Catawiki has teamed up with Hypemind — Hypebeast’s culturally driven insights branch — to compile a comprehensive report chronicling “The Definitive List of 21st Century Icons.”
Online marketplaces like Catawiki have revolutionized the world of collecting, making once-niche interests and subcultures more accessible than ever. As we approach the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, this partnership reflects on how the rapid pace of culture — fueled by technology and social media — has reshaped the industry.
Enlisting a panel of international industry experts including editors, fashion experts, and curators, the report provides a detailed deep dive into the trends, products, and brands that have shaped contemporary culture. Combining data from its online marketplace’s most-searched terms in 2023 and the results of a qualitative survey with Catawiki’s in-house expertise to create an extensive list of objects and brands from the 21st century, the panel started by discussing what makes something iconic. They focused on the stories behind the objects with the term “narrative object” being key, before taking these insights to compile the final 100.
Whether it’s analyzing the influential movements that have taken the world by storm, items that have had consumers queuing overnight, unexpected cross-discipline collaborations, or even the resurgence of early 2000s nostalgia — the top 100 list covers the essence of the rapid evolution of the cultural landscape. Expect to find detailed insight into the “-core” prefix trend like gorp and bloke, the pioneering iPod Classic 1st gen, Virgil Abloh x IKEA, and much more.
Explore the full “The Definitive List of 21st Century Icons” report on the marketplace’s website now. The 21st Century Icons Auction, curated by Hypebeast and Catawiki, will also be live from October 11 – 20.
