TR.BIZ: 7.31.2025

Your late-mid-week check-in 💫

Welcome to The Trend Report: Business Edition™, a midweek look at top stories, trends, and more of what’s happening online and off by Kyle of The Trend Report™. Today, we’re talking rabbit rage bait, the loss of kid spaces online, and why Democrats need to stfu about trans people.

👠 Aesthetically Pleasing: Who’s atop the Lyst charts?

If you aren’t following The Lyst Index, it’s a crucial quarterly read for anyone vaguely following fashion trends. The Q2 2025 list just dropped, which gave a glimpse of what’s buzzing now: Miu Miu continues to stay on top with Loewe, Saint Laurent, Prada, and Coach on its heels, all as The Row’s flip flops steals “hottest product” (Hello,

Max Berlinger

!) along with the Vibram toe shoes (Hello,

Georgia Graham

!), and the return of Pucci — which I had to message the

Selleb Sisters

about given they were the first people I saw months ago wearing the brand (which we talked about in my interview with them). Why is Pucci so hot right now? “I think it’s manifold,” Claire Lee of Selleb shared over email. “1/ ppl ofc dress for the gaze of ig/tt → must optimize for thumbnail seduction in a land of ever-decreasing attention spans and a high bar for visual hooks → Pucci Pucci Pucci bc instant recognition and sugar high”: that’s very true, that it’s less dopamine dressing and more grid-dressing. “2/ quiet luxury and neutral tones can only be interesting for so long — i think the pendulum is swinging back to colors, swirls, patterns, serotonin dressing bc people want to have and look FUN! and they want you to know it too”: a la, times are TOUGH so people want TO LIVE. I get it! That’s my life motto. “3/ euro-summer-mediterranean-core / dolce far niente / Italian holiday mythology on the up and up = Pucci, obviously.”: obvi!! Chloe Lee, the other half of Selleb, agreed. “They've really nailed the colors (the variety goes crazy with the cuts too),” she said. “I'd also say the new collections look very similar to vintage Pucci pieces from decades ago — almost reminds me of Prada Re-Nylon trajectory. An homage to the past with a twist. Saw so much vintage Pucci in Paris it was nuts…many Parisians don't think Pucci is classy so it's fascinating to see the divide.” Interesting. If the most recent Lyst says anything, it’s go maximal and grab your secondhand Pucci — before summer ends at least (or until these pee pee poo poo times end). Dive into the list yourself, as we place bets on what will top Q3. I would put money on the Gimaguas studded bag and the stupid fucking Skims “beauty” face wrap while the Selleb sisters have their money on Missoni (“I feel like I never hear one without the other!” Claire said, tying it back to Pucci).

📲 Tech Talk, I: Another AI animal enters the rage bait villa

About two months ago, a kangaroo hopped across the internet to make people mad because it was a service animal that couldn’t get on a plane. Well, joke was on us as it was AI — and it broke people, because it was the first time so many (Young!) people fell for an AI video. Cut to now, when a group of little bunny rabbits discover a trampoline. And a bear too! How cute! Well, turns out they’re AI too and people are equally as mad about it because they thought it was adorable only to feel stupid. Yeesh! If only this wasn’t the tip of the iceberg as far as dupes go.

• What can you do about this? Prepare yourself for this to happen daily and know that any non-overt disclaiming of AI usage will result in people feeling stupid once they realize it’s not-real — which then means they will be mad at you and more inclined to log off. If you’re looking to capitalize on this, make your pro-AI or con-AI stance known, perhaps by filming something on or making something with a trampoline. You have by the end of the week before the window closes!

📲 Tech Talk, II: Lofi Girl graduates from…YouTube?

In case you missed it, the creature that bore the whole lofi trend has graduated from something in poor animation, which has gotten attention because it means perhaps that she is going to pivot to video, get away from her desk, and likely turn into AI slop. Maybe that is what she was studying for? We shall see — but it does signal something else: she might be leaving YouTube because YouTube isn’t what it used to be. From removing its iconic “Trending” page for nothing (but likely an AI pivot) to monetizing profane videos to using AI to age verify viewers to being banned for children under 16 in Australia, clearly the platform is going through it: I wouldn’t be surprised if more channels “graduate” from YouTube soon.