Broken Is Beautiful
The Japanese word “Kintsugi” roughly translates to “golden repair.” It refers to the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery using liquid gold or lacquer dusted with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.
Not only are the results striking (check them out and join the other 19.5m+ views on TikTok), but the practice also has deeper meaning: broken is beautiful.
Highlighting the unique cracks formed when an object breaks creates a one-of-a-kind piece. It’s linked to the broader concept (and design aesthetic) of “wabi-sabi,” finding beauty in imperfection.
Search interest in the topic is at an all-time high this year, according to Keywords Everywhere:
- “Kintsugi kit” peaked at 9.9k searches in October
- “Kintsugi art” peaked at 6.6k searches in November
- “Kintsugi pottery” peaked at 5.4k searches in November
- “Kintsugi quotes” peaked at 3.6k searches in November
You could capitalize by providing kits, tutorials, and newsletters. You could take inspiration from Let’s Make Art (which we predicted makes at least ~$1m MRR) and provide a monthly subscription product complete with equipment (e.g., fine-tip brushes) and step-by-step guides.
(If you like this Flare, check out our deep dive on Japan for more trends you can trade on.)
Good-Lookin’ Garages
Organizing your garage is in -- and it’s not just a lockdown hobby. The trend began its spike on Reddit in August this year, and has been continuing on a vertical trajectory since.
Popular garage projects range from simple tidying to full-on renovations that include home gyms.
Entrepreneurs could provide garage remodeling, decorating, and organizing services. Combine this with the growing decluttering trend, which we reported on in October, and you have yourself a niche.
You could develop online catalogs for all things garages, or guides on how to go about your chosen garage project -- complete with budget, and links to all equipment and products required.
Selling products and equipment might also present attractive opportunities -- think customized toolboxes, prefab garage sheds, storage organizers, work benches... The list goes on. Jungle Scout shows this garage storage rack set brings in just shy of $2m a month on Amazon.
Monthly search volumes, according to Keywords Everywhere:
- “Shelving for garage”: 40.5k
- “Cabinets for garage”: 40.5k
- “Storage for garage”: 33.1k
- “Garage organizing”: 27.1k
- “Tool organizing”: 12.1k
Standing Desk Balance Boards
Balance boards, made by the likes of Indo Board and Revolution, have long been used by athletes (surfers, snowboarders, and skateboarders) to improve their balance (at ~$250 a pop, the margins on these bad boys must be bonkers).
More recently, customers have expanded to include the likes of yogis, stand-up paddle boarders, and general fitness bunnies. The next niche: standing desks.
Google search interest in “standing desk balance board” has been peaking over the last 3 months at ~4k searches/month, according to Keywords Everywhere.
A similar trend is seen on Amazon, where standing desk balance boards and mats such as this one are bringing in ~$750k/month in revenue. While that board costs ~$60, Revolution’s standing desk board will set you back almost 3x that at ~$180.
There is clearly plenty of space in the market for others to play across a range of price points.
You could go B2B by targeting companies looking to provide employees with branded boards as part of their WFH setup. You could partner with the likes of Trendster Robert Idell to create custom designs such as these for skateboards.
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