News 24.08.2020

Need to Know

Apoc Store is a designer-first marketplace, Ralph Lauren and Snapchat partner for digital luxury, and optimism grows in workplace equality.

This water-taxi re-imagines future transport

CrossWater, US
CrossWater, US
CrossWater, US

US – CrossWater is an alternative urban transport solution that allows people to cross large bodies of water autonomously.

The self-driving vehicles are visually similar to an elevator, although they move horizontally across water from one vertical platform to another. CrossWater vehicles are fully electric and powered by solar energy and batteries as a carbon-neutral solution.

While ferry travel is available in some urban areas, services are often slow and environmentally damaging. This solution hopes to empower citizens to take more journeys on foot rather than relying on cars, trains or buses. ‘We know how much value CrossWater can add to communities. It’s really a breakthrough whose time has come,’ says a spokesperson from CrossWater.

City planners will increasingly need to centre Urban Mobility solutions around sustainability, developing infrastructures that help wean consumers off car travel.

A marketplace that lets designers make the rules

Apoc Store, UK Apoc Store, UK
Apoc Store, UK Apoc Store, UK

UK – Apoc Store is an eco-conscious fashion platform that enables designers to curate and sell clothing at their own discretion.

Apoc Store is radically rethinking the wholesale model. Only getting involved at the point of sale and to coordinate customer service support, the platform leaves all creative decision-making to the emerging designers. Each designer chosen for the site has free rein to decide what items they want to sell on it and to photograph their designs.

With no wholesale buyers, no minimum orders and no delivery windows, the new e-retailer aims to provide a more sustainable alternative by encouraging designers to work on a pre-order or made-to-order basis. ‘Many designers and artist were looking for new ways of working and told us that what we were proposing was exactly what they were looking for,’ says Tracey Suen, co-founder of Apoc Store.

Covid-19 has highlighted the need to re-invent the unsustainable wholesale fashion model. In Agile Artisans, we explore the ways ethical fashion brands can inform the wider industry.

Ralph Lauren is selling luxe Bitmojis on Snapchat

US – The partnership aims to attract younger customers by providing a mix-and-match branded wardrobe for their digital avatars.

The 12 pieces of Ralph Lauren-branded apparel are available for Snapchat users to shop for within the Bitmoji app. Also purchasable as physical garments in-store and online, the collection marks the first range as part of a long-term partnership with Snapchat.

'Bitmoji are important vehicles of self-expression in the digital and social space. As the world of digital avatars continues to accelerate, it’s interesting for us to test and learn how audiences respond to fashion in this space,’ states Alice Delahunt, chief digital officer at Ralph Lauren.

Fashion brands are experimenting with digital garments that are accompanied by physical doubles, as explored in our In-game Fashion microtrend.

Ralph Lauren in collaboration with Snapchat and Bitmoji, US

Stat: Optimism in workplace diversity grows

Ethel’s Club, Brooklyn Ethel’s Club, Brooklyn

A new global study by Quartz and Qualtrics reveals employees’ growing optimism about diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts in the workplace. The research reveals that almost two-thirds (61%) of the survey respondents believe their company’s D&I efforts have improved since the pandemic, with 48% of workers feeling that D&I initiatives have improved in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Despite the growing optimism, there is still some discrepancy between employees on how they view equality, with 15% of black workers expressing that their company does not treat people of all races equally, while only 2% of white workers believe the same.

The study demonstrates just how much work needs to be done by businesses to ensure they cultivate a diverse and anti-racist workplace culture. Read our recent Opinion piece to see what steps your brand can take.

Previous News Articles
MAD//Fest 2025: Culture, collaborations and creating a new identity for women’s football

News

MAD//Fest 2025: Culture, collaborations and creating a new identity for women’s football

On day two of MAD//Fest 2025, Ruth Hooper, chief marketing officer at the Women’s Super League (WSL), set out a vision for reshaping the visual ide...
Global Events : Advertising & Marketing : Football
Stat: US Gen Alpha favour consoles over mobiles for game play

News

Stat: US Gen Alpha favour consoles over mobiles for game play

Despite assumptions that mobile gaming dominates among young people, a new US report reveals that Generation Alpha are leading the charge in consol...
Statistic : Gaming : Media
Together Group and The Future Laboratory unveil New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation report

News

Together Group and The Future Laboratory unveil New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation report

In their latest report, New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation, The Future Laboratory and Together Group explore how immers...
Luxury : Technology : Design
MAD//Fest 2025: Delayed adulthood, algorithmic segregation and Gen Z hippies

News

MAD//Fest 2025: Delayed adulthood, algorithmic segregation and Gen Z hippies

MAD//Fest returned to Shoreditch on 1 July 2025, with this year’s theme Be Less Boring challenging brands to rethink how to engage with new audiences.
Global Events : Advertising & Marketing : Gen Z
Habitat and Pinterest unveil immersive campaign putting emotion into home design

News

Habitat and Pinterest unveil immersive campaign putting emotion into home design

Habitat has teamed up with Pinterest for an immersive storytelling campaign that repositions homeware as a tool for emotional re-invention and shop...
Retail : Design : Technology
Stat: Young adults are redefining romantic relationships on their terms

News

Stat: Young adults are redefining romantic relationships on their terms

As romantic norms fragment, 20% of people are now unknowingly practising ‘relationship anarchy’, according to the latest State of Dating repor...
Statistic : Stat : Dating
AI billboard visualises real-time sun damage in UV awareness campaign

News

AI billboard visualises real-time sun damage in UV awareness campaign

A new study by the British Skin Foundation reveals that 38% of Britons have already been sunburnt in 2025 – with Gen Z (35%) and Millennials (30%) ...
Advertising : Health And Wellness : Beauty
Wimbledon elevates fan engagement with AI-powered digital experiences

News

Wimbledon elevates fan engagement with AI-powered digital experiences

The All England Lawn Tennis Club and IBM have unveiled an AI-powered experience designed to deepen audience engagement and enhance match under...
Wimbledon : Sports : Entertainment
Stat: Gen Alpha lead the charge in back-to-school shopping

News

Stat: Gen Alpha lead the charge in back-to-school shopping

Children and teenagers are now the primary decision-makers in back-to-school shopping, according to a new global study by SuperAwesome.
Retail : Gen Alpha : Statistic
The Fashion Innovation Agency debuts 3D garment volumetric capture service

News

The Fashion Innovation Agency debuts 3D garment volumetric capture service

The Fashion Innovation Agency at London College of Fashion has launched Reskinning Reality, the UK’s first 3D garment volumetric capture service ai...
Fashion : Technology : Virtual Fashion
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