The T Files

Ongoing feed of what's hot in consumer culture. Brought to you by Trendera.

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Props to: Quartz Gift Guide

As we run around picking up the last items on our Christmas shopping lists, Quartz is bringing us back to the true meaning of a gift. The news site has compiled our favorite gift guide of the year, a beautiful and intuitive site that shares how 40 leaders in art, business, fashion, science, and social justice responded to the question, “What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?” With fascinating answers from the likes of Melinda Gates, Junot Diaz, and Richard Branson, the project shows the immense range of both material and intangible gifts that stand out in people’s lives, as well as the personal stories connected to them.

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App-Tastic: Jukely 

The latest subscription service to grab our attention, Jukely gives its members access to hundreds of concerts, parties, and DJ sets for the price of $25/month. The Netflix-for-concerts recently revamped its website and app to focus solely on its subscription model. Users simply browse a list of shows happening in the next 3 days, claim a spot on the Jukely guest list when they spot one they like (maximum of one concert per night), and then check in on the app when they’re at the venue. With the potential to completely change how people experience nightlife, Jukely means that concertgoers no longer need to plan months beforehand and are free to try new things to suit their current mood.

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In Our Carts: Fundamental Berlin Frames 

Design lovers are currently obsessing over these pictures frames from German design firm Fundamental Berlin. The company, which focuses on furniture and objects inspired by the geometry of nature, seems to have touched on an unrealized desire people have for photo frames that work together with the photo within to create a whole new piece of art. Made out of brass and steel, the frames cover photos with unique patterns and shapes inspired by the Bavarian flag, Albrecht Dürer, and peepholes. According to the designers, the frames were inspired by fishnet tights—and the idea that things become more captivating when slightly obscured.

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Our Obsession: Sex & Love Report

This week, we’re gearing up to release a special edition of The Trendera Files. The Sex & Love Report shares stats, direct quotes, and even up-to-date slang to help readers understand modern dating and how relationships have changed from past generations. Our findings come from surveying 1,000 Gen Ys (21-35) and Vs (13-20) around the country and talking directly to influencer teens and twenty-somethings. From naked photos and sexting to on-screen relationships and marriage, we left no stone unturned, risqué or otherwise. We discovered that only 45% of Gen Ys and 70% of Vs say they want to get married one day, and that meeting the parents and changing your relationship status on social media are more likely to indicate a romantic relationship than sex. Intrigued? Click for a preview!

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Marketing Buzz: #AllTreesAreBeautiful

For those who haven’t noticed, Reese’s makes a Christmas tree-shaped version of their beloved peanut butter candy every holiday season. This year, however, someone at the Reese’s factory headquarters must have gotten lazy because candy eaters have been taking to social media to complain about unwrapping brown shapeless blobs instead of festive treats. But this is actually where the story starts: instead of ignoring, defending, or even apologizing for their products, the Reese’s social media team brilliantly turned the situation around with a smart, timely, and funny Twitter campaign advocating for the end of “tree shaming” and declaring that #AllTreesAreBeautiful. Well played Reese’s, well played.

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Watch of the Week: 25 Best Films of 2015

To the joy of cinephiles everywhere, Rolling Stone staff writer David Ehrlich has released his annual video countdown of his picks for the best movies of the year. His videos have become a bit of an internet tradition, and the 2015 edition didn’t let us down: from the excellent opening sequence to the carefully curated soundtrack, the artistic video is a little movie in and of itself. Featuring films like Mad Max: Fury Road, Girlhood, Magic Mike XXL, and Kumiko the Treasure Hunter, Ehrlich’s picks stray away from blockbuster names and embrace the human stories coming from today’s filmmakers. We suggest making some popcorn and sitting back to watch Ehrlich’s masterpiece, which also happens to be our 2016 movie-viewing bucket list.

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Props to: The Thanksgiving Reader

Entrepreneur and blogger Seth Godin has come up with a new way to give thanks with more intention, community, and connection. The Thanksgiving Reader is a free PDF and activity guide for families to do together during Thanksgiving. Fitted with beautiful illustrations, the document compiles powerful and spiritual stories, poems, and quotes from the likes of Nelson Mandela, Thich Naht Hanh, and Navajo prayers. While some pieces are to be read individually, others are meant to be read as a group or responsively; the booklet also ends with discussion questions. But in general, it’s completely up to the host exactly how the Reader is used, as the emphasis is more on bringing the holiday spirit back to what matters.

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App-Tastic: ShareTheMeal

This Thursday, consider sharing your bounty with a refugee child as you sit down to your Thanksgiving meal. The World Food Programme of the United Nations has created an app called ShareTheMeal that allows users to donate money towards ending global hunger with just a single tap. Designed to be used as donors sit down to breakfast, lunch, or dinner, ShareTheMeal was tested in Europe this summer, collecting enough for 1.7 million meals in Lesotho in Africa, with donations peaking around dinnertime. The app has now been widely released, this time with donations going to the Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan, which currently houses 20,000 Syrian children.

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In Our Carts: Samsun Flip Phone

We’ve been talking about flip phones as a Gen V trend for a while now, but reports of a new smartphone by Samsung may make the trend an even bigger one. The company’s W2016 Android flip phone has been officially unveiled, featuring not one, but two screens on the inside and outside of a clamshell version of the Galaxy S6. Combining the old and the new, the phone also features a mechanical keyboard (remember those?) and a longer battery life thanks to its low-tech design. There’s not yet word on when, where, or for how much the phone will be released, but considering how much buzz there was around the flip phone in Adele’s “Hello” music video, we think people are ready to get their flip on.

