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Global – The brand has worked with Jeff Koons to exhibit a series of the renowned artist’s sculptures in augmented reality (AR) at nine locations around the world, including Hyde Park in London, Millennium Park in Chicago and the Sydney Opera House.

An accompanying microsite encourages other artists to submit their work, hinting at a potential future collaborative project between the brand and emerging artists. Digital art is increasingly popular among younger consumers, something LS:N Global has been tracking since 2014.

The project follows the launch of Snapchat’s World Lens feature, which enables users to place 3D digital objects onto the physical environment. Advances in AR will open up new possibilities for brands looking to use digital technology to elevate experiences in the real world.

See our Geo Quests microtrend to find out more.

UK – Pants with Purpose offers one style of sustainably produced men’s boxer shorts in one colour. According to the co-founders, the brand was designed in response to the proliferation of expensive and poor-quality underwear ranges pushed by big-name brands, and aims to highlight the functionality rather than the disposability of underwear.

‘Once we started doing customer research, it quickly became apparent that the overwhelming majority of people wear the boxer brief style and 90% wear black over any other colour,’ co-founder Luke Appleby tells LS:N Global. ‘We also wanted to make it super-simple and able to cut through the noise.’

In a further show of its commitment to encourage purposeful consumption, 15% of all profits will be donated to leading cancer charities, and each pair will be accompanied by a personalised note and information about cancer prevention.

As we explored in our Anti-choice Architecture microtrend, giving shoppers an abundance of choice may become a thing of the past as consumers increasingly favour a more singular experience.

Cape Town – Spread over nine floors and including 100 galleries, the space is dedicated to showing contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. An institution four years in the making, it aims to become a key cultural landmark for a stronger and wider appreciation of Africa’s cultural heritage.

‘We wanted the museum to be as representative of Africa as possible, to celebrate its history, its culture, its diversity and its future with a focus on art from the 21st century,’ says Jochen Zeitz, co-chair of Zeitz MOCAA, in a recent press release. ‘Most importantly, this is an institution for all of Africa.’

The new gallery follows the opening of the Southern Guild Johannesburg, which also worked to bring together the depth of Africa’s contemporary art scene into one place, and includes work from designers, artists, architects and jewellery-makers.

A study from Nielsen shows that only 5% of consumers in the US, 8% in France and 6% in the UK are negative towards brand involvement in e-sports. Despite the opportunity this presents, however, consumers said the brand activity they favour least is product placement. In our Beyond Product Placement microtrend, we looked at how brands are going beyond simple product placement to be more considered in their branded offerings, and e-sports brands should follow their example.