Daily Signals 30.09.2020

Signals

SoundCloud expresses sonic healing through fashion, sleek and sustainable beauty packaging, and luxurians seek to safeguard their wealth.

SoundCloud merchandise amps up music as a healer

Pure & Wondrous Sounds Collection by SoundCloud and GRVTY, US
Pure & Wondrous Sounds Collection by SoundCloud and GRVTY, US
Pure & Wondrous Sounds Collection by SoundCloud and GRVTY, US

US – Music platform SoundCloud is launching a fashion collection with designers at GRVTY, an independent broadcast company.

Conceived at the start of the pandemic as a way to capture and communicate music’s ability to empower, escape, cope and heal, the Pure & Wondrous Sounds collection includes items such as t-shirts, sweatshirts and vinyl slipmats.

To promote music as a source of healing and an outlet during tougher times, the collection features phrases such as: ‘There will be a new day and a new song, play on’, ‘Exalted, sonically’, and ‘Endless loop harmonix’. Taking the platform's merchandise offering further, SoundCloud plans to work with creatives whose ethos aligns with that of the streaming service – a DIY-spirited, innovative and forward-thinking outlook.

While SoundCloud and GRVTY are focusing on apparel, music-led healing is increasingly being recognised in the health and wellness sector. We explore this further in Music as Medicine.

This packaging tackles wasteful cosmetics practices

Plastic-free packaging by Verity, US Plastic-free packaging by Verity, US
Plastic-free packaging by Verity, US Plastic-free packaging by Verity, US

US – Packaging supplier Verity is responding to the issue of wasteful cosmetics packaging by offering a plastic-free solution.

Its new aluminium and stainless steel vessels are designed for a variety of cosmetics products, shunning the default choice of plastic with the aim of transforming the sustainable packaging landscape. The metal containers are instead re-usable and fully recyclable. In turn, Verity positions metal packaging as elevating both the brand and user experience through aesthetics, form and function.

‘At Verity, we pride ourselves on performance and style. Our sleek packaging can transform your brand and can be integrated seamlessly with your product portfolio. Every hour of engineering spent creating our products is working towards one goal – a more sustainable future,’ says Kerri Leslie, its CEO.

As the cosmetics industry continues to explore more sustainable practices, brands are continuing to focus on both eco-credentials and aesthetic concerns. For more, explore the Refined Refillables microtrend.

Inclusive children’s dolls destigmatise disability

Kmart, Australia and New Zealand Kmart, Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand – Retailer Kmart is promoting visibility for people with disabilities with its new range of dolls.

Intentionally dressed in stylish outfits and named ‘fashion dolls’, the set includes dolls who are blind, deaf, have a bionic leg, are in a wheelchair or on crutches.

The new dolls are part of the retailer's wider commitment to championing diversity and inclusion, and Kmart hopes they will help children to understand and celebrate the traits that make them and others unique.

John Gualtieri, Kmart retail director for Australia and New Zealand, explains: ‘We want children to see themselves represented in these dolls and we want to help them learn more about people who are different from themselves. It’s so important for kids to see toys and dolls with disabilities; to have them play in their imaginary world and then normalise it for real life.’

In a similar vein, we have previously explored the shift in toys and advertising for boys that seek to inspire emotional intelligence above raucous play.

Stat: Affluent consumers are rethinking their investments

Amid growing uncertainty, affluent consumers are shifting their traditional investments to reflect an expected reduction in wealth.

According to data from Agility Research & Strategy’s recent Affluential Wealth Report, ultra-high-net-worth (UHNWI) and high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) are shifting their investment priorities in the inter-Covid period. With one in four HNWIs expecting their wealth to temporarily decline, many report buying fewer luxury goods, with 48% of affluents in Hong Kong and 44% in Singapore saying they have started saving more.

With a view to where they are investing, however, Agility Research reports this is shifting towards items such as gold and precious gemstones, as well as foreign currencies, while new assets such as cryptocurrency, crowdfunding and P2P lending are on the rise.

In our latest luxury and hospitality macrotrend Omnilux Lifestyles, we examine how and why luxurians are opting for safe-haven spending, focused on longevity-led goods.

Previous Daily Signals Articles
Vacheron Constantin’s La Quête du Temps stars in Louvre exhibition

Daily Signals

Vacheron Constantin’s La Quête du Temps stars in Louvre exhibition

Luxury Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin has unveiled La Quête du Temps at the Louvre, a monumental automaton clock to celebrate the brand’s 270...
Luxury : Watches : Retail
Mandarin Oriental to open first golf and wellness resort in Dubai

Daily Signals

Mandarin Oriental to open first golf and wellness resort in Dubai

Mandarin Oriental is expanding its luxury footprint in Dubai with its first dedicated golf resort and branded residences, set to open in 2030.
Travel : Hospitality : Luxury
Stat: Medical misinformation is a growing concern for US Women

Daily Signals

Stat: Medical misinformation is a growing concern for US Women

A recent survey by Clue reveals that 82% of US women are concerned about encountering medical misinformation online, with over half (55%) reporting...
Stats : Statistic : Statistics
Netflix’s Famous Last Words signals a new era of digital legacy

Daily Signals

Netflix’s Famous Last Words signals a new era of digital legacy

Dr Jane Goodall, the renowned ethologist and conservationist passed away this week. An interview she recorded for Netflix’s new series Famous Last ...
Technology : Legacy : Longevity
Foresight Friday: Seyi Oduwole, foresight analyst

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Seyi Oduwole, foresight analyst

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, foresight analyst Seyi Od...
Foresight Friday : Content Creation : Media
Stat: Americans’ trust in media declines to record low

Daily Signals

Stat: Americans’ trust in media declines to record low

Media : Trust : Consumer Behaviour
London welcomes the world’s first Museum of Youth Culture

Daily Signals

London welcomes the world’s first Museum of Youth Culture

The world’s first permanent museum dedicated to youth culture is set to open in Camden, London, in December 2025.
Youth : Culture : Museum
Swedish insurer hacks social media algorithms with mental health anthem

Daily Signals

Swedish insurer hacks social media algorithms with mental health anthem

Swedish insurer Länsförsäkringar Göteborg och Bohuslän has launched Detoxify, a subversive campaign that uses music to retrain harmful social media...
Sweden : Social Media : Algorithms
Stat: Gen Z shuns the values most desired by hiring managers

Daily Signals

Stat: Gen Z shuns the values most desired by hiring managers

New research from behavioural-science company Becoming You Labs reveals that only a small fraction of American Gen Z hold the three main values tha...
Youth : Gen Z : Work
Stella McCartney debuts plant-based feathers at Paris Fashion Week

Daily Signals

Stella McCartney debuts plant-based feathers at Paris Fashion Week

At Paris Fashion Week, Stella McCartney unveiled a striking alternative to bird feathers: plant-based Fevvers.
Stella McCartney : Fevvers : Feathers
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