Need to Know
31 : 03 : 20

By Abi Buller and Savannah Scott

Ace & Tate’s new store interior reclaims plastic waste, Elliot designs an open-source shopping mall and isolated Americans are buying books about home life.

In today's news:

Dove celebrates self-love with its Girls Room series

Ace & Tate’s new store is built from plastic waste

A virtual mall designed via Google Docs

Stat: Isolated consumers turn to books about the home

Dove celebrates self-love with its Girls Room series

Girls Room, Dove UK

UK – Dove has launched a five-part scripted series to draw attention to issues commonly faced by young women.

Girls Room, created with writer and producer Lena Waithe and media platform ATTN, tackles topics such as bullying, the impact of social media and body image, as well as mental and physical health. The episodes were made for ATTN’s IGTV channel, spreading a powerful message in a mobile format familiar to its target audience of young women.

At a time when online behaviour is increasingly having a negative impact on girls' self esteem, Dove and ATTN are putting a spotlight on the importance of women feeling at their best. The concept highlights how much low confidence about their bodies can hold young women back in life, touching on themes including health, friendships and school performance.

In a backlash against highly curated media, our Everyteen TV microtrend similarly explores how young people are embracing alternative modes of communication and engaging in smartphone storytelling.

Ace & Tate’s new store is built from plastic waste

Ace & Tate with Plasticiet, Antwerp by Lennart Wiedemuth

Antwerp – Ace & Tate has opened a store in Antwerp featuring interiors made entirely from plastic waste.

From food packaging to kitchenware and toys, the circular design project is part of a collaboration with Rotterdam-based designers Plasticiet and makes use of almost 1,000 kilograms of household plastic waste. To create a unique sheet material used throughout the store interior, waste items were sorted using an infrared light by Suez, a rubbish collection company. Plastic materials were then hand-picked by Plasticiet along with large segments of coloured plastic to achieve the desired colour combination, and the look and feel of terrazzo.

The upcycled interior was created in line with Ace & Tate’s pledge to become carbon-neutral by 2030, along with other initiatives such as a more eco-conscious formula for glasses that replaces the current oil-based one. This is a goal shared by Plasticiet, which says: ‘It’s our mission to stop the plastic waste stream and use it to create a building block for the future.’

Beyond sustainable product choices, consumers are looking to retailers to inspire them with Circular Store Design.

A virtual mall designed via Google Docs

New York – E-commerce platform Elliot has created a virtual, open-source shopping mall using Google Docs.

With many retail spaces now under lockdown due to Covid-19 restrictions, Elliot aims to make the experience of online shopping more fun. Taking a low-fi approach in aesthetic and UX design, the mall makes use of basic software and allows for an ever-evolving format.

The result is a digital shopping centre that encourages collaborative design. Consumers can edit the mall and add brands they like simply by requesting access to the Doc. ‘Don’t like what we made? Change it,’ says Elliot. Users can also make the most of virtually meeting up with their friends at the mall through the platform’s sharing function.

The novel format is particularly appealing for customers during the global pandemic, but also indicates potential for future initiatives that break away from traditional storefronts.

As consumers look for alternative ways to access and exchange products online, e-tailers such as Elliot are tapping into Community Commerce.

Elliot, New York

Stat: Isolated consumers turn to books about the home

According to research by NPD BookScan, sales of books focusing on home-life subjects are rising in America as US citizens opt to stay in to protect themselves and others during the global coronavirus pandemic.

Sales of books on cooking methods specific to canning and preserving rose by 29% week on week in the week ending 14 March 2020, and 17% for the year so far. Sales of outdoor gardening books also increased by 30%, and general do-it-yourself (DIY) book sales rose by 8% week on week. As people come to terms with the realities of having to remain in isolation for the foreseeable future, they’re investing in content that helps them adapt to a new way of living.

For these consumers, The Learning Economy is taking on a new meaning as they seek out new learning opportunities as a way to handle more time alone at home.