Daily Signals 02.05.2025

Signals

Future Days 2025 daily recap, Alice Crossley’s Foresight Friday and why circular fashion is gaining momentum in US luxury e-commerce.

Future Days 2025: Urban life in 2050 and queer design futures

Future Days, Lisbon, Portugal
Future Days, Lisbon, Portugal
Future Days, Lisbon, Portugal

Portugal – The second day of Future Days 2025 kicked off at the Estufa Fria botanical garden in Lisbon. The morning began with a standout workshop led by the United Nations Futures Lab, where designers, strategic thinkers and futurists came together to explore the future of urban life in 2050.

Participants used the PESTLE framework (political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental) to identify signals, trends and drivers of change. These insights were then applied to a range of scenarios – from a baseline future marked by climate catastrophe that necessitates new UN treaties to radical visions of borderless societies governed by an Earth constitution. The session offered a focused space in which to consider how today’s decisions could shape tomorrow’s cities.

In the afternoon, speakers explored how marginalised communities can help shape more inclusive and imaginative futures. Creative coder and artist Lex Fefegha presented projects addressing the lack of diversity in AI training data, including Decentralise, previously featured on LS:N Global. He warned that if AI continues to learn from a past that excludes marginalised voices, it will inevitably reproduce those inequalities.

Pushing against dominant paradigms, Gem Barton, head of the SuperFUTURES research unit at the Royal College of Art, called for a fundamental shift in architectural education and practice. Drawing on queer theory, she advocated for a speculative, fluid approach rooted in world-building, arguing that usefulness and practicality are often colonial constructs that limit design potential.

The day closed with a shared message: to shape better futures, creatives must work within systems of power, and communities must be involved in decision-making. From workshops to panel debates, the consensus was clear – collaborative, inclusive approaches are essential for meaningful change.

Strategic opportunity

Consider embedding designers and creatives within internal teams to challenge tunnel vision, break legacy mindsets and spark system-level innovation. Rather than treating them as external consultants, position them as core contributors to long-term strategic change

Foresight Friday: Alice Crossley, senior foresight analyst

Puresport Puresport, London

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, senior foresight analyst Alice Crossley discusses the London marathon and Nike’s attempt to get more teen girls interested in PE.

: A record-breaking 56,640 runners crossed the finish line of the 2025 London Marathon last weekend. Run clubs and the Mass Movement trend we covered in 2023 likely play a part in the 105% increase in applications from people aged 20–29, but there’s also something to be said about extreme sports and the ‘new rules of achievement’ for young people who are finding it harder to reach the traditional markers of adulthood such as home ownership or parenthood, a topic we explore in our Gen Z Now and Next: 2024–2025 report.

: My favourite marathon activation came from Puresport, which hosted a Roadside Recovery ‘petrol’ Station at mile 24, providing runners with high-sodium electrolytes served from 2.5 metre pumps to get them through the final stretch. Genius!

: Elsewhere, Nike has teamed up with digital exercise platform Studio You to launch a series of video content powered by the This Girl Can campaign to help teenagers find more enjoyment in movement. Designed in collaboration with young women across the country, the free videos feature Nike trainers delivering lessons in yoga, dance, fitness, strength training, breathwork and mental fitness for teachers to use in schools. The videos also include adaptive movements to ensure students with disabilities can get involved. Our Game-Changers macrotrend report unpacked the rising power of female fandom, but enjoyment of sports starts in schools, and we can all remember those terrible PE lessons…

Quote of the Week

‘What we’re trying to do is give as many people as we can the opportunity to experience something that is life affirming, that is community building, that is good for their physical and mental health, and truly will give them an experience like no other’

Hugh Brasher, race director, London Marathon (source: The Guardian)

Stat: Circular fashion is gaining momentum in US luxury e-commerce

ReBurberry at Selfridges, London, UK ReBurberry at Selfridges, London, UK

US – Americans who purchase luxury apparel online are increasingly turning to circular fashion, according to new data from the Mastercard Economics Institute. In 2020, circular fashion accounted for 22.8% of US online luxury apparel spending, rising to 27.4% in 2024.

The growth marks a rebound from pandemic lows and a shift in consumer values, with Mastercard forecasting circular fashion to reach 28.8% of the luxury online market by the end of 2025. ‘The drivers are likely a combination of growing awareness of circular fashion merchants, a desire to access quality brands at a discount and an eye toward sustainability,’ the report notes.

Seasonal peaks, particularly in March, drive resale activity as people refresh their spring wardrobes and make purchases for special occasions. Cities such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas lead in adoption, while Portland is seeing resale growth outpace overall online clothing sales by 20.5 percentage points. The findings suggest a broader move toward more sustainable and value-driven habits among luxury shoppers in the US.

For more insights on what’s new and next for pre-loved fashion, read our Rebranding Resale report.

Strategic opportuity

Luxury and premium brands should consider integrating resale functionality directly into their websites or partnering with established online platforms such as The RealReal and Vestiaire Collective to offer seamless e-tail experiences and authenticated pre-owned pieces

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