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Porsche taps into the kidult economy

Icons of Porsche 2025 by Porsche and Kasing Lung

The Middle East – Porsche is accelerating into the collectable art economy with a collaboration that merges automotive heritage and pop culture. At Icons of Porsche 2025 in Dubai, the marque teamed up with Kasing Lung – the Hong Kong artist behind the cult monster figurine Labubu – to unveil a bespoke Porsche 911 Targa art car and a limited-edition sculpture.

Lung’s characters, The Monsters, have built a global fandom since Pop Mart signed an exclusive licensing agreement with him in 2019, propelling figures like Labubu and King Mon into the pop culture mainstream – as unpacked in our Six Chinese Brands Redefining Global Expansion report.

Now, King Mon takes the wheel of a classic 911 Targa in a one-of-a-kind metal artwork, limited to 60 pieces and sold via How2Work, with delivery slated for early 2026.

The move marks Porsche’s latest push beyond engineering and into fandom-driven cultural equity, echoing the success of its Aimé Leon Dore partnerships. By aligning with Lung, the brand is also tapping into the burgeoning Kidult Craze, where adults channel nostalgia through physical collectibles to reconnect with and soothe their inner child.

Strategic opportunity

Use cross-industry partnerships to build immersive brand story worlds. Whether through installations, art collaborations or limited-edition collectibles, invite audiences to engage, co-create and experience luxury narratives beyond the product itself

Maison Margiela Residences unveiled in Dubai

Maison Margiela Residences, US

UAE – Parisian fashion house Maison Margiela is extending its avant-garde design language into residential living, choosing Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah for its global debut. The project comprises 25 bespoke units, each offering full sea views and proximity to the city’s most sought-after dining and retail.

While fashion remains at its core, the house has long treated architecture and interiors as experimental terrain, from immersive runway installations to the 2011 redesign of La Maison Champs Elysées.

This new venture, developed with Alta Real Estate Development, translates Margiela’s signatures of deconstruction, trompe-l’œil and material transformation into a residential context described by CEO Gaetano Sciuto as ‘the architectural expression of an Haute Couture house’.

Spaces are finished in travertine, layered whites, resin-filled indentations and gold details, with amenities including an art gallery, curated library, gym, spa, infinity pool and a Margiela Café. Italian architect Carlo Colombo also crafted a bespoke furniture collection to ensure aesthetic continuity throughout.

This move aligns with analysis in our New Codes of Luxury report, where designed living sees brands extending their worlds into hospitality and residential spaces to deepen cultural and commercial resonance.

Strategic opportunity

Brands across sectors can translate their core aesthetics into spatial experiences such as residences, cafes, studios or galleries – creating immersive environments that deepen loyalty and open new revenue streams

Stat: High earners no longer feel rich as UK wealth perceptions shift

Britain’s Old War Office to become Raffles London at The OWO by late 2022, UK

UK – According to a new wealth survey by Times Money and YouGov, just 21% of Britons earning more than £125,000 ($164,5000, €142,085) a year consider themselves rich, despite being in the top 4% of national earners.

Following a poll of more than 4,000 people, the research reveals a striking disconnection between income and perceived affluence. Even traditional markers of financial security – owning a home outright, holding over £1m ($1.3m, €1.1m) in savings or earning a six-figure salary – no longer translate to feeling well off. Overall, 94% of respondents said they do not see themselves as rich, and more than half identified as working class.

In a cultural landscape in which extreme wealth accumulation is hyper-visible – with analysts predicting Elon Musk could become the world’s first trillionaire – the benchmarks for what counts as rich have shifted dramatically. As everyday costs continue to rise, traditional indicators of success no longer feel like reliable markers of financial security. The result is a growing psychological gap in which HENRYs (high earners, not rich yet) work hard and earn more than most yet feel no closer to the version of wealth portrayed around them. Their disillusionment stems not from a lack of income, but from a recalibration of what wealth looks and feels like today.

For more on how status, value and financial wellbeing are being redefined, explore our report, The Great Wealth Transfer.