ed jeans and low-strung cheetah-print tunic circa 2004, as I know many of us are. Instead of staying true to Sass & Bide’s character, Myer forced the brand to grow up when it took the reins in 2014. Myer chased what it thought millennials wanted: suiting, workwear, and soft, billowy, on-trend items that didn’t align with the brand’s DNA. In the process, Sass & Bide lost the chaotic NFG attitude. The side boob rebellion. The gritty, blingy freedom that the cult 2000s fashion icon stood for. Heritage can’t be faked My eternally wise Gen Z colleague, Josie, described it to me this way: “Every piece you bought from the golden era of Sass & Bide was like taking it from the wardrobes of founders Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke themselves.” And yet, it seems to be the first thing that’s overlooked when big retailers take over independents. Commercial strategy takes precedence over brand ethos. Founders are forced to step away. The magic dies. A tale as old as Mambo The same thing happened when Mambo (RIP, another icon) moved to a mass-market, high-volume, low-price model and started being stocked in Big W. The brand lost all aura because deep down, consumers knew they were no longer buying a piece of Reg Mombassa’s genius. Ben & Jerry’s is another even more recent example. A heartfelt apology note from founder Jerry went viral after co-founder Ben announced he had exited the business following Unilever’s takeover. “What allowed the company to be more than just an ice cream company was the independence to pursue our values,” he wrote. “It’s profoundly disappointing to conclude that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone.” 1.9M likes and 16.3K comments can’t be ignored. When you separate the art from the artist, can the brand survive? Absolutely, it can – if you pay careful consideration and respect to the brand’s heritage. Not just from the point of inception, but at every step. The best fashion houses prove this, over and over. In its latest spring/summer 2026 campaign, Chanel harks back to its heritage in what feels like a new conversation between creative director Matthieu Blazy and Coco herself. With photography that references the namesake some 90 years ago, shot in the same locations, the feeling is joyful, youthful, totally Gen Z – and yet deeply cemented in respect for the past. Even fallen brands prove that a heritage revival can get you out of the trenches – or, in Burberry’s case, back into them. After years of diluting its brand codes, upping prices and focusing on leather goods, Burberry was the comeback story of 2025. With new CEO Joshua Schulman at the helm, the brand leaned back into its original purpose: to, in Schulman’s words, create clothing that “protects people from the weather”. And it did it in a way that grabbed Gen Z’s attention with the stunningly talented Olivia Colman. Heritage is having its heyday, and frankly, it slaps Call it nostalgiacore, call it the death of millennial cringe, heritage is here and having its heyday. Branding expert Camille Moore calls it Heritage Maximalism. She also makes the insightful point that this return to heritage isn’t a coincidence – it’s strategic. And it aligns with an interesting Gen Z cultural shift. More than ever, this is a generation that wants stability, integrity and trust. Moore points to the “Ralph Lauren Christmas” phenomenon. The term, which had garnered more than 5 million TikTok searches by November, became the visual symbol of American Christmases past – glowing lampshades, tartan blankets, velvet ribbons, chestnuts on an open fire. The aesthetic equivalent of a Bing Crosby song. Want to connect with Gen Z? Don’t try to be something you’re not The days of dopamine-chasing newness may never fully die. But it does seem that Gen Z is craving the next new thing: heritage. Tradition. Tactility. Craft. Free speech. Going off-grid. Experiences you have to sit with rather than scroll past. Style that’s grounded in something real. Feelings that transport you somewhere. Integrity in a world of White Fox and Shein. Stories from another time. It’s about time your brand stood by yours. Jess Leech is an associate director at brand voice studio XXVI, part of the Principals group.