LSN : News : A virtual influencer becomes Marks & Spencer’s newest ambassador

Lalique unveils perfume collaboration with artist James Turrell

Lalique and James Turrell, France and US

US – Historic French crystal-maker and perfumer Lalique has collaborated with American artist James Turrell, known for his work with light and space, on two exclusive fragrances.

Introduced at Paris+ par Art Basel, the two new scents and bottle designs are the result of over four years of close collaboration between the two ‘artists of light’, and are only available in a limited edition of 100 pieces in a nod to Lalique’s 100-year anniversary. Range Rider and Purple Sage are inspired by the American West and Zane Grey’s novel Riders of the Purple Sage.

Both scents are encapsulated in show-stopping artisan-made crystal flaçons, combining artistic and olfactory sensibilities, which playfully diffuse and diffract light thanks to their architectural prism shapes.

At the intersection of luxury and art, this collaboration blurs the lines between product and collectible artwork, and is sure to appeal to premium homeware connoisseurs and luxury fragrance enthusiasts alike.

At LS:N Global, we are tracking concepts reframing the future of fragrance, innovating both formulas and packaging designs.

Strategic opportunity

Merge utility and beauty: luxurious products that double as collectible objects will be perceived as higher value and more sustainable, thanks to their extended life cycle and decorative function

Neoplants introduces house plants that purify the air

Neo P1 Prototype by Neoplants, France

France – Bio-engineering specialist Neoplants has unveiled its recent innovation, Neo P1, a house plant engineered to remove harmful pollutants in the air. The company was co-founded by CEO Lionel Mora and chief technology officer Patrick Torbey, whose mission is to use bio-engineering to create plants with purpose. After four years of scientific research, Neoplants has successfully created the world’s most efficient natural purifier, proven to be 30 times more effective at removing pollutants than the most efficient plants found in nature.

The founders hope Neo P1 will inspire a movement towards technological innovation working in synch with nature. ‘It is critical that we use human talent for innovation to partner with, and enhance, our natural world rather than consuming it,’ says Mora.

With the help of technology, the company aims to speed up the evolution process to create a world where ‘plants are upgraded as frequently as our phones’, says Torbey, enhancing the natural world to create climate change solutions. The LS:N Global team continue to track bio-hacking as an emerging trend; you can read more in our market on Nature-hacking.

Strategic opportunity

Neoplants demonstrates some of the ways brands can use bio-engineering to create climate change solutions. Partner with researchers who are at the cutting edge of emerging bio-studies

A virtual influencer becomes Marks & Spencer’s newest ambassador

UK – British high street behemoth Marks & Spencer has announced a new addition to its M&S Insiders influencer programme in the shape of a virtual persona – the first digital character representing a high street retailer.

Named Mira – which stands for Marks & Spencer, Influencer, Reality, Augmented – the avatar has been developed in collaboration with tech agency Happy Finish. The content posted by Mira, including fashion tips, style inspiration and the brand’s latest collections, will be created by M&S’s in-house team.

The move is part of the retailer’s ongoing experiments with emerging technologies, designed to connect with younger audiences and diversify their community.

Anna Braithwaite, the director of marketing for clothing and home, adds, ‘We are excited to welcome Mira – UK retail’s first virtual influencer – to our M&S Insiders family. A virtual influencer means we can be more fleet of foot in responding to trends and conversations and it opens possibilities in both the physical and virtual worlds in the future.’

Virtual personas entering the high street retail sphere signals the growing avatar influence, propelling the concept from niche and digital-first players to a much larger and diverse mainstream audience.

Mira by Marks & Spencer, UK

Strategic opportunity

Marks & Spencer’s introduction of in-house virtual influencer Mira shows how businesses can incorporate digital innovation in line with their brand’s identity, heritage and consumer base

Stat: Flexible working is a big incentive for employees

Distant Workplace by Thiago Tallmann, Brazil

Global – A recent study by McKinsey & Co shows that flexible working is a top motivation for employees, with 40% of those surveyed saying that this would help persuade them to stay in a role.

The rise in remote working has set a new norm for what many employees want from the workplace. Increasingly, the standard 9–5 working day is being replaced by what the BBC defines as ‘non-linear work days’ that allow individuals to coordinate their working hours to suit them. Such flexible working patterns can help to improve employees’ work-life balance by addressing the problems of working unpaid overtime or outside core hours.

Following The Great Resignation, if employers are to remain an attractive proposition in this new normal, they should consider expanding the benefits they offer employees. Look out for our forthcoming Workplace Futures report in early 2023, which will examine workplace trends.

Strategic opportunity

Employees are adapting to a new, more personalised way of working. It is in the interests of employers to accommodate this shift if they want to avoid missing out on diverse talent