News 29.11.2022

Need to Know

WASP proposes a new eco-sustainable housing model, Vestiaire Collective bans fast fashion and US adults are too stressed to function

A decentralised living model inspired by space

Itaca by WASP, Italy
Itaca by WASP, Italy
Itaca by WASP, Italy

Italy – 3D printing specialist WASP, most recently known for its work on Christian Dior’s Dubai pop-up store, is furthering its reputation with the launch of a new housing eco-system.

The project, Itaca, comprises a selection of technical solutions and eco-conscious materials that work cooperatively to create a circular micro-economy. While the first house is yet to be built on a plot of land near Bologna, the proposed model will accommodate up to four people, and enable them to live without electricity, water and gas connections. The alternative system utilises a photovoltaic solar system for energy, geothermal HVAC for cooling in summer or heating in winter, and is capable of harvesting rain water for irrigation and drinking water.

The company hopes the project will be ‘a solution to the social, energy, climate and mass migration crisis’, and uses space as inspiration for resilient architecture. ‘Getting a place as harsh as the Moon to be inhabited is hard to imagine, but science says it can be done. Why don’t we apply the same technologies here on Earth, to get even the most extreme environments to be hospitable?,’ says Massimo Moretti, founder of WASP.

Strategic opportunity

The infrastructure of cities and habitable spaces must be able to accommodate the future needs of our communities and planet. Decentralised housing models could provide food, energy and economic independence while maintaining environmental balance.

Resale platform Vestiaire Collective bans fast fashion

Global – As the resale fashion market experiences a boost, one platform is saying a hard no to fast fashion brands. Paris-based Vestiaire Collective has issued a list of banned fast fashion brands that it believes jar with its certified B Corp status.

Brands on the banned list include Asos, Boohoo, Burton, Coast, Dorothy Perkins, Karen Millen, Miss Selfridge, Missguided, Nasty Gal, Oasis, Pretty Little Thing, Shein, Tezenis, Topman, Topshop (and collaborations) and Warehouse. These are all brands, according to the company, that meet fast fashion criteria of low product quality, poor working conditions for garment workers and significant carbon footprint.

The decision was prompted by a team visit to Kantamanto market in Ghana – the largest for second-hand clothing in West Africa – led by the Or Foundation – which demonstrated how most of the garments are of such poor quality that they are sent to landfill. The decision marks a growing push-back against the wastefulness of fast fashion and towards driving more circular models of fashion consumption, as we detail in Resale Redux.

Vestiaire Collective, France

Strategic opportunity

Brands must create more personalised relationships with consumers through repair or reconsignment messaging, especially when built into e-commerce eco-systems that focus on circularity. Future consumers will demand no less.

More than a quarter of US adults are too stressed to function

Rebranding Mental Health for Refinery29. Photography by Flora Maclean Rebranding Mental Health for Refinery29. Photography by Flora Maclean

US – A poll from the American Psychological Association shows that the average US citizen is facing uncontrollable stressors, with 27% reporting that most days they are so stressed they cannot function.

Conducted by The Harris Poll, the nationwide survey also reveals that big-picture issues such as racial tension and political climate are weighing heavily on citizens. A majority of adults cited inflation (83%), violence and crime (75%), the current political climate (66%) and the racial climate (62%) as significant sources of stress.

There is significant pessimism – and distress – revealed throughout the poll’s results. In particular, 72% of the members of the LGBTQ+ community reported feeling that their rights are under attack, which is a higher proportion than non-LGBTQ+ adults (64%). Younger adult women (aged 18–34) were more likely to report that most days their stress is completely overwhelming than older women (62% versus 48% of 35–44s; 27% among 45–64s; 9% of those aged 65+). Some 75% of Black adults said that the racial climate in the US is a significant source of stress.

Strategic opportunity

There are opportunities for businesses to bridge the healthcare gap and step further into the mental wellness sector through physical locations; for example, as detailed in Retail Therapy. In the Guilded Luxury macrotrend we foresee luxury brands moving further into the medical care field as wellbeing becomes a luxury aspiration.

Previous News Articles
Industry insights from the Walpole British Luxury Summit 2025

News

Industry insights from the Walpole British Luxury Summit 2025

The Walpole British Luxury Summit 2025 gathered leaders from across the global luxury sector for a day of expert talks, reports and panel discussio...
Luxury : Global Events : Walpole British Luxury Summit
Foresight Friday: Fiona Harkin, director of foresight

News

Foresight Friday: Fiona Harkin, director of foresight

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, director of foresigh...
Foresight : Foresight Friday : Ff
Stat: Connected tech boosts loyalty as consumers seek smarter brand interactions

News

Stat: Connected tech boosts loyalty as consumers seek smarter brand interactions

More than a quarter of consumers are willing to pay more for a product that offers a connected experience such as a QR code, visual search, AR or N...
Stats : Stat : Technology
World Retail Congress 2025 daily recap: Emerging consumer mindsets and luxury storefronts

News

World Retail Congress 2025 daily recap: Emerging consumer mindsets and luxury storefronts

On the closing day of World Retail Congress 2025, retailers looked to the future, examining emerging consumer mindsets, sustainability pressur...
Luxury : Retail : World Retail Congress
Pinterest rolls out enhanced AI-powered visual search tools

News

Pinterest rolls out enhanced AI-powered visual search tools

Pinterest has launched a suite of generative AI-powered visual search features for women’s fashion content in the US, the UK and Canada.
Pinterest : Artificial Intelligence : Search Tool
Stat: Teens balance connection and concern in the age of social media

News

Stat: Teens balance connection and concern in the age of social media

Nearly half of US teenagers (48%) now say social media negatively affects people their age, a sharp rise from 32% in 2022, according to a report fr...
Stats : Stat : Teens And Tech
World Retail Congress 2025: Why trust is retail’s strongest currency

News

World Retail Congress 2025: Why trust is retail’s strongest currency

The first day of World Retail Congress 2025 in London revolved around the theme Faster, Bolder, Smarter.
Retail : Global Events : World Retail Congress
Hawaii introduces climate-driven tourist tax

News

Hawaii introduces climate-driven tourist tax

Hawaii is making climate history with a landmark bill that raises tourist taxes to fund environmental protection and climate resilience projects.
Travel : Sustainability : Travel & Hospitality
Stat: Gen Z turn to daily supplements as wellness becomes an everyday routine

News

Stat: Gen Z turn to daily supplements as wellness becomes an everyday routine

According to the latest Gen Z State of Beauty 2024/2025 report from Kyra, 80% of Gen Z in the UK and the US now take between one and six supplement...
Stat : Wellness : Supplements
Dutch Pavilion re-imagines the sports bar at Venice Architecture Biennale

News

Dutch Pavilion re-imagines the sports bar at Venice Architecture Biennale

Curated by Amanda Pinatih and designed by Gabriel Fontana, Sidelined re-imagines the traditional sports bar as a welcoming, non-binary social space.
The Netherlands : Venice Architecture Biennale : Design
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