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Hong Kong Ballet merges tradition with cyberpunk

Amadeus campaign by Hong Kong Ballet and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong

Hong Kong – A new campaign draws on the city’s enduring cyberpunk legacy that has inspired popular sci-fi films.

Created by Hong Kong Ballet and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the short film, entitled Amadeus (a cyberpunk dream), offers a modern take on Mozart’s heritage, depicting the composer’s journey from the extravagant classical era to a psychedelic future version of Hong Kong.

The campaign puts the cyberpunk subculture that has long thrived in the city centre stage, with a digital and gaming-inspired aesthetic that pays homage to Hong Kong’s famous neon lights, skyscrapers and cinematic atmosphere. According to the ballet company, by reviving the city in a virtual space, the six-minute film offers ‘an innovative cross-sector collaboration that seamlessly fuses ballet, classical music and cinema’.

Traditional arts such as ballet are disrupting the archaic visual cues of their past, taking inspiration from digital spaces and subcultures in order to attract younger consumers. Read more about how Generation Z are driving a renaissance of classic arts and culture here.

Lil Yachty is destigmatising men’s nail varnish

Crete by Lil Yachty, US

US – Rapper Lil Yachty wants more men to wear nail varnish – and is using his new brand Crete to remove the stigma around nailcare as a form of creative expression.

The collection includes gender-neutral shades including matte black, white and silver-grey. The varnishes are packaged in a pen applicator for ease of use, with a plunger at the end to deliver more colour. Described on the Crete Instagram site as ‘For you. Not Them’, the range promotes the view that nail varnish is for all genders, not just women.

Highlighting this – and the artistic aspect of nail painting – Lil Yachty notes in a press release: ‘If you find painting your nails is a way to show your creative side or it’s an aesthetic that fits you, you shouldn’t be judged for it.’

In our recent list of Beauty Disruptors on the Rise, we profiled Faculty, a new player in the men’s beauty market centred on coloured nail varnish, marketing new products through a limited-edition drop model to echo the desire and hype of the streetwear sector.

This dating app only works on Thursdays

London – Thursday is a new dating app that only works on one day a week, giving users just 24 hours in which to connect, chat and organise a date.

Running with the tag line #OneSingleDay, the app only comes to life on its namesake day. With no access for the other six days of the week, Thursday has a double ambition: to reduce time spent on dating apps while encouraging people to seize the moment, get out and enjoy being single.

With a reported 100,000 members already signed up in London and New York, the app will be launched as Covid-19 restrictions ease. Beginning life as same-day dating app Honeypot, it has evolved into Thursday after its creators found it to be the busiest day of the week for app interactions.

‘Six out of seven days of the week, we say spend more time on you, not a dating app,’ reads a statement from the co-founders. ‘Come Thursday, open up the app and see who wants to meet that day.’

While Covid-19 has amplified socially distant dating, Thursday taps into the excitement of real-life meetings. Only being available one day a week also demonstrates The Focus Filter in action.

Thursday app, London

Stat: Non-conformist apparel is breaking wedding traditions

Thom Browne Spring 2020

While marriages are often bound by tradition, a new mindset of non-conformism is emerging when it comes to what brides and grooms are choosing to wear on their big day.

According to data from global fashion platform Lyst’s 2021 Wedding Report, couples are looking beyond traditional engagement rings, leading to a boom in ‘engagement watches’. Throughout the last year, searches for watches including the terms ‘wedding’ ‘couple’ and ‘engagement’ rose by 42%.

What’s more, consumers getting married are desiring more gender-fluid apparel options. Driven by a Thom Browne men’s skirt suit featured in the finale of tv show Schitt’s Creek, searches for ‘men’s wedding skirts’ rose by 26% year on year. After a prolonged period of virtual Zoom weddings, Lyst predicts that consumers are ready to return to in-person ceremonies with bold fashion choices that are not afraid to break convention.

This isn’t the first time we’ve identified the opportunities for Non-conformist Weddings. While we’ve been tracking the consumers and innovators challenging the institution of marriage since 2018, this trend is now moving into the mainstream.