News 04.03.2020

Need to Know

Virtual streetwear invades Grand Theft Auto, Lidl Germany launches ‘still good’ food boxes, and digital discovery drives luxury retail.

Party Chat hacks Grand Theft Auto to unveil garments

Party Chat Work Force collection

Scotland – The clothing label revealed its latest unisex collection by hacking into Grand Theft Auto (GTA).

After accessing the game, the dance music-inspired brand dressed GTA characters in digital versions of Party Chat streetwear. Its team then played the game to create its own promotional films featuring characters wearing the collection. Party Chat describes the range, the Work Force collection, as having ‘no real agenda other than to champion dance music, its wider subcultures and communities’.

As brands continue to embrace the potential of virtual fashion, they are looking to the popularity of gaming as both a way to promote garments and reach new audiences. Jamie Mcintyre, founder of Party Chat, says: ‘We cast our own character, wrote a script, set the lighting, backdrops, styling and incorporated our music.’

With consumers increasingly blurring the lines between their physical and digital identities, they are looking for brands which use Avatargeting to learn about the latest virtual apparel.

Whispers is a digital network for Rolls-Royce owners

Rolls-Royce Whispers Rolls-Royce Whispers

UK – Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ exclusive members’ club will offer rare products and experiences geared towards high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs).

The club, Whispers, is for new Rolls-Royce owners. Launching in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the US, it is a digital platform that provides the motor brand’s wealthy clients with secure, private connections to other like-minded people and business leaders – including the company’s board members.

Users will also be able to extend the holistic luxury lifestyle of Rolls-Royce ownership, with Whispers providing access to activities such as designing their own racetrack, commissioning personal portraits or a private performance from The New York Philarmonic.

According to Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce: ‘Whispers offers transformative experiences, rare and desirable products, whimsical treasures and exclusive Rolls-Royce previews that are curated by Rolls-Royce and delivered directly to the fingertips of our global community.’

Through the platform, Rolls-Royce is digitising the concept of Supercar Clubs – private spaces where those investing in rare vehicles are able to socialise, immserse themselves in the arts, and enjoy unique luxury experiences.

Lidl counters food waste with ‘still good’ boxes

Germany – Lidl Germany is rolling out a food waste strategy to draw attention to products that are still good enough to eat.

As part of the supermarket's commitment to reduce food losses and organic waste by 30% by 2025, it will curate daily I’m Still Good boxes in 3,200 stores across Germany. Each box will be filled with dairy products, baked goods and frozen products close to their expiry date, and sold at a 50% discount.

With many consumers unaware that food is often still suitable for consumption even after listed expiry dates, Lidl is focusing on raising awareness and maximising food freshness in Germany, following a similar initiative in the UK.

‘With I'm Still Good we can save food together with our customers in a targeted and easy way,’ says Tomasz Kuzma, head of sales at Lidl Germany. As part of its holistic approach to sustainability the remaining small amount of food will be transported in biogas plants for the production of bio-methane, which provides valuable green energy, for example, as a biofuel for cars.

For more on sustainable food strategies, look out for our forthcoming Food Waste Market.

Lidl

Stat: Online drives growth in luxury retail

Some 75% of luxury transactions were influenced by online channels such as social media or a brand’s website in 2019, according to the latest global luxury study published by Bain & Co for Fondazione Altagamma.

According to the report, 20–25% of luxury transactions were digitally enabled last year, with Asia still a growth engine for online luxury – ahead of Europe and the Americas.

In terms of the type of luxury goods selling online, the top category remains accessories, ahead of clothing, while beauty, jewellery and watches are also on the rise. Overall, the luxury retail sector grew by 11% in 2019 at current exchange rates, with 85% of that growth coming from same-store sales.

As we explore in our luxury vertical, the luxury market is continually innovating to meet the changing expectations and habits of affluent consumers. For more, The State of Luxury: South Korea and our soon-to-be-published The State of Luxury: Vietnam report reveal the behaviours and tastes of local consumers.

Previous News Articles
Ocado’s Shopping List Stories campaign finds emotional value in the weekly shop

News

Ocado’s Shopping List Stories campaign finds emotional value in the weekly shop

Ocado is reframing grocery shopping as an emotional experience with Shopping List Stories, a new campaign by Uncommon Creative Studio.
Food And Drink : Supermarket : Branding And Advertising
Foresight Friday: Alice Crossley, senior foresight analyst

News

Foresight Friday: Alice Crossley, 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 : Ff : Lionesses
Stat: Netflix confirms anime watching is no longer niche

News

Stat: Netflix confirms anime watching is no longer niche

More than half of Netflix’s 300m global subscribers now watch anime, according to proprietary figures shared by the streamer.
Pop Culture & Media : Youth : Technology
The Faroe Islands bring back the joy of getting lost

News

The Faroe Islands bring back the joy of getting lost

As algorithm-driven travel fuels overtourism, a new initiative is challenging travellers to let go of planning and control.
Travel : Tourism : The Faroe Islands
Thai perfume brand Journal turns fragrance samples into NFC collectables

News

Thai perfume brand Journal turns fragrance samples into NFC collectables

Fragrance brand Journal is rewriting the rules of scent sampling with a wearable fragrance tester that doubles as a social connector.
Beauty : Fragrance : Technology
Stat: Survey finds hardening stances on office attendance are impacting UK staff wellbeing

News

Stat: Survey finds hardening stances on office attendance are impacting UK staff wellbeing

Hardening return-to-office mandates are fuelling anxiety among UK workers, with 38% reporting that media coverage of stricter attendance policies i...
Office : Workplace : Stat
Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 report goes live

News

Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 report goes live

Discover the top 50 innovations acknowledging, driving and anticipating change in our new Innovation Debrief 2025–2026 report. 
Innovation Debrief 2024-2025 : Future Trends 2026 : Cultural Foresight
Joe Wicks’ Activate turns movement into play for kids

News

Joe Wicks’ Activate turns movement into play for kids

Fitness trainer Joe Wicks is swapping live-action workouts for animation with Activate – a lively new series of five-minute fitness bursts designed...
Fitness : Health And Wellbeing : Gen Alpha
IKEA creates open-air library along the Seine in Paris

News

IKEA creates open-air library along the Seine in Paris

IKEA has unveiled the Billyothèque, a pop-up outdoor library transforming a stretch of Paris’s Seine riverbank into a space for slow, serendipitous...
Ikea : Reading Room : Reading Experience
Stat: US teens turn to AI companions for life advice

News

Stat: US teens turn to AI companions for life advice

A new study by Common Sense Media reveals that 72% of US teens aged 13–17 have tried AI companions, with over half now using them regularly.
Technology : AI : Stat
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