News 04.05.2020

Need to Know

Les Garçons imagines a virtual dinner party, PornHub’s cleanest porn ever and young people use apps to stay connected with family.

This fashion brand has created ‘living’ couture

Auroboros Couture Collection with Sarabande Foundation, London

London – Auroboros has created a couture collection that grows on the body.

The luxury fashion brand has developed one-of-a-kind pieces using biomimicry. Created with crystals that grow and change colour over time due to oxidisation, and eventually fall off, the designers hope that the growth process and evolution of garments will prompt wearers to think about fashion in a new light.

Offering unusual sustainability credentials, the undergarments in the collection are also biodegradable, but Auroboros hopes wearers will keep them after the crystals have fallen off. Paula Sello, one of the brand's founders and a designer in residence at London's Sarabande, the Alexander McQueen foundation which supports emerging artists and creatives, says: ‘It’s quite an exciting new way of creating couture because these pieces really live — and then fall apart, which means the wearer can really cherish that moment.’

For more on how the industries such as fashion and luxury are focusing on transformative materials in order to reduce ecological damage, explore our Material Far Futures report.

Covid-19: Digital dining for virtually connected foodies

Distant Dinner by Les Garçons, L'Éloi Distant Dinner by Les Garçons, L'Éloi
Distant Dinner by Les Garçons, L'Éloi Distant Dinner by Les Garçons, L'Éloi

Canada – Photography and director team Les Garçons has created a photographic series inspired by virtual dining.

Capturing the sensation of new conviviality and screen-based connectivity, the Distant Dinner series is centred around the common family gathering of an Easter meal. Presenting a long dinner table with central food items and screen-based diners positioned in place of each diner, the outcome stylises the often awkward and chaotic experience of digital dining.

Imagined as a way to document the new mealtime moments that are being shared via screens, Les Garçons provides an artistic documentation of the current reality of home-based dining – and a potential future for socially distant dinners.

Technology and dining are set to be increasingly entwined in future, as the food and drinks industry begins to embrace Home Eatertainment.

Covid-19: PornHub launches its cleanest porn ever

Global – PornHub has partnered with artists on a parody platform dedicated entirely to people washing their hands.

In collaboration with artists Ani Acopian and Suzy Shinn, ScrubHub uses the same interface as the original PornHub site, and features thousands of videos of people washing their hands, as well as numerous adult entertainers. While it is visually inoffensive, the platform uses typical pornography categories such as 'BDSM', 'bear' and 'feet'.

Humorously highlighting the important task of handwashing, ScrubHub also helps to spread awareness and raise money for Covid-19 relief. Corey Price, vice president of PornHub, explains: ‘We thought this presented a unique opportunity for Pornhub to bring some joy to something that has become so mundane and repetitive.’

Many digital platforms are finding ways to subtly raise awareness of newly important rituals. Quarantine Together, for example, prompts users with a handwashing reminder before they can use the app.

ScrubHub by PornHub in partnership with artists Ani Acopian and Suzy Shinn ScrubHub by PornHub in partnership with artists Ani Acopian and Suzy Shinn

Stat: Young adults turn to apps to keep family connections

According to the Youth in Pandemic study of 9,000 young adults conducted by Vice, young people globally are turning to new digital platforms to help them stay connected with friends, family and loved-ones during the pandemic.

As a result, 47% have increased their social media use, while 14% have downloaded a new app to stay in touch with family. As well as social connection, young people are also feeling informed and empowered by the apps that they’re using. In turn, 78% of them want to consume coronavirus-related content online to keep themselves and their loved ones informed.

With so many young people currently prioritising staying in touch with family over having glossy digital personas, we can anticipate a rise in Anti-Social Networks focused on more exclusive social groups.

Previous News Articles
The Ordinary’s new platform shatters skincare myths

News

The Ordinary’s new platform shatters skincare myths

The Ordinary is dispelling skincare myths with its new platform, TheTruthShouldBeOrdinary.com.
Advertising & Branding : Beauty : Health & Wellness
Stat: Super Bowl smashes viewership records

News

Stat: Super Bowl smashes viewership records

Fox’s broadcast of the 2025 Super Bowl LIX drew a record-breaking 126m viewers across platforms, cementing its place as the most-watched Super Bowl...
Sports & Leisure : Advertising & Branding : Pop-culture & Media
Harrison Ford brings Hollywood charm to Glenmorangie whisky

News

Harrison Ford brings Hollywood charm to Glenmorangie whisky

Scotch whisky distillery Glenmorangie has unveiled actor Harrison Ford as its new global ambassador.
Advertising & Branding : Food & Drink : Pop-culture & Media
Hims & Hers takes on obesity crisis in provocative Super Bowl ad

News

Hims & Hers takes on obesity crisis in provocative Super Bowl ad

Telehealth brand Hims & Hers made a bold debut at the Super Bowl with a provocative 60-second ad addressing the US obesity epidemic.
Health & Wellness : Society : Advertising & Branding
Women less confident in Bank of England amid inflation pressures

News

Women less confident in Bank of England amid inflation pressures

New research from the University of Oxford reveals that women trust the Bank of England (BoE) less than men and feel more financially squeezed by i...
Finance : Society : Identities
Stat: US wellness economy surpasses £1.6 trillion milestone

News

Stat: US wellness economy surpasses £1.6 trillion milestone

The US wellness economy has officially surpassed £1.6 trillion ($2 trillion, €1.9 trillion) for the first time, according to a new report from the ...
Finance : Health & Wellness : Society
LS:N Global Just Got Smarter

News

LS:N Global Just Got Smarter

Meet our new AI tool, Ember.
The Future Laboratory
Skyn reframes condom shopping in Japan

News

Skyn reframes condom shopping in Japan

Condom brand Skyn is injecting humour into Valentine’s Day marketing with its latest campaign, Soft Competition, which playfully explores the tensi...
Advertising : Skyn : Japan
AI chatbot Eva gives a voice to imprisoned women

News

AI chatbot Eva gives a voice to imprisoned women

El Surtidor, an independent media outlet in Paraguay has launched Eva, an AI-powered chatbot based on a woman imprisoned for alleged drug trafficki...
Technology : The Synthocene Era : Synthocene Era: Far Futures
Stat: Increasing amount of microplastics in placentas linked to premature births

News

Stat: Increasing amount of microplastics in placentas linked to premature births

New research presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine has found that microplastic contamination in placentas is more than 50% higher in...
Health : Sustainability : Stat
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN