26 Aug · Ep 183Demna's first Gucci campaign draws on K-pop, rap and Americana
• Tue 25 Aug · Ep 182Netflix considers opening its app to Peacock and Fox One
• Mon 24 Aug · Ep 181Xbox and IKEA launch a gaming furniture collaboration
• Sun 23 Aug · Ep 180Palace opens its third Seoul store, inside Lotte World Mall
• Sat 22 Aug · Ep 179Fugazi sells its cancelled Vans collaboration for $5 a pair
• Fri 21 Aug · Ep 178Ralph Lauren turns the US Open into a retail season
• Thu 20 Aug · Ep 177IKEA's Konstrunda brings collectible design to mass-market prices
• Wed 19 Aug · Ep 176Google overhauls Chicago's Thompson Center
• Tue 18 Aug · Ep 175Supreme builds its FW26 collection as a complete world
• Mon 17 Aug · Ep 174Inception Point builds AI personas that host podcasts and model clothes
• Sun 16 Aug · Ep 173BYD and rival carmakers ship karaoke and gaming as standard
• Sat 15 Aug · Ep 172Instagram redraws its wordmark for the first time since 2016
• Fri 14 Aug · Ep 171Depop teams up with Spotify for live music in its new campaign
• Thu 13 Aug · Ep 170Saucony overtakes ASICS in sneaker sales growth on StockX
• Wed 12 Aug · Ep 169SKIMS opens a London flagship designed by Rafael de Cárdenas
• Tue 11 Aug · Ep 168Anthropic courts investors for what could be the largest IPO in history
• Mon 10 Aug · Ep 167AI labs cluster around DeepMind's base at King's Cross
• Sun 9 Aug · Ep 166ChatGPT users called Spiralists treat their AI chats as a spiritual practice
• Sat 8 Aug · Ep 165Ralph Lauren's profit rises 23% as revenue climbs 14%
• Fri 7 Aug · Ep 164Designers move from Canva to rival tools after its AI push
• Thu 6 Aug · Ep 163Lightspeed hires Claire Zau, a seed VC with an Instagram following
• Wed 5 Aug · Ep 162Spotify and Merlin license AI remixes for independent labels
• Tue 4 Aug · Ep 161Mackage profiles five women shaping New York's art world
• Mon 3 Aug · Ep 160Retail leaders at a Glossy dinner recast stores as community hubs
• Sun 2 Aug · Ep 159A New Yorker essay tracks Taylor Swift's move beyond the album
• Sat 1 Aug · Ep 158eBay completes its Depop deal as Designer Exchange opens in Newcastle