A post-material consumer experience

27 : 06 : 2017 Technology : Retail : Fashion

London – Central Saint Martins graduate Martina Rocca’s Emovos explores the ethical implications of a future in which brands sell emotional experiences to consumers.

Emovos by Martina Rocca, London Emovos by Martina Rocca, London
Emovos by Martina Rocca, London
Emovos by Martina Rocca, London Emovos by Martina Rocca, London
Emovos by Martina Rocca, London Emovos by Martina Rocca, London

According to Rocca, the speculative project is a response to today’s resource scarcity and the unsustainable level of consumption in the developing world. ‘I engineered a new post-material experience that offers a viable alternative to the unsustainable practice of physical material consumption,’ she explains.

Emovos comprises a series of kinetic objects that users interact with while wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset. The objects work in tandem with the VR experience to trigger an emotional response in the brain, enabling fashion brands to create immersive, commercial VR experiences that replicate the feeling of the in-store experience.

Alex Ayad, strategy director at Outsmart Insights, predicts that consumers will be able to buy emotions by 2045. ‘Techniques for direct brain stimulation have made it possible to write information into single neurons. At the moment, data transfer rates are still slow, but they could increase to reach broadband speeds by 2045. The range of human perception could then expand,’ he explains.

The Big Picture

Discover More Daily Signals
The Trend: Human by Design

Daily Signals

The Trend: Human by Design

LS:N Global’s coverage of design in 2025 explored humanising design and branding in the age of elasticity.
Design : Creativity : Branding
The Big Idea: Branding in the Age of Elasticity

Daily Signals

The Big Idea: Branding in the Age of Elasticity

LS:N Global’s coverage of design in 2025 explored humanising design and branding in the age of elasticity.
Design
The Campaign: New Forest’s rebranding turns tourists into custodians

Daily Signals

The Campaign: New Forest’s rebranding turns tourists into custodians

LS:N Global’s coverage of design in 2025 explored humanising design and branding in the age of elasticity. 
Design
The Viewpoint: Rehumanising 3D Design

Daily Signals

The Viewpoint: Rehumanising 3D Design

LS:N Global’s coverage of design in 2025 explored humanising design and branding in the age of elasticity. 
Design
The Space: Glossier unveils immersive experience for Fleur fragrance launch in Paris

Daily Signals

The Space: Glossier unveils immersive experience for Fleur fragrance launch in Paris

LS:N Global’s coverage of design in 2025 explored humanising design and branding in the age of elasticity.
Design
The Trend: The Great Beauty Blur

Daily Signals

The Trend: The Great Beauty Blur

2025 marks a critical inflection point for beauty. The sector, once defined by diversity and creativity, has grown increasingly monotonous, as glob...
Beauty : Wellness : Identity
The Big Idea: Neo-community Market

Daily Signals

The Big Idea: Neo-community Market

Brands are redefining engagement by transforming followers into communities where belonging is the ultimate currency.
Beauty : Engagement : Community
The Campaign: The Ordinary exposes beauty industry buzzwords in dystopian new video

Daily Signals

The Campaign: The Ordinary exposes beauty industry buzzwords in dystopian new video

In a provocative campaign in October 2025, skincare brand The Ordinary called out the beauty industry’s reliance on pseudo-scientific language.
Beauty : Skincare : Cosmetics
The Viewpoint: Reframing Ageing

Daily Signals

The Viewpoint: Reframing Ageing

Jacynth Bassett, founder and CEO of Ageism Is Never In Style, is reshaping the conversation around ageing, positioning it as a privilege rather tha...
Beauty : Marketing : Ageing
The Space: Koyia perfumery asks customers to pay with time rather than money

Daily Signals

The Space: Koyia perfumery asks customers to pay with time rather than money

In September 2025, Swedish fragrance brand Koyia introduced a forest-based retail concept where the only currency is time.
Beauty : Retail : Fragrance
You have 1 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN