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First, the retailer wanted to introduce more newness and moments outside the traditional seasonal calendar. Next, was to build a digital marketing team, the kind that could jump in when an alleged Anthro rock was going viral. “We had no customer acquisition strategy,” Smith says. And finally, Smith was to slash Anthropologie’s reliance on promotions and discounts, returning the brand to full-price sales.
Five years on, Anthropologie has ballooned to $2.4 billion in fiscal 2025 from $1.6 billion in 2020, making it parent company Urbn’s largest brand (Urbn also owns Free People, Urban Outfitters and rental company Nuuly). The company is a fashion-lifestyle flywheel, with connected brands across the women’s, bridal, home and outdoor categories. It’s a complicated ship to steer, Smith says, and attributes it to Urbn’s vertically integrated supply chain as well as the executives leading each division, who she believes are experts in their categories. But she also has bigger goals in mind: Anthropologie Home, for example, is on track to double sales from $500 million to $1 billion in the next few years, a goal shared with investors in 2023.
“I’m so incredibly proud of our team because we are on our fourth year of consecutive [sales] increases, and we’ve grown our customer base by 50 per cent,” Smith says. “Within that, we grew both our existing customer base along with our new customers, which I think is hard to do if you specifically target just a younger consumer.”
And earlier this year, Smith made a bold play when the company spun out its bestselling own label, Maeve, into a standalone brand. The first store opened in October in Charleston, with another slated for Atlanta in January. Smith won’t share sales projections for Maeve, but sees potential for growth, and notes that the idea for a spin-off stemmed from the company’s financial team, who overlooked its margins.
What’s going on here? Have we all been brainwashed in some kind of evil genius, Josie and the Pussycats-inspired scheme? Or is this just one of those timeless stories that has somehow tapped into a set of universal truths that perfectly capture what it means to be human? As someone who was extremely skeptical at first (did I mention that the main character is called Belly?), I can now confidently say I believe it to be the latter. That, and the way the show manages to seamlessly blend nostalgia with romantic intensity, offering a comforting kind of escapism that reminds us all of how we behaved at that age.
Despite being a current show, I do think there’s something definitively millennial—both tonally and plot-wise—about the whole thing. Consider the TV shows and films we were raised on: Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, The OC, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill… love triangles (particularly between two brothers) were an integral part of our cultural diet. “It becomes a real talking point of ‘which team are you on?’ and makes you much more invested in the characters because you’re rooting for your ‘team,’” says Holly, 30.
It’s worth pointing out, too, that Han’s books were first published in 2009, 2010, and 2011—so, when a lot of millennials were teenagers. “It reminds me of being that age and all of the comfort teenage shows and rom-coms I loved,” adds Holly. “With the current state of the world, maybe a lot of us want to feel like we’re 16 again.”
It’s mammoth success could also be partly attributed to the fact that episodes are released weekly rather than all at once—a rare but clever tactic that both builds anticipation and harks back to how shows operated when we were younger. “Back then, we had to wait weeks to find out what was going to happen in our favorite programs,” says Jenna, 40. “And in the meantime, we’re having conversations with people, seeing reactions online, and experiencing delayed gratification rather than binging in a day. Watching new episodes becomes an occasion.”
Then there’s the soundtrack, which has thus far featured no fewer than 20 Taylor Swift songs across the three seasons, not to mention tracks by Olivia Rodrigo, Phoebe Bridgers, and Gracie Abrams. All of this ensures that sonically, the series taps into a wider sad-girl musical universe that is characterized by the same themes and feelings as the show: longing, heartache, and seductive melancholia. Fans are even speculating that Swift may drop the first single from her upcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl, in the series finale—which seems deranged, but weirder things have happened.
As a 1990 baby, Margot Robbie was born smack-dab in the middle of the millennial generation. Based on this fact alone, I can make one confident assumption about her early 2000s style: She more than likely wore our trademark going-out outfit. What was it, you might ask? I’ll refresh your memory. It reliably consisted of some type of camisole—perhaps a slinky, cowl-neck version or multiple cotton ones layered on top of each other—and low-rise, bootcut jeans. I don’t make the rules. That’s just how it was.
These days, my fellow millennials and I have made a couple of key changes to our going-out outfits, as exemplified by Robbie’s newest Vivienne Westwood look. Styled by Andrew Mukamal, who also dressed her for Barbie‘s acclaimed press tour, Robbie swapped a camisole for a bustier top and replaced low-slung bootcut jeans with high-rise, wide-leg trousers. Et voilà: a thoroughly modern look that will continue to be popular well into 2026. Scroll down to see Margot Robbie’s new photos and shop similar pieces.
On Margot Robbie: Vivienne Westwood outfit
Abercrombie
Lace and Satin Balconette Corset
ZARA
50th Anniversary Wool Blend Pleated Pants
H&M
Wide-Leg Pants With Tie Belt
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