Every January, the trend research agency Future Snoops (FS) publishes its macro trends. These outline long-term cultural shifts for the next two years. The trends examine how ideas move through networked cultural systems. They influence lifestyles and industries, including fashion.
Looking ahead to 2028, macro trends point to a fine line. The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) for efficiency and scale is juxtaposed with a new emphasis on human intuition, local relevance and long-term thinking.
1. MeOS: Rise of Personal Operating Systems
Enabled by AI, the next evolution of the connected world will be defined not by platforms, but by people. It’s about how they choose to participate. FS calls this change MeOS, short for ‘Me-Operating System’.
“We can expect a fundamental shift in the way users search and interact online,” says Nivara Xaykao, Director of Culture & Consumer Insights at FS. “AI practically bundles the entire Internet into personalized portals for each individual user.”
In practice, this means that consumers no longer move through linear funnels. Instead, discovery takes place in AI-driven environments. These curate information, products and inspiration individually for users. As a result, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) becomes a strategic must. AEO is a marketing strategy that aims to provide direct answers in AI-powered search tools. “This means that brands have to find their customers and not the other way around,” explains Xaykao. “Data will be the holy grail.”
AI is also accelerating co-creation and the rise of Creative Commons-inspired production. FS expects a rise in micro-aesthetics as designers, brands and consumers collaborate with algorithmic support. Traditional notions of authorship, ownership and value are called into question. This is forcing brands to rethink licensing and compensation models, similar to experiments like Disney’s AI partnership with OpenAI’s Sora.
“To me, this macro trend feels very immediate,” adds Xaykao. “It will change the way retail, marketing and creative work operate. Ultimately, it shifts power to individuals.”
2. Re-Sensitized: Return to gut feeling
The macro trend ‘Re-Sensitized’ focuses on the human response. “Decades of acceleration and automation have overtaxed our senses,” says Laila Carey, Cultural and consumer insights analyst at FS. In order to find your way in this new terrain, you have to rely more on intuition and gut feeling.
According to FS, one of the key questions brands must now ask is how to connect with consumers beyond data-driven optimization. Emotional awareness, physical intelligence and sensory engagement are becoming more important again.
Carey believes this is one of the most pressing trends to respond to. “People are going to great lengths to unwind and awaken themselves in new ways,” she notes. “Putting your phone away is the new Dry January.” There is a real willingness to be awakened by creativity. You want to reconnect with your body and observe your own feelings more closely.
Think immersive retail experiences, tactile materials, slower storytelling and creative formats. These invite reflection rather than immediate consumption.
3. Future Keepers: Value of the long-term perspective
“In this cultural climate, preservation becomes as important as innovation,” Carey explains. Value is shifting towards resilient ecosystems, past knowledge, skilled craftsmanship and intergenerational wisdom. In other words: we are increasingly looking back.
Therefore, nostalgia plays a crucial role in this macro trend. FS cites a study showing that 55 percent of U.S. adults consider discontinued products more valuable than current offerings. Consumers are willing to pay an average of 32 percent more for it.
Enabling younger generations to help shape the future according to their own ideas is central to this change. FS points to platforms like Depop as a prime example. Beyond resales, the company invests in the long-term success of Gen Z sellers. This is done through workshops, educational centers and mentoring programs. This extends sustainability from circular fashion to community livelihoods.
Environmental responsibility is also at the heart of this macro trend. It is not only a sustainability strategy, but also a form of cultural and ecological heritage.
4. Outer Vision: Intelligence through proximity
The next wave of intelligence, FS argues, will come not from scale but from proximity. ‘Outer Vision’ focuses on hyperlocal insights, slow observation and real-world connections. Hyperlocalism will require a deep understanding.
“Meetings, neighborhood corners and close cultural observations fill in the nuances,” explains Xaykao. “This creates an advantage in real life (IRL), both in retail and advertising.”
As AI continues to power macro-level insights, designers and brands are increasingly looking beyond the web for inspiration. The US company Target, for example, is already looking beyond conventional trend pipelines. AI helps process broad insights. At the same time, designers traverse niche events and cultural enclaves, from Western subcultures to après-ski life. This is where emerging trends first take shape.
Additionally, clarity is crucial. “If you address everyone, you address no one,” emphasizes Xaykao. FS highlights niche growth areas such as men’s cosmetics, pet care and aging populations. One example is Pilates for seniors over 60 in Japan, which is gaining cultural momentum.
Another insight for brands, says FS, is to question long-held assumptions about who their target audience really is.
5. Materials Science
The Materials Science macro trend focuses on how advances in science and technology are reshaping materials development. This in turn changes fashion at the fiber level. Accelerated materials science is opening up a new generation of bio-based and biotechnological materials.
“AI gives us the ability to imagine new materials and the formulas to create them,” notes FS. This approach is already being explored by biotech companies like Solena.
For brands, this raises a number of questions: How could production itself become part of the brand story and signal authenticity, quality or innovation? What partnerships or workflows could bring designers closer to the materials science behind their products? And how can the advantages of biotechnological materials and methods be communicated more effectively?
For now, the industry is still moving, with 2026 and 2027 still ahead of us.
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