The Karma Cooperative like their fashion with plenty of texture, surface interest and crafted quality. Think true knits with stitch interest, naturally slubby jerseys and wovens as well as traditional handcrafted embellishments. Print and pattern is also important to the cohort’s look – encompassing the themes and motifs that inspire them, from nature and the cosmos to psychedelia and abstract symbolism.

While their stylistic tendencies are firmly casual and natural, their look is not all about being covered up in loose layers. Body confidence is intrinsic to them, and yoga-honed flesh reveals are part of the aesthetic. Favoured brands are crafty, heritage-inspired and fiercely independent – and this cohort is resonating most obviously across the Americas (particularly in LA, New York and Brazilian cities), as well as in the UK and Spain.

Creative connectivity is key to this cohort, so they’re highly engaged with cultural sharing platforms, publications and spaces. Nigerian/British-owned Ájífa – an independent, non-profit platform comprising a gallery, journal, cinema and educational corner – is dedicated to championing the creative work of people of colour. Meanwhile, Sabukaru.online is a Tokyo-based digital magazine connecting readers with culture, subcultures, global artists and contextual products.

Similarly, Eye_C magazine is an online platform and physical publication based in Europe, which focuses on covering fashion and culture that would appeal to this collective. And EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) is a London-based multi-arts space for the 21st century, where programming is firmly global and rooted in high quality artistic pursuit.

Planetary health is also a massive priority for the Karma Cooperative, and Ecosia is a web engine extension that funds the planting of trees with every search – thus making browsing the web a more positive experience for this eco-minded cohort. Likewise, Forest is an app that encourages spending time away from our phones. Users grow virtual tree coins in exchange for digital downtime, which can then be saved up to help plant real trees in Africa.

This group also listens to responsible lifestyle podcasts, such as Ireland-based Sustainable Sleepover Club, hosted by writer and social justice activist Amy O’Brien, and checks into Sustainable Baddie, a content platform providing sustainable advice for conscious creatives, founded by NYC-based Jazmine Rogers.

Exploring magical and imaginary aesthetics of nature – as exemplified in goblincore or fairycore – is a pursuit enjoyed by some of the more mystically minded members of this cohort. See digital creators @anaarrants and @hannahdrapinski for more on that trend. While on a more grounded and practical level, a collective appetite for all things outdoors-lifestyle led is exemplified in gorpcore-inspired content, such as that created by @unownedspaces, @gorp_ism and @planet.gorp.

Spiritual wellbeing provides another focus, with many following Instagram astrologers like @alizakelly and @mysticmichaela. And exemplifying the rise in psychedelic products (as explored in our report Mind-Altering Wellness Beauty), brands such as Kind Stranger, Microgenix, TikTok-viral Psychedelic Water and Ka! Empathogenics all appeal for a dose of healthy escapism.

Yoga and meditation are key wellness pursuits, with nomadic spaces and platforms such as Spain’s Sankalpa Wellness and Lamarca Well resonating with their holistic approaches to mental and physical betterment. Attending festivals like Lost Village in the UK – where, in addition to music, entertainment includes craft workshops, yoga, holistic sound therapy and tarot readings in a serene woodland setting – is also a favoured pastime.

Also on a music tip, the more spiritually inspired side of soul and jazz music are currently having an impact on this collective. Cross the Tracks is a London-based festival catering to their tastes, while local girl Greentea Peng describes herself as a “psychedelic R&B singer/songwriter”, appealing with her super-chilled approach to dance music.

As more and more brands and designers are inherently building eco values into their product offers, this cohort has room to explore nature-led aesthetics over purely sustainable credentials. Here, goblincore, experimentalism, mysticism, craft, heritage, bohemian and neo-hippie tropes, as well as urban festival sensibilities, all meet in a decorative melting pot.

From the US, Denimcratic appeals with its sustainable denim looks, Kansas City-based Depop-er Reagan Makes Stuff for freeform knitwear designs, NY’s July Li Studio for ‘slow fashion knitted with love,” and designer label Eckhaus Latta for its use of unexpected materials. See also Jamaican-American heritage brand Theophilio and Black Boy Knits, both out of Brooklyn.

