Need to Know
03 : 08 : 18

UK – Girlguiding has worked with creative agency Red Stone to redesign its iconic badges and highlight the new skills that girls value today.

For its biggest overhaul in over 100 years, the organisation has redesigned 187 badges with the aim of introducing girls to a new suite of activities, from storytelling and animation to STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and human rights. The corresponding handbooks also have a new look, with a bright colour palette and playful illustration style.

Red Stone developed the new style following a consultation with 50,000 girls aged between five and 18 across the UK. According to the brand, getting the creative input of young girls meant that the badges will not only reflect the modern Girl Guides in 2018, but will continue to be relevant for years to come.

By abandoning their outdated model and acknowledging the changing priorities of young girls, Girlguiding is investing in a Female Future.

London – The new biannual magazine aims to offer a gloss-free, shameless account of the female experience.

Its first issue, Let it Bleed, centres around menstruation and features first-person accounts of embarrassing moments and first period stories, as an alternative to the guilt-ridden columns published in teen magazines. The magazine also includes honest reviews on sanitary products, recommends recipes to cook while on your period and acknowledges the lesser-reported experiences of a trans male.

SHE also worked with UK charity Bloody Good Period to increase the organisation’s exposure and gather donations. The magazine’s next issue, coming out in October 2018, will tackle women’s relationship with their body hair.

With its frank approach to the female form, SHE is creating a new visual language around women’s issues such as periods. For more, read our design direction Femininity Rebranded.

Sydney – Little Albion will be the first hotel that is available to book in its entirety via Airbnb.

The guest house has partnered with the home-sharing service to rent out its 35 rooms as one single listing. As a fusion of hotel and home, guests are encouraged to treat the property as they would their own house, but also have access to a team of hosts in addition to a fully stocked bar and pantry of snacks. However, when the hotel is not fully booked as an entity, rooms are still available to book individually.

In March, Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk announced that the platform is shedding its alternative image and opening up its website to traditional hotels, alongside a plethora of premium offerings such as Plus and Beyond. Its partnership with Little Albion represents a new way of collaborating, rather than competing, with hospitality brands.

For more on how Airbnb’s latest initiatives are veering further from its brand heritage, read our recent Opinion piece.

One of the key themes of YouGov’s Affluent Perspective 2018 report, which focuses on the 56% of global consumers who purchase luxury goods and services, was discounted products.

While the report found that half of luxury shoppers will only buy luxury when it’s reduced in price, only 28% of these discount-orientated consumers grew up in an affluent household. With this new lifestyle, they feel less comfortable spending the money they have accumulated. In addition, when asked what they want more of, these consumers say ‘money’, while the group from a wealthier background say ‘time’.

This mindset among luxury consumers, who are uncomfortable expressing their wealth, is something that we will explore in the upcoming Luxury & Hospitality Futures Forum.