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Dutch Pavilion re-imagines the sports bar at Venice Architecture Biennale

Venice Architecture Biennale, The Netherlands

Italy – Curated by Amanda Pinatih and designed by Gabriel Fontana, Sidelined re-imagines the traditional sports bar as a welcoming, non-binary social space. Through games like Multiform, played on a three-sided field, and Anonymous Allyship, which removes visual team identifiers, the installation encourages visitors to reflect on belonging and fluidity.

‘We asked ourselves how we could use queering methodologies to transform the sports bar into a place where anyone can feel seen and valued,’ said Pinatih. Fontana added: ‘The pavilion invites visitors to engage actively, reflect critically and envision new possibilities for more compassionate communities.’

Set inside the Gerrit Rietveld-designed pavilion and curated for Het Nieuwe Instituut, the project draws on queer theory and challenges binary competition norms in sport, offering a timely call to rethink social connection in an increasingly polarised world.

For more insights on what’s new and next in sports branding, read our Game-Changers: The Future of Sports Fandom macrotrend report.

Strategic opportunity

Re-imagine exclusive spaces through playful design. Use inclusive games and spatial audits to foster empathy, innovation and belonging in boardrooms, retail or events, transforming environments into accessible experiences

Primark’s Never Basic campaign champions quality and style at affordable prices

UK – Primark is spotlighting affordable fashion essentials with the launch of its new spring/summer campaign, Never Basic – Standout Quality. Iconic Prices. Running across 462 stores in 17 markets and on digital platforms, the campaign aims to challenge perceptions that value means compromising on quality.

Featured items include wardrobe staples such as 100% cotton T-shirts, recycled cotton camisoles and cotton waffle shorts, with prices starting from £2 ($2.64, €2.37). ‘You don’t need to spend more to get great-looking basics you can wear over and over again,’ said Michelle McEttrick, chief customer officer at Primark.

The campaign, developed with creative agency VCCP, includes in-store signage and updated visual merchandising to showcase its essential ranges. Nikki Lindman, creative director at VCCP, added: ‘There is nothing basic about great quality at great prices.’

The initiative aligns with the retailer’s Primark Cares commitments, which include using more sustainable materials and promoting clothes designed to last longer.

For more insights on what consumers value and how brands are strategically responding to this, read our New Codes of Value macrotrend report.

Primark Never Basic campaign, UK

Strategic oppportunity

Position everyday essentials as trusted brand assets by highlighting design and quality, not just price. Present affordability as intentional and well crafted to strengthen brand perception and build lasting loyalty

Stat: Clubbing culture enters its Flat Age era

Never too old to go clubbing, YouGov

UK – A new survey by YouGov challenges stereotypes about age and nightlife culture. When asked at what age, if any, someone becomes too old for clubbing, 41% of the 4,670 UK adults surveyed agreed that you never become too old to go out dancing.

Only 3% felt the cut-off age should be younger than 25, while 10% suggested age 30 and 13% felt the upper limit should be somewhere beyond 40.

The YouGov survey results reflect shifting cultural norms around ageing, nightlife and social identity as part of a wider shift towards Flat Age thinking. Our Gen X: Now and Next report examined the rise of day club events that allow Gen Xers to get on the dance floor during the afternoon and still get home in time for dinner and a night in front of the television.

Our Designing Nightlife report further explores the alternative options emerging on the nightlife scene to create a more inclusive industry that is less reliant on alcohol consumption and more beneficial for both mental and physical health.

Strategic opportunity

Hospitality brands should challenge outdated assumptions about age-based social habits, creating inclusive, intergenerational spaces and experiences such as sober club nights, nostalgia-driven day parties and wellness-led after-dark events