In mainland Europe, zoom in on Paris for Benjamin Benmoyal’s elegant and fresh take on bohemian dressing, cult label Botter’s “Caribbean Couture” aesthetic, and Lucille Thievre for her artisanal pieces. There’s also Garbage Core in Milan, which uses only deadstock materials and second-hand clothes in its collections; and Scandinavia’s OAS, which smartly offers vacation wear all year round.

From the UK, see Loupy Studio, Freya McKee and Rua Carlota for woodland-festival-ready deadstock knitwear, as well as KBN Knitwear from French-Vietnamese designer Khanh Brice Nguyen. Equally, follow Xenia Telunts, which creates unisex clothing in natural and organic materials, and Rabbit for its cute smock dresses.

Check out Bali-based Isa Boulder for swim and loungewear handcrafted by locals; Nong Rak, designed by a duo from Arizona and Thailand, for knit-centric pieces anchored in tactility; and Orange Culture from Nigeria for its slow-made and boldly patterned styles. Elsewhere, try Vancouver’s OMW for upcycled bags, Mexican/US workwear label Graziano and Gutiérrez, Indian upcyclers Heart to Haat, and the culturally informed work of Uzbekistan-born Korean J.Kim.

When it comes to engaging with brands, for the Karma Cooperative, it’s all about enjoying a sense of community and purpose, as well as authentic storytelling.

A true sense of community can be found in shopping for crafts, vintage and second-hand. This cohort relishes the experience as much as the finds at IRL (in real life) markets such as West Coast Craft in LA/San Francisco and Portobello Green Market in London, while online kicks are had from platforms like Second Life Market Place – “a resource and community for second-hand living.” System-changing initiatives such as Waste Yarn Project, which encourages making knitwear from scraps and leftover yarn from the garment industry, also appeal to the collective.

When it comes to buying new products, sustainable credentials are key. The UK’s Story MFG still leads the way for its meticulous and authentic sustainable backstory, and it recently launched Gentle Fullness. This sister brand delivers at lower price points than the main label and is open to collaboration, but the principles of the Story MFG manifesto (well worth reading) are inherent in everything it does, including its engagement strategies.

Similarly, this cohort is keen to give back to other communities via their purchases. Veredas – a sustainability and design consultancy platform bridging the gap between artisan communities in Brazil and the international high-end designer market – really appeals. So does Mozh, which aims to make traditional Peruvian crafts attractive in order to preserve ancestral cultures, textile techniques and artisans.

On a key outdoor lifestyle footing, see the aforementioned @gorp_ism, which showcases women championing the outdoors and recently collaborated with The North Face. There’s also @hikingpatrol, which also appeals as “a curated digital space centred around a well-balanced combination of lifestyle and outdoor exploration.”

Also consider rental as a key way to engage with Karma Cooperatives – France’s Rent Club Paris and London’s Loanhood are amongst the most favoured sharing-economy platforms. And for old fashioned brick-and-mortar retail, see Berlin’s Voo Store for the best in culturally empowered and creatively driven fashion and design concept spaces.

Many of this cohort’s influencers have already been mentioned within the Brands & Designers and Lifescape sections of this report. However, visual inspiration and how we style our lives are really key to the collective, and thus many stylists, photographers and creative directors stream into their social feeds.

Paris-based Imruh Asha is a stylist exploring visually and emotionally rich Pan-African aesthetics, while Riccardo Maria Chiacchio is a stylist based in Milan and London whose work reimagines Italian and American iconography. Also curating our lives visually are Texas-based Miss Macy and LA’s Sophia Camille Jaramillo, both with a distinctive woodland escapist vibe.

In terms of photographers check out George Steinmetz, National Geographic Explorer and New York Times photographer, who creates mesmerising aerial perspectives on climate change and global food supply. See also American photographer Colin Dodgson, known for his analogue approach to image making; and New York native Zoë Ghertner, noted for her naturalistic photography style and strong portrayal of women.

On a spirituality and wellness tip (see the Lifescape section for more), María Rosenfeldt is an influential yoga instructor who has worked for the aforementioned Lamarca Well in Spain and across Asia on her travels. Elsewhere, California-based Gabriela Rosales – aka @thestylistwitch – is helping to empower people through fashion, intuitive styling and spiritual practice, while award-winning fashion designer and embodiment coach Caro Gomez – @carogomez_joywitch – resides in London.

Our five-track Karma Cooperative playlist features Greentea Peng, Cymande, Minnie Ripperton, Sault and Jyoti.