LSN : Daily Signals : Stat: Asia’s middle class gripped by financial anxiety, FWD survey finds

Coach spotlights banned books in Explore Your Story campaign

Coach, Explore Your Story, Global

US – Luxury brand Coach has partnered with publishing company Penguin Random House and a range of independent publishers across Asia-Pacific to create fully readable miniature book charms for its bags, many featuring banned works.

The move lands amid intensifying debates around literary censorship. According to nonprofit organisation PEN America, 6,870 books were removed from US school libraries during the 2024–2025 academic year, with nearly 23,000 bans documented since 2021.

Coach’s spring 2026 campaign, Explore Your Story was created with global creative agency Forsman & Bodenfors and reinforces this positioning. The film follows characters transported into classic literary worlds including Sense and Sensibility and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Sophia Lindholm, head of creative at Forsman & Bodenfors, explained: ‘We saw a major resurgence in reading among [Gen Z] and found that stories of self-expression play a powerful role in shaping their identities, giving them the courage to live authentically.’

By embedding literature into accessories and storytelling, Coach is reframing reading as a marker of identity and cultural literacy – mirroring insights from our Luxury’s Literary Economy report.

Strategic opportunity

A new era of post-purpose branding is emerging, focusing on individual and collective human agency; within this, position brands as cultural custodians by partnering with publishers, libraries or literary institutions to champion intellectual freedom and self expression

New collagen research points to a more precise era of beauty claims

Global – A comprehensive independent review from the UK’s Anglia Ruskin University, which draws on 16 systematic reviews and 113 trials involving nearly 8,000 participants, has confirmed that daily collagen supplementation delivers measurable improvements in skin elasticity and hydration – both key components of healthy ageing – but stops short of making broad anti-ageing claims.

Lead researcher Professor Lee Smith noted that while collagen is not a cure-all, the findings do support certain anti-ageing parameters when the supplement is used consistently over time. The study also identified benefits for joint pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis.

The findings mark a pivotal moment for the beauty and wellness supplement market. For years, collagen has been marketed beneath the broad umbrella of anti-ageing. But as consumers grow more sceptical of vague longevity claims and demand data-backed efficacy, precision is becoming a commercial necessity.

Fjör, UK

Brands that continue to trade in generic anti-ageing language risk credibility erosion. The collagen category now has both the scientific permission and the commercial incentive to reframe itself around targeted, mechanism-led benefits.

For more on collagen futures, read our Innovation Debrief report.

Strategic opportunity

Identify which product claims can be substantiated by independent research. As consumers become increasingly science-literate, specificity and accredited data are becoming the new markers of trust

Stat: Asia’s middle class gripped by financial anxiety, FWD survey finds

MoneymBag$ by Mackenzie Freemire, US

Asia – More than 70% of Asia’s middle-class consumers feel anxious about their financial wellbeing, limiting their ability to plan for the long term, according to a new survey by insurance group FWD.

The pan-Asian study of more than 9,000 consumers across 10 markets found that 71% worry about their overall financial situation as rising living costs and growing family responsibilities reshape priorities across generations.

The biggest concerns are the rising cost of everyday living (71%), healthcare expenses (43%) and the risk of unexpected job loss or income reduction (37%). As a result, financial planning is becoming increasingly short term, with many focusing on a two-to-three-year horizon.

Almost half (44%) said their main goal is building a basic financial safety net for their families, while 37% aim to achieve financial independence.

The findings reflect growing intergenerational pressures highlighted in our Gen X Now and Next: From Ambiguity to Advocacy report, which shows that many people in their 40s and 50s caring for a parent aged over 65 are also raising a child under 18 – underscoring the financial strain of the sandwich generation.

Strategic opportunity

Design services that cover multiple generations in a single offering, reflecting the reality that many middle-class consumers financially support their parents as well as their children