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A fateful summer day, a wall in New York City turned lime green. Garish, brash and bold. The people stopped. Then came an album, a deluxe edition of said album, and an internet-shattering music video. This is brat summer, and nothing can stop it.
Many have tried to distil the lessons to be learned from this brat moment, and they’re not wrong in trying. It’s not an everyday occurrence to hop from internet niche to monoculture territory.
In this article, we’ll dissect brat and detail how interior designers can learn from its success. Portaire is a curated directory that brings beautiful architectural materials to designers. We’re also interior and product designers committed to bringing valuable content to creatives everywhere. For more, consider subscribing to our newsletter.
brat summer: Explained
You might have heard of Charli XCX before this summer, but not like this. Until 2024, she was considered a small pop star; although to some, she was already a hyperpop savant. However, and most importantly, she was someone who understood Gen Z humour and culture. Perhaps not a pop phenomenon, but a consistent artist in the scene.
Things started to change when she embraced her British rave roots with her Boiler Room set and Instagram presence. From then, the drop of her lime green album with the blurry Arial-font “brat” set her path into critical acclaim and commercial success.
The album recounts her inner turmoil with partying, fame, female friendships and self-hatred. The techno and house-inspired beats amplify the off-putting truth of existing in a spotlight that dehumanises the pop star; only to lift her up beyond her limits. In comparison to many pop stars’ confessional songwriting, Charli’s is gritty and, sometimes, even ugly.
But perhaps, beyond an album that has truly captured the zeitgeist, what we have is a fantastic marketing campaign. The brat album is associated with a uniquely bold green, one that Charli and design studio Special Offer Inc. worked on for months. From 500 options, it was this one that truly popped. Combine this green with the aesthetics of a “pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra”, and you have the gritty hedonism of this era.
So, how can interior designers use this moment to elevate their craft and marketing? We can tell you, and it might not be what you think…
Lesson 1: You’re allowed to skip a trend
Thousands of brands and corporate LinkedIn accounts have tried to capture the unique zing of brat, but many haven’t truly understood what the fun is about. They have just written something on a green square, without doing any background work on what being brat means… And it shows.
To start, brat is the antithesis of corporate culture. It is loud, uncomfortably honest and a little crass. The lime green is a great vehicle to showcase that message, but it is not *just* the colour that makes something brat. It’s the grit and cheek.
So, if this vibe does not work for your brand, skip it – another trend will come. Only a couple of months into brat summer, TikTok users have started emphasising their “thoughtful, demure” attitudes to life, inspired by user Jools Lebron. So, stick to your brand identity above a momentary trend… Always.
However, if there is synergy and you want to hop onto brat summer on your designer Instagram, we suggest playing with the overall vibe and meaning of brat; in addition to the bold green. Go beyond the surface and get stuck in.
Lesson 2: brat may not be timeless – and that’s OK
When Barbie came out in 2023 and its signature pink permeated high and fast fashion collections, many thought it could be a defining colour for the decade. Only a year on, and that pink hue feels dated, indelibly stained with a particular movie and tone of voice.
So, with brat green, a similar thing might happen. And that’s just the nature of internet phenomena. As interior designers, our work is to craft for years to come, to be sustainable in our taste, and to serve our clients’ lifestyles. If you want to play with a more temporary aspect of a design with this green, sure, go ahead. But for big decisions with big costs, let's allow internet things to stay internet things. Or, at least, have it be a colour that you and your clients organically love, and would have chosen regardless.
Lesson 3: Vulnerability sells
In an age of hyper consumerism and social media pandering, a little bit of raw honesty can go a long way. People are attracted to authenticity, and that’s really what brat sold: Charli’s unique definition of cool girl meets reality.
If you’re thinking about revitalising your social media presence, we suggest humanising yourself more than you think. As designers, it is tempting to just show the beautiful outcomes of projects and nothing else. But as social media content creators, that’s simply not enough anymore. You must engage users with your personality, process and love for the craft. Show the ugly, stressful moments. Indulge in small wins. But above all, stop flattening your presence into one beautiful veneer.
Lesson 4: Patience is everything
They say it takes 10 years to become an overnight success. Charli XCX erupted in the scene in 2012. It took 12 years, many hiccups and a lot of “being ahead of the curve” before something she did resonated at such a scale. It also took 500 tries to get that green.
If you’re struggling to find your visual language or clients, it might just take some time… And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Develop your craft, return to your roots and follow your gut. You might just change your career.
If you enjoyed this article, we think you’ll love our chat with Pure PR about public relations strategy for interior designers. To learn more about what other designers are doing, check out our exclusive interviews with Julia Day and Norm Architects. For beautiful products, check out our curated directory.
