There’s an old adage that ‘the key to success is sincerity… and if you can fake that you’ve got it made’. Was it Groucho Marx who said it? George Burns? French playwright Jean Giraudoux? The gloriously acerbic character actor Celeste Holm? The notoriously tongue twisted Hollywood producer Samuel (‘Gentlemen, include me out’) Goldwyn? 

The truth is nobody really knows and the identity of the originator is lost to the mists of time, but the cynicism behind its sentiment is more pertinent in 2025 than ever. In an age when AI and superficiality seem to be reigning supreme, the desire for genuine authenticity is rising rapidly. 

In Zenith’s latest trend report, a panel of experts from the A+D industry investigate the importance of substance over novelty and fleeting trends. They explore how today’s successful workplace is one of relevance and resilience and how design reflects this, being increasingly underpinned by the core values of authenticity, sustainability, circularity and flexibility.