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Art that serves as a refuge for festival-goers

The Playground by Architensions at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2022. Photography by Lance Gerber, US

California – An art installation at music festival Coachella is providing attendees with a refuge from sensory overstimulation. The Playground is a large-scale artwork by multidisciplinary design studio Architensions that brings wellness considerations to the fore of festivals.

Comprising four steel wireframe towers, The Playground is a colourful structure that serves as an assembly point for festival-goers, inspired by public spaces in urban settings like piazzas, arcades and parks. With no technology or screens, the installation seeks to offer a welcome break from the sensory overload of music festivals, providing a space for attendees to take a breather before continuing with their revelry.

While most stages and experiences at festivals vie for attendees’ attention with loud displays and immersive experiences, The Playground goes against the grain by offering a space for rest, relaxation and contemplation. As such, it’s following the broader trend for Enlightened Spaces that favour moments of self-discovery over shared spectacle.

Strategic opportunity

How can companies create opportunities for safe or contemplative spaces in unlikely settings like sports events, bars or nightclubs? Consider launching a pop-up that can bring wellness to the centre of unexpected contexts

A membership model generating eco-apparel

Early Majority, US

US – Technical outerwear brand Early Majority is launching a membership model that builds on its community-focused, ecological approach to retail. Paying members will allow the brand to meet its aims of producing the fewest number of products for the maximum possible number of uses – for a limited time newcomers will be offered the option to invest £358 ($440, €416) for a lifetime membership. Through this approach, Early Majority will also continue cultivating its community, ensuring that all products align with the circular and ethical values of its customers. Outside of the membership model, customers will be required to pay a 60% premium for garments. Here, Early Majority shuns conventional retail models to instead invest in long-term customer loyalty, and a concept that benefits both people and planet.

The brand explains: ‘Departing from the dominant industry model, we are building a business based on a growing supportive community over producing unnecessary product.’ By centring its product creation on customer feedback, Early Majority sets an example to other brands in creating community-centric models that benefit both consumers and retailers.

Strategic opportunity

In future, more retailers will create membership schemes to mutually benefit brands and consumers. Beyond products, consider how your customers’ feedback could inform materials, manufacturing or even store locations

The CFDA launches a Web3 education programme

New York – Recognising the need to up-skill its members and employees, The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is launching a Web3 education programme offering the tools to navigate the future of the internet.

The educational initiative is will be a partnership with creative consultants 5Crypto. It will consist of knowledge panels, fireside chats and 101-style conversations that keep the company’s employees and members abreast of technological developments such as digital fashion and tokenised loyalty schemes.

As the CFDA looks to support the next generation of designers, as well as future-proof its own operations, it’s only natural that the organisation explores the new value propositions offered by Alternet Economies. ‘Our mission is to position our members as leaders in the global innovation of fashion and retail via digitally led strategies to support growth and expansion,’ says Steven Kolb, CEO of the CFDA. 'The CFDA is poised to educate and empower business leaders for generations to come.'

Gentle Fendi, South Korea

Strategic opportunity

How can your company empower its employees to learn more about Web3 in a safe, controlled environment? Examine which Web3 or metaverse platforms could be partners with you on this journey

Stat: Plant-based diets prove healthier for dogs

Glorious

UK – While most dog diets conventionally rely on animal products, a recent study suggests that nutritionally complete vegan diets are healthier for dogs. To reach a conclusion, the study assessed seven general indicators of health, such as multiple visits to the vets and 22 common illnesses.

The research, published in peer-reviewed scientific journal Plos One, reveals that the percentage of dogs reported to have suffered from health disorders was 49% for a conventional diet, 43% for a raw meat diet and 36% for a vegan diet. It also found that 17% of dogs on conventional diets had four or more visits to the vet over the course of a year, compared with 9% for those on vegan diets.

While currently being sold at a premium, vegan dog food choices reflect the High-end Pets Market, yet pet care brands should continue to develop alternative food formulations that support pets while aligning with the changing values of their owners.

Strategic opportunity

Beyond dog food, pet care companies can seize opportunities to create products and services that reflect the cultural values of pet owners – from wellbeing to sustainability considerations