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Flock Together inspires Gen Alpha urban birdwatchers

Flock Together, London

London – Nature collective Flock Together's latest educational venture encourages and welcomes urban Generation Alpha to partake in birdwatching.

The Flock Together Academy introduces children across London to world of birdwatching, while breaking down social barriers. Through a partnership with the London Wildlife Trust, its young students will enjoy green spaces and teaching facilities provided by the organisation, with partaking children learning about nature and ecology by Flock Together mentors.

Historically, birdwatching has shut out inner-city BIPOC groups due to a lack of access to green spaces, with such access worsening for younger children during the pandemic due to lockdown and time away from school and social spaces. By including young urbanites in an activity they have previously been excluded from, the Flock Together Academy is facilitating Gen Alpha’s desire to play outside as well as offering an educational benefit.

This educational academy presents a new take on Edu-play-tion for inner-city children by ensuring the great outdoors is more accessible and diverse.

Playful perfume palettes inspired by make-up

Made by Me, Paris

Paris – Made by Me is an emerging fragrance brand offering personalisable perfumes in the format of a make-up palette.

The solid fragrances have a creamy texture similar to colour cosmetics and feature a high scent content. While the individual scents are presented in various colours, they fade to a transparent layer when applied to the skin or hair. Each fragrance can be blended with others in the palette, allowing wearers to create a personalised scent. In this way, Made by Me is a playful and more interactive take on fragrance application.

Natalie Duran, founder of Made by Me, wants the brand to communicate that fragrance is an extension of people’s lives – one that can be adapted to various moods and sensations. She says: ‘I found the way to make it happen, to bridge makeup and perfumes. To use colour and texture to make fragrance visible, touchable, sensorial and playfully combinable.’

As we identify in the Fragrance Futures Market, brands are getting experimental with scent, pushing perfumes – and how we experience them – in new directions.

A socially-distant dating kit to enhance virtual connections

Perfect Virtual Date Night by Hinge x Uncommon Goods

UK – Digital dating app Hinge has launched a virtual date night kit to elevate inter-Covid courtship.

Created with retailer Uncommon Goods, the kit is designed to be used over three dates and includes a cocktail or mocktail guide and ingredients to make date night drinks. To mitigate awkward silences, the pack also contains conversation starters to provoke discussions. In order to keep personal information safe, one participant will purchase the pack before their date, with a code emailed to their match for them to have their kit sent directly to their home.

As Covid-19 restrictions continue to impact dating, single people are relying on digital platforms and experiences to facilitate romantic connections. Yet, with video call fatigue on the rise due to its use for remote working, Hinge’s kit aims to add a more personal and experiential layer.

Discover more digital innovations that are enabling connections from afar in Socially Distant Dating.

Stat: Global tourists seek more purposeful travel

Book a Trip by The Wild Detectives

Consumers across the globe are eager to align their travel experiences with purpose-driven values, according to research by American Express.

In its Global Travel Trends Report, consumer data shows that 77% of people agree they want to be more conscious about supporting small, local businesses when travelling. Meanwhile, 59% of respondents expressed interest in engaging with ‘philantourism’ – the act of choosing a travel experience in order to support a particular destination.

This mindset varies across markets, with the majority of Indian respondents (91%) expressing a desire to support local communities through travel, followed by Mexicans (88%) and Australians (79%). This suggest that, when people embark on future travels, they will increasingly look for booking platforms, airlines and accommodation that best reflect their values.

As the travel sector rebuilds from the impact of Covid-19, new innovators are emerging in the realm of community-first travel.