LSN : Daily Signals : Foresight Friday: Simar Deol, foresight analyst

Freestyle is the nappy brand bringing a bold new look to baby care

Freestyle, brand design by Marina Veziko, Finland

US – Nappies brand Freestyle is shaking up the baby care market with its eco-friendly nappies that ‘give diapers a new life – and give parents a diaper that cuts out the baby talk.’

Using a hyper-absorbent 100% tree-free bamboo pulp, as opposed to plastic and wood pulp, Freestyle considers parenthood to be ‘the ultimate creative act’ and wants baby care products to reflect that.

Finnish designer Marina Veziko is responsible for the brand’s eye-catching visual identity, choosing to move away from traditional muted tones and ‘cute’ stock imagery, instead opting for bold colours, playful photography and artist collaborations for the nappy branding.

Working with photographer Sofia Okkonen, the brand captures bold, dynamic moments of parenting such as breastfeeding and swaddling, and avoids solely depicting the nuclear family to recognise the diversity in modern parenting. For each drop, the brand also collaborates with an artist, giving them the freedom to visually interpret the concept of parenthood through illustration.

Freestyle taps into the Gen Z Parenting Market through its creative, representative and sustainable nappies and packaging, creating a baby care product that parents will feel excited about buying and using.

Strategic opportunity

Remember not to solely target women when addressing Gen Z parents. As born non-traditionalists, this generation will approach child-rearing with equality in mind, meaning dads – and non-binary and Trans parents – will be just as important a target market

Selfridges unveils whimsical pop-up celebrating British humour

The Selfridges Corner Shop, UK

UK – Iconic department store Selfridges unveiled its latest pop-up collaboration, a whimsical homage to British humour curated by multi-disciplinary artist Max Siedentopf, in March 2024. The Corner Shop, a permanent pop-up space at Selfridges' London store, has been transformed into a haven for jokes, pranks and slapstick comedy.

The space features a curated selection of products from ‘funniest designer friends’ like Adam Jones and Anya Hindmarch, alongside classic practical jokes and slapstick humour. Shoppers can enjoy entertainment provided by a joke shop manager dressed in a custom-made uniform by Max Allen, and explore an immersive manager’s office adorned with giant jumping beans.

Max Siedentopf's designs adorn the department store’s window displays in homage to classic British jokes from whoopee cushions to rubber chickens. In addition, visual artist Mel Brimfield’s Slapstick Generator sculpture adds a touch of cartoonish comedy to the space.

The pop-up will be open until 30 March 2024, and will offer visitors a chance to revel in the timeless tradition of British humour. Throughout the month, Selfridges will also spotlight famous independent joke shops across the UK on its social media channels in a celebration of the rich history of laughter and amusement.

In our analysis of The Rise of the C-Store, we examined how brands are re-appraising the convenience store sector, viewing this once low-key retail channel as a valuable, authentic backdrop for launches, brand takeovers and promotions.

Strategic opportunity

Tap into nostalgia by curating products or experiences that evoke fond memories or classic traditions, appealing to customers’ emotions and sense of familiarity

Foresight Friday: Simar Deol, foresight analyst

Community Commerce visuals by Pitch Studios for The Future Laboratory

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week foresight analyst Simar Deol assesses the inequities of luxury fashion, the looming possibility of a TikTok-free America and the lethal Ozempic black market.

: In his Bloomberg big take, journalist Marcelo Rochabrun exposes the dark underbelly of Italian luxury house and quiet luxury luminary Loro Piana. It reveals how Indigenous communities in Peru, who herd and shear wild vicuñas for their wool, have hardly made any monetary gains by supplying this fibre to the brand – which goes on to retail vicuña wool sweaters for £7,045 ($9,000, €8,250). Hopefully, upcoming legislation, mentioned in Regulating Clean Fashion Futures, will prevent brands from mistreating people and our planet.

: Talking about seedy undersides, this article on The Business of Fashion reveals how, in the Weight Loss Market, demand for ‘miracle’ weight loss drug Ozempic is pushing consumers to buy fakes on the black market. The UK’s medicines agency has already seized 869 fakes, only to find that some contain insulin instead of the semaglutide, which can be lethal for people with diabetes.

: Finally, this week’s Foresight Friday wouldn’t be complete without mentioning that the US House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan supported bill to ban TikTok in the country on grounds of national security threats – due to its Chinese ownership. If this bill, now in the hands of the Senate, becomes law, it will have a huge impact not only on the tech giant, but also on a plethora of small businesses, influencers and other parties that depend on the social media platform for its commerce capabilities. The domino effects will be widespread, but competitors will benefit, such as Snap, who is hedging big bets on its Retail Play.

Quote of the Week

‘This is not an attempt to ban TikTok. It’s an attempt to make TikTok better. Tic-Tac-Toe. A winner. A winner'

Nancy Pelosi

Stat: Public trust in AI is sinking across the board

Aimagination by Fred & Farid, US

Global – A recent report from global communications firm Edelman reveals a significant trust gap in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Globally, trust in AI companies has dropped to 53%, down from 61% five years ago. In the US, trust has declined by 15 percentage points, from 50% to 35%, over the same period.

Published by Axios, the study also found that people in developing countries are more likely to embrace AI than those in developed ones; respondents in France, Canada, Ireland, the UK, the US, Germany, Australia, The Netherlands and Sweden reject the growing use of AI by three to one. In contrast, acceptance outpaces resistance by a wide margin in developing markets such as Saudi Arabia, India, China, Kenya, Nigeria and Thailand.

The report serves as a reminder of the need for businesses and governments to address trust issues head on as AI becomes more universally adopted. On LS:N Global, we’re tracking the latest innovations and trust solutions in our Artificial Intelligence topic.