Sweden – Although at first glance Mo’cycle’s trousers look like regular jeans, once activated, the breakthrough garment can inflate like an airbag to protect the wearer in case of an accident.

Swedish company Mo’cycle is introducing the next frontier in safety for motorcycle riders. After four years in the making, the firm is launching airbag jeans that are capable of protecting the rider’s lower body parts and first vertebra of the spine in case of accidents and crashes.

According to the company, the trousers can absorb 10 times the impact energy compared to traditional pads thanks to an innovative material, Armalith. Stronger and lighter than steel, the single-layer fabric is water-repellent, breathable and abrasion-resistant, but looks, feels and stretches like regular denim, promising comfort and convenience. In addition, the airbag jeans are re-usable and, like regular jeans, they can be machine washed and repeatedly worn.

Look out for our upcoming microtrend tracking the rise of upgraded protective clothing, which not only enhances safety, but also boosts confidence and style.

UK – Against the backdrop of London Fashion Week, healthcare brand Buscopan launched the Fashion Cramps campaign, raising awareness of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) through a humorous shoot where high fashion meets cramps.

Fashion and IBS seemingly don’t have much in common, yet Buscopan and marketing agency MRM Spain used the media clout of London Fashion Week to draw attention to the digestive condition. The campaign draws an amusing parallel between the discomfort caused by IBS and the awkward poses of models in editorial-styled fashion imagery.

This unusual approach suggests that healthcare marketing can be creative and look beyond the medical field. ‘London Fashion Week was the perfect moment for Fashion Cramps, due to the intertwined relationships between this high-stress event and the symptoms of those suffering from the issues that Buscopan seeks to alleviate,’ explains Félix del Valle, chief creative officer at MRM Spain.

The growing interest in pre- and probiotic categories and efforts like Buscopan’s tie-up with popular culture indicate the potential of the Gut Health Market to further advance from niche to mainstream.

Global – Workforce solutions firm Airswift surveyed 10,000 energy professionals to reveal that clean energy workers have the most in-demand skills. Almost eight in 10 were offered at least one new job in the past year.

Recruiters from various industries, including tech and fossil fuels, have their eye on renewable energy workers. But those with the in-demand skills are also looking for employers who align with their vision for the planet’s future.

‘Renewables workers are the most likely to care about their employers’ values, but this now goes beyond the environment and encompasses metrics such as their contribution to society and workplace flexibility,’ says Airswift CEO Janette Marx. ‘Green energy firms will now have to compete with fossil fuel firms on a wider range of metrics, from societal impact to flexibility, by creating more meaningful roles with KPIs linked to social as well as environmental contributions, and by reducing fixed hours and physical deployments.’

As renewables and nuclear energy will dominate the growth of global electricity production in the next three years, according to the International Energy Agency, firms that employ green energy workers will have to rethink their approach to sustainability to attract those skilled employees. In our upcoming Work States Futures macrotrend, we will analyse how employers need to understand this newly empowered generation of workers who question how, where and why they work.