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Loungewear made from bullet-resistant Kevlar

Kickback by Mother Goods, US

US – Denouncing America’s daily firearm casualties, Mother Goods has introduced Kickback, a line of bullet-resistant amenities and loungewear.

Designers Tian Wang and Teague Miller partnered with fashion designer Minnie Park from Mirae Studio to create the collection of ‘loungewear built for inaction’. The entire Kickback line is made with Kevlar, a synthetic fibre that is bullet-proof and knife-proof.

Soon available to purchase, the hand-crafted bathrobes are lined with ballistic aramid fibre body plates, offering protection and tranquillity needed in a country where ‘you can get shot by anyone, anywhere, at any time’. The robe comes with matching slippers to shield the wearer from self-inflicted accidents and is reportedly comfortable ‘unlike the truth’, according to the product description.

Through this collaboration, designers weaved in their know-how and used satire to call out America’s looming gun violence problem – an example of how Elastic Brands successfully respond and adapt to the social climate.

Strategic opportunity

The Kickback line encapsulates how fashion brands can use their platform for activism and channel creativity and satire to raise societal issues

Vogue hosts an oceanic metaverse experience

Cattin Tsai and Samy LaCrapule for Vogue, China

Meta-Ocean by Vogue

Global – Vogue titles around the world have unveiled Vogue Meta-Ocean, a virtual fantasy oceanic world that presents works from a diverse range of digital artists, including 3D designers accredited by global Vogue titles.

Meta-Ocean was first introduced by Vogue China to build on a previous creation by the magazine, Infni+. An avatar featured on the cover of a companion title was designed by artist Cattin Tsai, laying the foundations for the digital world. For Tsai, the virtual ocean serves as a space to start conversations about endangered marine life, as well as representing the global scale of the project. The experience is part of a wider project exploring the theme Fashion’s New World, an exploration of current shifts in culture and artists.

Magazines have always been authority figures in showcasing cutting-edge talent and other-worldly ideas and this project demonstrates Vogue’s continuing relevance in the digital fashion sector. Meta-Ocean also represents editorials in a 3D space and highlights growing interest in digital fashion outside the gaming world.

Strategic opportunity

Collaborate with emerging designers pioneering the next evolution in fashion and digital design. Use this as inspiration for creating ways you can innovate and adapt to the next phase of the internet

Nature joins the board at this eco-beauty brand

UK – Beauty brand Faith in Nature has appointed a non-executive director to its board who will act as a representative of the natural world. The nature guardian will act as a voice for the environment and give nature a legal say in business decisions.

The move makes the Edinburgh-based brand the first in the world to give the natural world legal rights in making business decisions. With an external body holding it to account, the initiative cannot be dismissed as greenwashing.

According to Faith in Nature’s guardian Brontie Ansell, a senior lecturer and director of Lawyers for Nature, Faith in Nature will pay experts to help her give advice on issues such as biodiversity and pollution.

The move has parallels with the growing trend for businesses to use their economic authority to fund causes that advocate social change. The owner of Patagonia recently announced he would give away 100% of his shares to a non-profit organisation fighting climate change.

Faith in Nature, UK

Strategic opportunity

Follow companies which advocating against climate destruction and think of ways you can implement drastic measures that place environmental concern at the heart of business strategies

Millions of Britons are going hungry to pay energy bills

Nourish Hub by RCKa, UK

UK – As energy price hikes and inflation escalate, non-profit organisation the Money Advice Trust has conducted research on the biggest financial challenges that lie ahead for UK households.

The Money Advice Trust polled 2,000 UK adults in August 2022 to give an updated snapshot of how Britons are managing the increased financial strain. The report finds that one in five adults (10.9m people) are behind on at least one bill payment, and 14% of the UK’s population have already sold personal or household items to cover their bills.

‘Many households are already facing impossible choices, such as which meal to skip just to keep the lights on. With the impact of this crisis not being felt equally, further targeted support is needed for those on the lowest incomes,’ says Joanna Elson CBE, CEO of the Money Advice Trust, in response to the report’s findings.

At The Future Laboratory, we are continuing to monitor the cost of living crisis, looking at how brands can support their communities in times of turmoil.