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Virgil Abloh fuses streetwear with fine art in capsule collection

Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh and Musée du Louvre, Paris

Paris – Fashion designer Virgil Abloh has teamed up with the Musée du Louvre in Paris on a one-off clothing collection including pieces adorned with paintings by Leonardo da Vinci.

The collection combines elements from the brand’s signature Off-White identity, including its bold four-way arrow logo. Abloh is no stranger to collaborations, having previously worked with brands such as Nike, Byredo and, most recently, Ikea. The designer’s move into the museum space has a twofold motive: offering a unique creative output while aiming to boost visitor numbers among young people.

Targeting Generation Z – an audience that are increasingly connected to culture and creativity – the collaboration reflects the potential power of merging streetwear with art. Adel Ziane, director of external relations at the Louvre, describes the collaboration as ‘a way for us to reach a new audience, a new manner to interest them in the Louvre’.

With young people feeling jaded by the homogenised nature of social media, they are increasingly turning to traditional arts to find relief, which we explore in our Big Idea: Generation Z are Driving an Arts Revolution.

Lexilife’s smart lamp can reduce the effects of dyslexia

The Lexilight by Lexilife

US and France – French company Lexilife has introduced a smart light for dyslexics, The Lexilight, at this year’s CES exhibition.

The lamp functions by emitting pulses of light that enable one eye to gain power over the other, mitigating the difficulties faced by dyslexic people in having two dominant eyes that simultaneously send different messages to the brain. Developed after a series of tests with more than 300 dyslexic people, the innovation was widely successful in reducing eye strain and allowing dyslexic people to read faster and for longer. At present, Lexilife is conducting clinical trials with the aim of receiving medical certification in order to offer the lamp on a more commercial scale. At present, each lamp is priced at £549 ($715, €644).

With people increasingly turning to at-home technology as part of their holistic self-improvement, brands like Lexilife are innovating with targeted home and family solutions. For more, explore our Home and Family vertical.

Lidl scraps cartoon characters from own-brand cereals

UK – Supermarket chain Lidl is to remove cartoon characters from its own-label cereal range by spring 2020.

With the aim of supporting parents in resisting pester power from their children, Lidl hopes the update will encourage healthier choices when shopping. According to the retailer, more than half of parents say cartoon characters on packaging played a role in how much children pestered them for unhealthy foods, and the update to its packaging is part of the brand’s initiative to curb poor diets among young people.

The announcement also follows Lidl’s success in reducing the overall volume of sugar across its own-brand range by more than 20% since 2015, and being the first supermarket to remove chocolate and sweets from checkouts across the UK.

As Beth Bentley, author of Young Gums, explores in this opinion piece, parents are increasingly challenged by a confusing food culture, and are looking to brands and retailers for support. For more, read our Young Eaters market.

Lidl cereal

Stat: Podcasts gain traction among Indian audiences

Podcast-listening is proving particularly prolific in India, according to a study from PwC, offering a growing opportunity to promote streaming services to this ever-more connected nation.

PwC reports that at the end of 2018 podcast listenership hit 40m people per month in India – up by 57.6%, from 25.4m people the previous year. India is also becoming a hive of podcast-creation, with the country the world’s third-largest podcast-listening market after China and the US. Podcasts’ popularity can in part be attributed to the nation’s growing youth population and lengthy commutes. With music-streaming already proving popular in India, people are leaning into the convenience and efficiency of tuning into podcasts – especially at a time when video-based formats are competing for the attention of users.

Young people especially are engaging with digital platforms to enrich their lives rather than just promote themselves. For more, read our Paradox Personas macrotrend.