Norway – The Scandinavian fashion retailer has worked with creative agency Virtue to introduce the world’s first augmented reality (AR) t-shirt.

Following the success of Carlings’ entirely digital clothing collection, the Last Statement T-shirt uses Instagram’s newest target-tracking AR to allow a single physical t-shirt to show animated political statements, which can be shared across social media.

The physical t-shirt features a simple graphic designed to serve as a tracking point for smartphones. When the shirt is photographed using Instagram filters, users can digitally change its appearance on their phones, adding a bold statement or slogan.

‘A statement tee is a way for the voiceless to get their message out there,’ says Roy Mikalsen, CEO of Carlings. ‘And today, social media allows people to amplify that a thousand times. But social media also makes statement tees even more of a one-off purchase. So we worked on how to extend the digital impact of a single t-shirt.’ In this way, the collaboration reflects how Immaterial Fashion could help today’s youth use the digital world to enrich their offline selves.

London – A new campaign created by The&Partnership, the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the Design Museum highlights life hacks from the blind community.

The&Partnership London has worked alongside RNIB to rebrand everyday objects to reflect the ingenious ways they are used by people with sight loss. The See Differently campaign has been conceived as a range of products that turn the concept of accessible design on its head. Products include an afro comb rebranded as a vegetable slicer, a sock repurposed as a small item finder and a hair clip used to keep pairs of shoes together.

‘Our brand campaign has challenged misconceptions surrounding sight loss while showing that people with sight loss live perfectly normal lives,’ says Martin Wingfield, head of brand at RNIB. ‘We were really impressed when we heard the ways the community adapt everyday tasks and wanted to shine a spotlight on this ingenuity.’

In a similar vein, beauty brands are using innovative technology and packaging solutions to better serve consumers with visual impairments. For more, read our Adaptive Beauty microtrend.

The market for branded residences – homes and apartments built by hotel groups or luxury brands – has grown significantly in 2019, according to a recent report from Savills.

This year, in a record number of schemes, more than 9,000 additional branded residences were built in 21 nations. According to Savills, the number of branded residences has grown by 198% in the past decade, with more than 65 projects due to open by the end of 2019 and nearly 70 expected to open in 2020.

While 39% of schemes are in North America, Asia-Pacific is a major growth market and now has the most schemes in planning and under construction, led by Thailand and Vietnam. The report also found that while luxury hotel brands continue to dominate, other aspirational brands ranging from luxury cars to fashion houses and media companies are entering the sector too.

As our relationships with brands become increasingly intimate, future-facing businesses will expand their luxury services through branded homes and apartments. For more, read our Brandlords microtrend.