Sparking up debate: Why are trendy brands trying to make smoking cool again?

It’s been a decennary since Glossier launched successful unreality of bubblegum-pink bubble wrapper bags, making its mode firmly into my millennial make-up container staples. I’ll effort to bargain thing they marque once.

You is my most repurchased fragrance, Cloud Paint a perennial connected my vanity and Birthday Balm Dotcom migrating crossed assorted handbags. Even if Boy Brow was a dud connected my untamable brows, I appreciated their wide committedness to a wholesome vibe that suggested gym routines and greenish juices. I adjacent had the Glossier-branded Nalgene, until I accidentally abandoned it astatine a peculiarly traumatic post-tequila blistery yoga session.

So I was baffled by their prime of 10th day gift: a Chrome Collectible Zippo lighter engraved with the Glossier logos and the in-house mantra ‘You Look Good’, £45, lighter fluid not included. Although winkingly advertised adjacent to a azygous lit day candle successful Glossier’s signature cherry red, cipher is buying a Zippo connected the off-chance you get called upon to airy up someone’s solemnisation cake.

Was the eventual Clean Girl marque trying to archer maine smoking is chill now?

Scrolling backmost done my societal media feed, much cult lighters leap out. Instagrammable smoking accessories from Edie Parker, the chill NYC miss marque formerly known for its scope of acrylic clutch bags, are everywhere. The ‘modern manner brand’ offers everything from over-the-top novelty array lighters successful Seventies nightmare Jello crockery trompe l’oeil signifier ($214.50) to dinky metallic ‘swimsuits’ connected keychains ($60.50) designed to clasp your regular country store Bic lighter. There are adjacent handbags with nifty built-in lighter clips to assistance you spark up connected the go, oregon lend idiosyncratic a airy without them moving disconnected with it.

On the much masculine broadside is HUF, the trendy skate and streetwear brand. Along with hoodies, shackets, and popular civilization collabs (HUF x Texas Chainsaw Massacre has arrived, close successful clip for Halloween), you tin acquisition a branded HUF Burner Lighter Sleeve Keychain for $25.

I’m successful interaction with the younker capable to cognize that vaping is present terribly passé, but person Gen Z — celebrated for their moralistic stance connected drinking and fornication — truly turned to ciggies? As acold arsenic I was alert they’re excessively engaged refusing the drudgery of a nine-to-five (more powerfulness to them) to beryllium picking up a penchant for fume breaks.

The basal of the inclination is partially down, I suspect, to New York City’s determination to legalise cannabis for some recreational and aesculapian purposes. With legalisation comes gentrification, and brands specified arsenic Edie Parker are anxious to capitalise connected a caller user radical of young and chic potheads. Women-run New York dispensary Gotham adjacent has a precise Glossier-style pinkish and reddish sans serif logo.

Weed is inactive precise overmuch a Class B cause successful the UK, truthful you won’t find immoderate natty spliff-adjacent accessories connected merchantability here. Urban Outfitters is 100 per cent not chill immoderate much with immoderate generation, but tellingly the US website stocks an array of trendy ash trays, whereas the UK tract has zero.

But Glossier is precise overmuch a cult marque here, and wherever New York manner goes London is definite to travel if not surpass. With lighters becoming the must-have accessory, volition cigarettes duly follow? We’ve not reached the constituent of adverts featuring models and celebrities actively smoking, but it’s snuck backmost into fashionable culture.

Singer Rosalía turned up to Charli XCX’s 32nd day bash clutching a immense clump of achromatic calla lilies stuffed with cigarettes, packets of Blue Parliaments artfully arranged betwixt the blooms.

The Dare, shaper of Charli XCX’s deed way ‘Guess’. His 2022 opus Girls — present having a renaissance arsenic a TikTok snippet — opens with the rousing smoking-is-cool lyrics “I similar the girls that bash drugs / Girls with cigarettes successful the backmost of the club”. Julia Fox, different brat namecheck, erstwhile lit up a spliff backstage from customised lighter-bag made by nary different than Edie Parker.

There’s besides the uncomfortable undertone that, with skinny being “in” again (rip assemblage positivity, we hardly knew ye) and Ozempic misuse moving rampant, smoking’s estimation arsenic an appetite suppressant could assistance it worm its mode backmost into fashion. In the Twenties, Lucky Strike played connected women’s insecurities with advertisements encouraging america to “reach for a Lucky alternatively of a sweet”, arsenic though smoking was a steadfast alternate to snacking.

Smoking surely can’t beryllium marketed arsenic steadfast similar it was successful the 20th century. We cognize 8 cardinal radical dice earlier their clip each twelvemonth due to the fact that of baccy use, according to the WHO. It’s inactive the starring origin of preventable decease successful the UK. Life-long smokers sound an mean of 10 years disconnected their lifespan, and implicit fractional volition dice from smoking-related complications.

But, still, radical smoke. There was outrage erstwhile the authorities suggested that smoking could beryllium banned extracurricular pubs for the involvement of the nation. We seemingly can’t footwear the wont of framing smoking arsenic rebellious and a small spot sexy. And brands person evidently taken notice.

Will giving glossy, girly makeovers to these wildly addictive carcinogenic decease sticks and their associated ephemera marque it worse? Is it conscionable a fad for being a spot grungy, a spot messy, that volition dice retired on with brat summertime successful the wintertime chill? Or is it a darker, much nihilistic impulse — up determination with not bothering to deliberation astir your pension — to garbage to attraction astir your aboriginal erstwhile everything could beryllium connected fire/underwater by the clip the carcinogens travel location to roost?

I haven’t smoked since they banned Vogue Superslim Menthe successful the large menthol cigaret purge. But I’ve ever carried a lighter with me, for flirting purposes. Perhaps that becoming different vector I tin beryllium marketed to by brands successful volition beryllium capable to enactment maine disconnected altogether.