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Our Obsession: Half and Half

This week, we are giving a nod to all the couples celebrating the holidays apart. Our latest obsession, “Half & Half,” is a photo project by Danbi Shin and Seok Li, a Korean couple in a long-distance relationship between New York and Seoul. Posted under the Instagram account @shinliart, the series composites halves of each person’s point of view together to create a complete picture. Each half is taken simultaneously, despite the 14-hour time difference. We love that not only is “Half & Half” an exploration of creative collaboration, but it also uncovers sweet and simple similarities between two cities that may seem worlds apart.

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Marketing Buzz: REI #OptOutside

REI has joined the ranks of companies putting their foot down on the consumerism of Black Friday. The outdoors gear brand is practicing what it preaches by closing all of its 143 stores this Friday and paying REI employees to head outside instead. The move is part of a campaign called #OptOutside, which kicked off online with a video and letter from CEO Jerry Stritzke explaining why REI is opting out of Black Friday this year. To help out those who want to join REI’s mission, the campaign site allows visitors to search for the nearest locations where they can explore the outdoors, and aggregates #OptOutside photos from social media so visitors can see how others are opting out too.

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Watch of the Week: Thanksgiving Miracle

In our opinion, the best way to kick off the holiday season is with a good laugh. Saturday Night Live’s recent sketch “A Thanksgiving Miracle” is just the ticket, using humor (and passionate lip-syncing) to tackle the cross-generational, politics-fueled bickering that often happens during Thanksgiving dinner. Starring an all-star lineup of comedians like Cecily Strong, Jay Pharoah, Kate McKinnon, and Matthew McConaughey, the video has quickly become a YouTube favorite thanks to its highly entertaining—and timely—premise. Thank you SNL, for teaching us that no matter how much we disagree with our relatives, we can always all agree on one thing: that Adele makes great music.

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Props to: Crack and Cider

It’s hard to know the best way to help the homeless people we pass on the street. In London, pop-up non-profit shop Crack + Cider has come up with a noteworthy answer: a physical and online place where shoppers buy useful items for London’s homeless population. Located inside the socially conscious store One Good Deed Today, the idea (and name) comes from a sentiment that creators Scarlett Montanaro and Charley Cramer heard from a homeless person: “People don’t give me money because they just think I’ll spend it on crack and cider.” Instead of giving money, shoppers choose from a backpack, sweater, umbrella, winter jacket, and winter accessories—or a “warm and dry” set with everything—with Crack + Cider delivering the goods by Christmas.

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App-Tastic: Circle

Disney’s latest product offers a new way for families to manage their connected devices under one roof. Named Circle, the app and device allows parents to filter content, set time limits for apps, platforms, or general internet use, and set a “bedtime” or “awake time” for devices. Because each family member has their own unique profile, settings can be customized to each individual. With just the click of one button, parents can also pause the entire internet or disable access to a specific device. Perhaps in response to an increasing emphasis on unplugging and valuable family time, Circle offers a solution that helps parents manage both what content their children watch and the time that they have together. And at $99 a pop, it’s not a bad price for playing God.

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In Our Carts: Folly Soaps

Pelle Designs is proving that sculpture and soap make quite the lovely pair. The Brooklyn-based design studio, from two founders with backgrounds in architecture, has created a line of soaps that are both functional and decorative, and inspired by architectural follies. (A folly is a building built mainly for ornamental reasons). Available in a variety of shapes, colors, and textures, the soaps uniquely feature natural materials like charcoal, sea sponge, and pumice. Shoppers can opt to buy just one, or a limited-edition set of all 7 soaps that comes with two Cast Moon Dishes. We can already tell that they’ll give our bathroom counter the instant upgrade that it needs, making it impossible to choose a favorite.

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Our Obsession: Tenoverten

In the midst of the brouhaha over unethical nail salon practices in NYC, Tenoverten has just opened its fourth and largest salon dedicated to the long-term health and safety of workers and patrons. Located in the Financial District, the location is airy and industrial, and fitted with ventilation fans, manicure tables with iPads and phone chargers, and pedicure stations designed to be comfortable for technicians. Visitors can choose from Tenoverten’s signature cruelty- and “5-free” nail polishes, sugaring and wax treatments, as well as products from Tenoverten and other like-minded brands in an in-salon shop. Our favorite part, though, is the large meeting room in the back, which companies can book for client meetings and company activities. Now that sounds like a fun day at work!

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Marketing Buzz: 5 More Minutes

After conducting a survey in the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Australia, Brazil, and Mexico, Netflix found that 61% of parents deal with children delaying going to bed, with an average of 20 minutes of bedtime negotiating each night. To help parents with their nightly battles, Netflix was inspired by the classic line “Can we have 5 more minutes?” to create “Dinotrux 5 Minute Favorites,” three five-minute episodes of its original cartoon Dinotrux. Parents can access the shows by simply searching “5 Minute Favorites.” In honor of its new family peacekeeping tool, Netflix also created a promo video titled “The Battle for Bedtime,” which stars a “Batdad” character struggling to get his kids into bed—that is, until finding Netflix’s handy solution.