Brands Getting it Right

One might think the lingerie industry had already shown every version of the same fantasy, but Thistle and Spire challenged it at its own game. Launched in 2015, the brand pushed back against repetitive lingerie marketing by centring the individual as the occasion and showing bras, bodysuits and other pieces on a wider range of bodies. The point was not to sell one narrow look. It was to sell self-expression.

In 2017, Fenty Beauty launched with a foundation range most brands had avoided for years. It entered the market with shades that covered a far wider spectrum of skin tones than was typical at the time. That did more than fill a gap in one product category; it exposed a quiet design choice in beauty retail. Up to that point, many brands had simply decided that darker complexions were not worth the investment.

Beauty marketing has taught us to trust an illusion. To aim for the kind of perfection that doesn’t exist outside a screen: skin without pores, faces without texture, smiles without lines. Images that convince us that real faces need fixing. Until CVS Pharmacy decided to break that spell.