LSN : News : Need to know 22 : 09 : 17

1. Sleek MakeUp encourages teen body positivity

My Face My Rules by Sleek, UK

UK – Colour cosmetics brand Sleek MakeUp has launched a campaign against the culture of make-up shaming. My Face My Rules is a response to a survey conducted by the brand, which shows that 75% of respondents think that women look better with no or less make-up, while 25% say they feel they have been judged for wearing make-up.

Known for its bright shades of lipstick and eyeshadow, the brand created the campaign to empower its young customers to embrace their creative side and not feel pressurised to look a certain way. The ad features a range of both male and female Sleek make-up enthusiasts showcasing their skills, while an accompanying video called Let’s Talk Makeup Shaming features the campaign’s stars speaking openly about the negativity they have faced.

Brands such ASOS and Sleek are creating playful, inclusive campaigns that celebrate a diverse vision of beauty that is not defined by stereotypes. For more, see our Teen Beauty market report.

2. Future living spaces explored at London Design Festival

Exploring Spaces of Tomorrow by Space10, London Design Festival

London – Future thinking Danish design studio Space10 has commissioned a host of thought-leaders for London Design Festival to discuss the future of urban space. The series of six talks, which are running throughout the week, feature Ma-tt-er who will explore how materials and textures affect our perception of space, and Appear Here who look at the future of placemaking.

Earlier in the week, Space10 announced that it would be participating in Central Saint Martins’ Spatial Practices lecture series, which looks at London’s future as an urban space.

As part of its week-long residency at Protein Studios, Space10 is also introducing LOKAL, a microgreens salad bar and hydroponic farming system. LOKAL is an experiment in how local food production can provide for many people. As cities expand, designers such as Irene Pereyra and Space10 are probing how this will affect day-to-day life.

3. Levi’s Circles promotes global connectedness

Circles by Levi's, US

US – The latest Levi’s commercial, Circles – the fifth instalment in the brand’s Live In Levi’s campaign – promotes inclusiveness and connectedness. The advert, which is being shown in cinemas across America, demonstrates a New Bricolage cohesion of cultures and communities across the world through music and dance. ‘No matter where we are from or what we believe, music and dance are universal languages,’ said the company in a press release.

The ad is particularly pertinent at this time as US president Trump’s travel ban continues to be debated in the Supreme Court. The brand has also pledged £738,487 ($1m, €838,820) in grants to support organisations that protect civil liberties. In particular, the fund will be used to support vulnerable communities from around the world, including immigrants, refugees, the transgender community and religious minorities. In a Dislocated World, brands such as Levi’s are asserting their beliefs and acting in a civic-minded way in a bid to make a difference.

4. Sweaty Betty opens its own fitness destination

Sweaty Betty store, London

London – Sweaty Betty has opened a new flagship store that includes a café, a blow-dry bar and a fitness studio. The curated space in Carnaby Street is the brand’s first permanent experiential retail experience.

The store offers a complete fitness, food and beauty package, and visitors are able to participate in classes led by GymClass, Paola’s BodyBarre and Frame, book a blow dry from Duck & Dry, indulge in healthy dishes such as millet porridge and garden soup served by Portobello Road’s Farm Girl, as well as shopping for the Sweaty Betty collection.

In our Destination Fitness microtrend, LS:N Global examined how athleisure stores are diversifying their offers beyond products and instead providing social spaces in which consumers can relax and perspire.

5. Consumer spend in budget supermarkets on the rise

Budget supermarkets in the UK are thriving as inflation drives shoppers to seek out low-cost groceries. ‘Own-brand sales are growing across all leading food retailers, but fastest at the discounters Aldi and Lidl,’ says Mike Watkins, UK head of retailer and business insight at Nielsen. In 2011, LS:N Global began tracking the plight of The Just Nots, a consumer demographic who until now have been largely ignored by brands but whose combined spending power is considerable, and brands such as Brandless are beginning to recognise their potential.

6. Thought-starter: Why Youthful Nativism is the new season’s key trend

Senior journalist Maks Fus Mickiewicz argues that members of Generation Z are re-evaluating their cultural heritage and pushing for new positive definitions of national identity. Nowhere is this more evident than on the runways during Fashion Week.

A host of new labels are emerging that no longer want to pander to Western tastes. At Fashion East in London both Asai and Supriya Lele exhibited clothes that had fresh takes on Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian heritage. At VFiles in New York, Christian Stone showed a collection inspired by the obsolete electronics he grew up around in Hong Kong.

Kenzo is one of the first bigger labels to recognise this trend for cultural re-appropriation. Creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim chose 83 exclusively Asian models for their Paris spring/summer 2018 show in order to pay homage to the brand’s Japanese roots.

Tired and frustrated at stereotypical Western representations of their culture, as well as the well-worn aesthetics of T-shirts and jeans, a new wave of designers from around the world are being driven to create contemporary representations of their heritage.

For more, read our Made In China microtrend.