LSN : News : 24 : 09 : 25

Thebe Magugu becomes Belmond’s first designer-in-residence

Thebe Magugu Suite, Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, South Africa

South Africa – Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, has announced a landmark collaboration with South African designer Thebe Magugu, blending fashion, hospitality and culture.

To mark the 10th anniversary of his eponymous brand, Magugu is unveiling the Thebe Magugu Suite, his first foray into interior design. The re-imagined wing of the historic Mount Nelson channels an Afro-British aesthetic, blending British classicism with South African craft traditions to establish a signature designer presence in the hotel.

Complementing the suite is Magugu House Cape Town, opening in November 2025. More than a retail space, this will act as a hybrid boutique and cultural institute – part showroom, part gallery and part event venue – designed to showcase exhibitions, host artist talks and stage creative programmes. This approach embodies what LS:N Global identifies as ‘third-space retail’, where brands transform physical environments into multi-layered cultural hubs that engage communities and foster experience-led loyalty.

The partnership underlines South Africa’s luxury surge, a shift highlighted in LS:N Global’s recent Viewpoint with Style Rotate’s Georgina Bennett. Magugu, already a fixture in our reporting as one of Africa’s most innovative designers, exemplifies a new generation of creatives who are simultaneously global in influence and deeply rooted in local heritage.

Strategic opportunity

Luxury influence isn’t limited to products. Magugu’s suite and Magugu House demonstrate that designers can translate fashion aesthetics into immersive environments, creating new touchpoints for audiences. For more, read our recent macrotrend, Culture-coded Retail

EU-backed accelerator co-funds first-of-its-kind cultivated meat farm

Cell-cultivated chicken by Good Meat, US

The Netherlands – The EU has backed the world’s first cultivated meat farm, with EIT Food awarding £1.7m ($2.4, €2m) to the Cellular Revolution in Agriculture and Farming Technology (Craft) Consortium.

Anchored by farmer participation, the project reflects shifting consumer trust – 27% of Europeans say they trust farmers to ensure cultivated meat safety, compared with just 11% for retailers or private companies (source: Euroconsumers).

Craft aims to integrate cultivated meat into real farms, embedding production alongside livestock and crops to create resilient, decentralised food systems. As RespectFarms co-founder Ralf Becks put it: ‘Craft boils down a world problem to farm size. Once it works, we scale this out to the world.’

The sustainability potential is significant – cultivated meat could cut water use by 78%, land use by 95% and emissions by 92% (source: Green Queen). For farmers, it offers diversification without abandoning heritage.

Head to our Cultivated Meat Market report to explore how sustainability concerns, fine dining and protein initiatives are redefining the lab-grown meat industry.

Strategic opportunity

Reframe food innovation around trust – partner with farmers to embed transparency and community in your business strategy, ensuring cultivated products carry cultural legitimacy as well as sustainability credentials

Stat: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement set to spark wedding spending boom

Photography by Caio, Canada

US – Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement is poised to spark a £296m ($400m, €339m) surge in US wedding-related spending over the next two years, according to a new report by The Knot. Dubbed The Swiftification of Weddings, the trend is expected to influence everything from floral arrangements to bridal fashion.

The Knot forecasts £163m ($220m, €186m) in additional spending on pre-wedding events such as bridal showers, bachelor/bachelorette parties and rehearsal dinners, and £133m ($180m, €152m) on honeymoons alone. Wedding professionals are preparing for a ripple effect, with 50% expecting Swift’s highly publicised nuptials to affect their business.

Jewellers, florists, photographers and bridal stylists are among those predicted to benefit most. The Knot also expects an £89m ($120m, €102m) increase in spending on engagement professionals such as proposal photographers and floral designers, and a £148m ($200m, €169m) rise in wedding attire purchases.

Searches for ‘garden’ on The Knot Vendor Marketplace rose by 70% in the week of Swift’s engagement, reflecting growing interest in romantic, nature-inspired aesthetics. While The Knot notes these figures are based on predictions, the pop culture power of Swift remains a formidable market force.

The Knot notes these predictions are based on audience surveys and quantitative site behaviour data.

Our newly released report, Parasocial Relationships in 2030, explores the powerful influence of celebrities on their fans and how businesses can harness this dynamic for commercial gain.

Strategic opportunity

Don’t underestimate the power of pop-culture fandoms. Tap into parasocial moments by launching limited collections, themed experiences or collaborative campaigns that let consumers participate in cultural milestones, driving both emotional relevance and commercial gain