LSN : Daily Signals : Need to know 17 : 08 : 17

1. MIA partners with Astrid Andersen on merchandise

MIA merchandise collection by Astrid Andersen

UK – The singer-songwriter, MIA, has collaborated with the Danish menswear designer to create a capsule collection for her forthcoming AIM tour. The collection, which comprises waterproof jackets, tracksuits and t-shirts, is inspired by the designer’s signature streetwear style and features logos and slogans from the artist’s 2016 merchandise project.

As LS:N Global explored in our Band Brands microtrend, merchandise is moving beyond the domain of music fans as major fashion labels increasingly look to niche subcultures when developing new ranges. The collection was launched on 9 August at Andersen’s flagship store in Copenhagen to coincide with the city’s fashion week, and is available to purchase online.

2. Allure magazine rejects the term ‘anti-ageing’

Allure magazine

US – The September issue of the women’s beauty magazine features 72-year-old actress Dame Helen Mirren on the cover along with the headline ‘The End of Anti-aging’. According to editor-in-chief Michelle Lee, the move is a call to action for the beauty industry at large to stop ‘reinforcing the message that ageing is a condition we need to battle’.

The rejection of the term follows a recent L’Oréal panel chat in which brand ambassador Mirren told the audience that ‘moisturiser probably does fuck all’.

LS:N Global has been tracking the rise of The Flat Age Society since 2014, where older consumers refuse to be defined by their age and seek out new and exciting experiences.

3. Nipton is the first US hub for cannabis tourism

California – The town of Nipton in San Bernardino county has been acquired by medical and recreational marijuana product development company American Green Inc, which aims to transform it into America’s first cannabis-friendly holiday destination.

The brand will invest £1.9m ($2.5m, €2.1m) in the town, which has a population of around 20 people, over 18 months, and reportedly spent £3.9m ($5m, €4.3m) to acquire it. The redevelopment will include the construction of a new general store, a hotel, a school and mineral baths, run on sustainable energy and serve as a prototype for future ventures across the US, according to American Green Inc.

While areas in Europe such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen’s Freetown Christiania have long been marketed as destinations for cannabis use, the recent decision to legalise the recreational use of cannabis in California will help to boost tourism in the US, and presents an opportunity for brands to revitalise overlooked towns. Read our Cannabusiness market to find out more.

Nipton, California

4. Toyota develops a safety app aimed at parents

Safe & Sound by Saatchi & Saatchi for Toyota

UK – Safe & Sound, created in partnership with Spotify, puts parents back in the driving seat when their children pass their driving test. As explained in the ad campaign by Saatchi & Saatchi, parents activate the app when their son or daughter borrows their car, synchronising parents’ and child’s Spotify accounts.

Using Google Maps API, the app can detect when the car is being driven over the speed limit, and in the event, blocks the young driver’s Spotify account and activates that of his or her parents. The app also switches the playlist if the driver is using his or her phone and blocks social media posts and incoming calls when the car is travelling at more than nine miles an hour. While technology is usually the preserve of the young, Toyota’s app shifts the power back into the hands of parents. For more, see our Parenting Market report.

5. Social media use in Australia is on the decline

Since 2012, LS:N Global has been tracking consumers’ growing dissatisfaction with their always-on, increasingly digital lives driven by advances in technology. In line with this, a new survey by Deloitte shows that daily social media usage in Australia has dropped from 61% in 2016 to 59% in 2017. For more see our macrotrend The New Sublimity.

6. Thought-starter: How will women thrive in a changing world?

In failing to appreciate the value of female entrepreneurship, women and men are missing out on the productivity, ingenuity and passion that they bring to the workplace, says The Future Laboratory strategic researcher Victoria Buchanan and chief strategy and innovation officer Tracey Follows.

Historically, a lack of diversity in terms of race and age, as well as gender is one of the main obstacles to female equality in the workplace. There is hope, however, with indications that over the next decade these barriers to the hiring and promotion of women in senior roles will fade away as Generation Z – now aged 17 to 27 – enter the workplace.

Made up of 47% ethnic minorities, Generation Z is a generation with a fluid, borderless and gender-neutral mindset that does not conform to the traditional male/female binary.

In line with this change in mindset, a new wave of action-orientated, peer-to-peer support systems are emerging. They offer top-down advice, moral support and access to finance for women seeking to break through the glass ceiling.

Reaching out to Generation Z and start-ups is just one of six of the emerging trends on female futures that brands need to take heed of to grow their business to its full potential.

To find out more about the future of females in the workplace see our Female Futures: Trends Rising market report.