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With Brat Summer fading further into the rearview mirror, it's time to look ahead to the next consumer trend set to sweep the internet. You might want to prepare yourself for a year of "neo-medievalism."
That's the key takeaway from a new report by Wonderhood Studios, a UK-based creative agency and production company. Wonderhood examines data from social media, Google Ngram, and other sources to produce an annual consumer trends predictions report for its marketer clients.
"The future is medieval," Jack Colchester, the head of data and insight at Wonderhood, wrote in the report.
Think cloaks and blacksmithing, all washed down with lashings of mead, the ancient honey-based alcoholic drink.
Colchester said the medieval trend taps into two prevailing consumer attitudes: A lust for nostalgia and the renunciation of an always-online culture.
"Neo-medievalism is the embrace of all things medieval in the face of growing rejection of modern tech-centric culture," Colchester wrote.
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There were hat-tips to medieval fashion on runways and major entertainment events last year that hint at the growing trend, Colchester said.
Take the MTV VMAs in September, where singer Camila Cabello donned a veil while fellow pop star Chappell Roan fashioned a sword as an accessory and later appeared in an outfit entirely made from chainmail. Elsewhere in September, actor Natalie Portman wore a chainmail-inspired Dior dress to the Deauville Film Festival.
In a similar vein, Pinterest predicted last month that "castlecore" would be a big trend for 2025, particularly in home décor and fashion.
Analysis of English-language Pinterest searches between September 2022 and August 2024 found a 110% lift in search volume for "medieval core," while searches for "chainmail necklace" and "castle house plans" were both up 45%, respectively.
Colchester said "Bardcore," referring to medieval-style music, has also steadily grown in popularity on TikTok in recent years. Speaking to this trend, the tech company Teenage Engineering last year released a beat machine that includes a library of hundreds of built-in medieval sounds, such as bowed harps, bagpipes, and frame drums, and effects like swords clashing and arrows flying.
Mead is also having a moment, popularized by TV shows like "Game of Thrones" and with a growing number of commercial meaderies opening in the US.
Global sales of mead are set to grow from $592 million in 2024 to $1.4 billion by 2032, according to the market research company Fortune Business Insights. A separate report, from the market research company Technavio, had an even rosier outlook, estimating the global mead market would grow by $2.7 billion between 2024 and 2028.
In its report, Wonderhood also cited Google Ngram data, which explores language usage trends within books and other published materials, that suggests interest in mead is at its highest since 1887.
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Colchester said mead fits into several trends among younger consumers.
"It's lower alcohol, chemical free, has loads of taste, and it's sustainable and helps bees," Colchester said.
Colchester said that the "neo-medievalism" trends — while somewhat tongue-in-cheek — point to consumers rejecting what he describes as hyper-modernity and pristine sameness.
"The creative benchmark in 2025 will be: get to places AI couldn't," Colchester said.
"In a tidal wave of algorithmic mediocrity overwhelming the internet, the only way to stand out is to embrace being an unashamed attention seeker — and boldly step into your neo-medieval jester era," he added.
