LSN : Daily Signals : More tech brands introduce tools to curb phone usage

Eckhaus Latta curates an exhibition exploring desire

Eckhaus Latta: Possessed, The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Photography by Thomas McCarty

Eckhaus Latta: Possessed, The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, photography by Thomas McCarty

New York – Eckhaus Latta: Possessed is the Whitney Museum of Art’s first fashion exhibition in 21 years.

The fashion design duo, who are known for their experimental and youthful approach to luxury, are using the exhibition to show fashion as a contemporary art and a means to explore desire and consumption. To do this, the designers created a three-part experience: zone one is a gallery that displays iconic advertising campaigns, while zone two is a fully functioning store, complete with a fitting room and cashier, containing exclusive pieces by Eckhaus Latta and contributing artists.

Zone three resembles an unseen part of the shopping experience – the store’s CCTV footage. By allowing visitors to observe footage from the designers’ Los Angeles store and a livestream of the exhibition itself, Eckhaus Latta is satisfying shoppers’ voyeuristic tendencies.

By going beyond their specialisms and entering the world of contemporary art, fashion designers are taking a pivotal role in curating culture. In 2017, JW Anderson opened a multidisciplinary exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield.

London gets a new destination for women’s wellness

Glow Bar, London

London – Glow Bar is the newest self-care space to open on Mortimer Street, an area that is gaining a reputation as a wellness hub.

The space focuses on infrared saunas, featuring private sauna pods that can be booked for up to 45 minutes. The concept is relatively new to London, having taken off in New York and Los Angeles, and is said to alleviate joint pain and yield glowing skin, more energy and a stronger immune system.

Glow Bar also offers a superfood café and a natural beauty store, which is split into four sections: Inner Beauty, which offers supplements; Outer Beauty, which focuses on clean beauty products; Everyday Beauty, which features more basic wellness items and Intimate Beauty, offering sexual health products.

As explored in our microtrend The Modern Apothecary, the next generation of wellness brands are imagining a more health-orientated high street.

More tech brands introduce tools to curb phone usage

Global – Google has released its Digital Wellbeing kit on its Pixel phone aimed at helping people balance their use of technology.

A host of upgraded features include a new Dashboard, which displays a daily overview of how frequently apps are used and how many times the phone is unlocked. App Timers also enable users to set personal limits on the amount of time spent on apps. A Wind Down feature puts the phone into Do Not Disturb mode towards night-time, and gradually fades to greyscale to help users disconnect.

The update comes at a time when consumers are more aware than ever of the damage caused by digital addiction. Earlier this year, both Apple and Instagram announced similar tools to monitor phone usage.

Digital Wellbeing Kit by Google

bwin puts a new spin on online gambling advertising

It All Starts Here, Bwin Casino by BBH Sport

UK – bwin, an online casino, has released a new campaign that takes a more cinematic approach to gaming advertising.

Created by BBH Sport, the advert is shot entirely in reverse, playing on the glamorous stereotypes of the traditional casino, before revealing that the player is gambling online on his phone. The campaign marks a departure from the typically brash marketing that online gambling brands often resort to.

Millennials are eschewing physical casinos in favour of online gambling. According to a YouGov study in the US, 47% of 18–34-year-olds find casinos depressing, and half agree that online gambling should be legal. For more on how gambling is being rebranded, read our microtrend The New Casino.

Stat: Google increases its foothold in our daily routines

According to Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser, Google and Google-owned YouTube and Waze combined to account for more than a third of time on digital media in the US in June 2018. Unsurprisingly, use of Facebook, including its Messenger app, is declining faster than ever. In the same period, usage of the social media platform fell 10%.

With Google becoming increasingly integral to our day-to-day lives, the notion of mega-systems and their control on our existence is more pertinent than ever.

Thought-starter: How does running stimulate the mind?

As consumers look for ways to engage their body and mind beyond the yoga mat, creative researcher Jessica Smith looks at the brands re-evaluating the function of running as a holistic wellbeing pursuit.

Typically, running conjures images of speed or a race to the finish line. Yet a new type of runner is emerging, driven less by power and more by mindfulness. Now, the focus is not on achieving personal best times, but on synchronising the mind and body.

In a bid to boost focus when running, footwear brand Asics has created Black Out, a running course designed in collaboration with UNIT9 and Edelman Deportivo. The course is set in complete darkness and runners have no access to distracting technology, music or a sense of their surroundings.

To maintain focus while running, Nike Training Club has joined forces with Headspace to create audio-guided mindful runs. Working with top sports psychologists to determine exactly how athletes might benefit from mindfulness, Nike found that training mindfully ensures an athlete is preparing, performing and recovering in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Read the full microtrend, Precision Running, here.