News 22.12.2022

Need to Know

DAMES wants women to feel safe in style, China is the first country to trial deepfake regulation and transgender youth are more prone to sleep disorders.

DAMES wants women to feel safe in style

Safe Space collection by DAMES, US
Safe Space collection by DAMES, US
Safe Space collection by DAMES, US

US – New York-based label DAMES has dropped a new collection of clothes and accessories merging street style and street sense, designed to bolster women’s safety thanks to built-in self-defence features.

Founded by domestic violence and sexual assault survivor Mary Katlyn O’Malley, DAMES’s ambition goes beyond apparel, building a community empowering young women to ‘be free, to be cool and to not take any sh-t’.

To that end, the brand’s collection, Safe Space, is a modern-day armour for women, drawing on workwear staple pieces such as holographic elements or reflective fabrics to inspire a feeling of protection and confidence for the wearer. The line also carries wearable self-defence accessories in the shape of a Power Puff Knuckle spike ring with brass, a hyper-whistle, a safety alarm, and a Safety Spike Lipstick with a hidden switch blade.

‘I created DAMES so women could be safe and sexy at the same time,’ explains O’Malley, adding that ultimately, the brand’s socially charged Doom Dressing is denouncing the fact that women have accepted the feeling of being unsafe as being normal.

Strategic opportunity

Like DAMES, can you turn utility into something covetable? Upgrading not-so-sexy self-defence gear into a stylish collection that protects wearers challenges expectations, and flags up very vital and key debates about gender-related violence and abuse

China is the first country to trial deepfake regulation

China – Taking effect as early as January 2023, the Chinese Cyberspace Administration will implement new rules overseeing the use of deepfake, so that China becomes the first country to regulate the technology.

The Administrative Provisions on Deep Synthesis regulation aims to protect Chinese citizens by banning digital voice or image impersonation without consent. Regulators define ‘deep synthesis’ as the use of technologies including deep learning and AR to generate text, images, audio, video or create virtual scenes. With these guidelines, anyone who intends to create a deepfake is compelled to contact the person whose voice or image they plan to use and can only proceed if given consent.

This government initiative comes in the face of growing concerns about harmful AI use cases, such as scams or identity theft. If successful, China’s AI moderation model could be adopted by other countries. As the use of AI is exponentially democratised, whether it is in an AI-verstisement or for AI-powered art, giving people power and control over their image and identity is a key challenge for big tech.

Dutch Invertuals. Visuals by Audrey Large

Strategic opportunity

Businesses which plan to use artificial intelligence need to thoroughly review considerations around consent and copyright to ensure the viability of the project and steer clear from legal quandaries

Stat: Transgender youth are more prone to sleep disorders

The Feel Good Marketplace by Woo, UK The Feel Good Marketplace by Woo, UK

US – A new study has revealed a positive correlation between being transgender or gender non-conforming and the prevalence of sleep disorders in young people, with a concerning number of individuals in that group suffering from poor sleep quality.

In a bid to better understand youth’s sleep health under the lens of gender studies, researchers from the University of Michigan polled over 1.2m young people aged 12–25, of which 2,603 identify as transgender or gender non-conforming. The results are alarming – transgender teens and young adults have been found to be four times more likely to have a sleep disorder than cisgender peers.

An overall suboptimal mental health may contribute to poorer sleep health among LGBTQ+ individuals, as depression and anxiety are known to worsen sleep quality. In addition, researchers suspect that gender-affirming therapy has a positive impact on transgender youth’s sleep health, as it is proved to improve overall mental health and suppress stress factors linked to insomnia.

The study advocates screening and testing this population for sleep disorders to better support them, and stresses the ever-growing importance of the Queer Care Market in addressing LGBTQ+ health challenges.

Strategic opportunity

Businesses in the health and wellness sphere have a responsibility to be inclusive and cater for all types of consumers – do not disregard minorities, the most underserved groups could also be the most in need of wellbeing support

Previous News Articles
Future Château launches mid-strength wines at Selfridges

News

Future Château launches mid-strength wines at Selfridges

Future Château, the new wine brand from author Tom Benn, is launching at Selfridges in October 2025 with a debut range of premium 5% ABV wines desi...
Drinks : Retail : Food
OpenArea reframes nature as cultural canvas with new London festival

News

OpenArea reframes nature as cultural canvas with new London festival

OpenArea, the brainchild of cultural strategist Ollie Olanipekun, transformed Camley Street Nature Reserve in King’s Cross into a vibrant hub of ar...
Nature : Food : Design
Stat: Americans push back against tipflation

News

Stat: Americans push back against tipflation

Tipping fatigue is intensifying across the US, with 65% of consumers saying they are tired of tipping – up from 53% in 2023, according to Popmenu’s...
Retail : US Market : Hospitality
Lancôme opens luxury retreat space and cafe in Doha airport

News

Lancôme opens luxury retreat space and cafe in Doha airport

Lancôme has unveiled Café de la Rose inside Doha’s Hamad International Airport, its first travel retail café and only the second globally.
Retail : Beauty : Travel
Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

News

Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, ...
Foresight Friday : Fashion : Beauty
Stat: Americans turn to travel to connect with loved ones

News

Stat: Americans turn to travel to connect with loved ones

A new survey from Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection reveals Americans are craving more meaningful time with loved ones, and travel is emerging as a key ...
Travel : Statistic : Optimised Odysseys
Toyota opens Woven City as a living lab for future lifestyles

News

Toyota opens Woven City as a living lab for future lifestyles

Toyota has opened its experimental Woven City at the base of Mount Fuji, creating a testbed where residents live alongside prototypes of emerging t...
Technology : Design : Toyota
Stella McCartney launches luxury live-stream shopping platform

News

Stella McCartney launches luxury live-stream shopping platform

Stella McCartney has introduced Shop With Stella, an interactive shopping event co-hosted by actor Eva Mendes and powered by Swedish video commerce...
Retail : Luxury : Livestream
Stat: The fashion industry’s hottest climate risk is factory workers’ health

News

Stat: The fashion industry’s hottest climate risk is factory workers’ health

A September 2025 report by the Fashion Revolution movement reveals that the fashion industry is failing to measure dangerous factory temperatures, ...
Fashion : Sustainability : Stat
Claude’s Keep Thinking campaign positions AI agent as problem-solving tool

News

Claude’s Keep Thinking campaign positions AI agent as problem-solving tool

In a new campaign entitled Keep Thinking, AI agent Claude is framed as the go-to tool for problem-solvers.
AI : Co-creation : Campaign
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