US – The luxury retailer’s latest campaign views the sector under a more human lens, highlighting the importance of being yourself.

The ad, entitled An Open Mind is the Best Look, is made up of slice-of-life scenes featuring a unique collection of individuals. The cast is primarily includes non-professional actors, including a sign-language interpreter, a teen karate expert and swimming teacher assisting an elderly man.

Created by Droga5, the campaign aims to reverse the haughty elitism associated with luxury brands and retailers by featuring a diverse range of citizens. ‘[It] pushes the boundaries that have been the norm in the fashion retail category for decades by moving the focus from clothing and product to a more story- and humanity-led approach,’ reads Nordstrom’s press release.

Luxury brands can no longer rely on narratives of excessive wealth, as consumers increasingly associate their consumption habits with guilt. For more, read our macrotrend Uneasy Affluence.

New York – Online brand Recess, known for its CBD-infused sparkling beverages, has opened its first brick-and-mortar store.

With sunset-toned colour ways and curved interior details, the brand hopes to translate its online identity into a physical experience. ‘We created a space to take all the ideas, feeling and experiences we created online and put them back into the real world,’ reads a statement from Recess.

In addition to selling its range of drinks promising to keep consumers ‘calm, cool and collected’, the company will host community events within the photogenic space. Shoppers are also encouraged to relax and socialise in a dedicated lounge area.

By recognising the benefits of creating inspirational spaces that enable consumers to experience a brand on a deeper level, Recess joins the clicks-to-bricks movement as another example of a digital-first brand expanding into physical retail.

Toronto – As part of the Sidewalk Labs redevelopment project, Quayside will be an affordable urban neighbourhood that draws on Canada's logging heritage.

Architects Snøhetta and Heatherwick Studio have released designs for the new neighbourhood, which will be populated with timber buildings. To supply enough wood for the buildings, Sidewalk Labs has plans to build a tall-timber factory in Ontario, a sustainable initiative that ‘could create 4,000 new jobs in manufacturing, sawmill, transportation and logging sector,’ says Dan Doctoroff, CEO of Sidewalk Labs. ‘Sidewalk Labs would help jumpstart this next-generation Canadian industry.’

The housing in Quayside will also be affordable, with housing for low-income renters comprising 40% of the development. The neighbourhood will provide more purpose-built rental options for single people and senior citizens as well as families.

All eyes are on the Sidewalk Toronto project as brands and governments seek out a model for sustainable, technology-driven future cities.

Emerging markets are driving Airbnb’s growth, according to a new report by the home-sharing company. Currently, more than 30% of listings on the site are located in the Asia-Pacific region, Africa and Latin America. The report also cites UNWTO’s prediction that Ecuador, Vietnam, Colombia, Peru and Nepal saw the fastest growth in arrivals in 2018.

Buoying this growth is a significant rise in domestic tourists. In China, 91% of Airbnb guest arrivals were domestic travellers in 2018, while in India this number sat at 78% and 61% in Mexico. While mainstream representations of travellers tend to rely on stereotypes of white, privileged Westerners, these voices will no longer be representative of world travellers as demographics shift. For more, read our microtrend Empowered Travel.