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Vessel Floats is a sensory deprivation spa

Vessel Floats

New York – Centred on float therapy, the space brings sensory deprivation to overwhelmed consumers.

To prepare guests for their experience, the interior of Vessel Floats uses materials, textures and colours to signpost the transitions experienced during a spa session. As customers move through the space, external light and sound fall away, while other sensory stimuli are introduced.

Positioned as a solo form of retreat, Vessel Floats promotes mindfulness and meditation through the sensation of floating, which is intended to help people reconnect with their inner self in a safe and comfortable setting.

In response to overstimulation and accelerated ways of living, many consumers are seeking ways of disconnecting from their senses and leaning into such Enlightened States.

Covid-19: Fashion boxes give new life to dead stock

Lost Stock

UK – Lost Stock is a fashion clothing box with an ethical and sustainable imperative.

Launched by e-commerce app MallZee, it helps to support garment workers in Bangladesh who have been affected by Western retailers' mass stock cancellations, owing to store closures during the coronavirus pandemic.

In turn, Lost Stock enables shoppers to buy cancelled clothing items directly from manufacturers, supporting local factory workers in the process. While unsold stock is often sent to landfill or outlet retailers, this initiative ensures clothing disregarded by retailers doesn’t go to waste.

‘[While] Covid-19 is a health and economic crisis in the UK, it’s going to be a humanitarian crisis in countries like Bangladesh unless support is provided,’ says Cally Russell, CEO of MallZee. With the Lost Stock approach, consumers get a great deal and are also helping at the same time.’

In this way, the fashion industry is working towards smarter Secondary Waste solutions to improve its ethical practices.

This app turns local sellers into global retailers

London – Splitcha is a new app empowering local businesses from around the world to sell to a global audience without payment barriers.

Mitigating the need for building a brand website or contracting with a payments service, Splitcha’s network extends into several countries across Europe, as well as Canada, Australia and India. Allowing individual sellers from these countries to have a platform, it enables shoppers to easily purchase speciality items from overseas without excessive shipping costs.

The retail network also benefits individual shoppers by allowing them to earn credit based on the use of their local bank account on behalf of international customers. Providing a service for both businesses and consumers, Splitcha can also be used to buy, deliver or gift products within their country of origin, without the need for international shipping costs or time constraints.

With consumers seeking alternative ways of accessing and exchanging products, a wave of decentralised retail concepts are emerging to transform the e-commerce landscape. For more, read Community Commerce.

Splitcha

Stat: The pandemic awakens America’s faith

Just Do It HQ At The Church by Nike, Chicago

According to a study by Pew Research Center, the Covid-19 outbreak has reinforced religious faith and worship habits among American citizens.

One quarter of US adults say their faith has become stronger because of the pandemic, while just 2% say their faith has become weaker. The research also notes that Americans who frequently pray and attend services are more likely than others to say their faith has grown stronger as a result of the pandemic.

And while lockdown measures have meant that 91% of religious sites have been closed to the public, many worshippers have been engaging in virtual services. We explore this further in Young Believers, which examines how rituals of faith are being redefined for a digital future – with the pandemic accelerating the need for virtual services and religious ceremonies.