Need to Know
30 : 09 : 20

By Abi Buller and Rumi Josephs

SoundCloud expresses sonic healing through fashion, sleek and sustainable beauty packaging, and luxurians seek to safeguard their wealth.

In today's news:

SoundCloud merchandise amps up music as a healer

This packaging tackles wasteful cosmetics practices

Inclusive children’s dolls destigmatise disability

Stat: Affluent consumers are rethinking their investments

SoundCloud merchandise amps up music as a healer

Pure & Wondrous Sounds Collection by SoundCloud and GRVTY, US

US – Music platform SoundCloud is launching a fashion collection with designers at GRVTY, an independent broadcast company.

Conceived at the start of the pandemic as a way to capture and communicate music’s ability to empower, escape, cope and heal, the Pure & Wondrous Sounds collection includes items such as t-shirts, sweatshirts and vinyl slipmats.

To promote music as a source of healing and an outlet during tougher times, the collection features phrases such as: ‘There will be a new day and a new song, play on’, ‘Exalted, sonically’, and ‘Endless loop harmonix’. Taking the platform's merchandise offering further, SoundCloud plans to work with creatives whose ethos aligns with that of the streaming service – a DIY-spirited, innovative and forward-thinking outlook.

While SoundCloud and GRVTY are focusing on apparel, music-led healing is increasingly being recognised in the health and wellness sector. We explore this further in Music as Medicine.

This packaging tackles wasteful cosmetics practices

Plastic-free packaging by Verity, US

US – Packaging supplier Verity is responding to the issue of wasteful cosmetics packaging by offering a plastic-free solution.

Its new aluminium and stainless steel vessels are designed for a variety of cosmetics products, shunning the default choice of plastic with the aim of transforming the sustainable packaging landscape. The metal containers are instead re-usable and fully recyclable. In turn, Verity positions metal packaging as elevating both the brand and user experience through aesthetics, form and function.

‘At Verity, we pride ourselves on performance and style. Our sleek packaging can transform your brand and can be integrated seamlessly with your product portfolio. Every hour of engineering spent creating our products is working towards one goal – a more sustainable future,’ says Kerri Leslie, its CEO.

As the cosmetics industry continues to explore more sustainable practices, brands are continuing to focus on both eco-credentials and aesthetic concerns. For more, explore the Refined Refillables microtrend.

Inclusive children’s dolls destigmatise disability

Kmart, Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand – Retailer Kmart is promoting visibility for people with disabilities with its new range of dolls.

Intentionally dressed in stylish outfits and named ‘fashion dolls’, the set includes dolls who are blind, deaf, have a bionic leg, are in a wheelchair or on crutches.

The new dolls are part of the retailer's wider commitment to championing diversity and inclusion, and Kmart hopes they will help children to understand and celebrate the traits that make them and others unique.

John Gualtieri, Kmart retail director for Australia and New Zealand, explains: ‘We want children to see themselves represented in these dolls and we want to help them learn more about people who are different from themselves. It’s so important for kids to see toys and dolls with disabilities; to have them play in their imaginary world and then normalise it for real life.’

In a similar vein, we have previously explored the shift in toys and advertising for boys that seek to inspire emotional intelligence above raucous play.

Stat: Affluent consumers are rethinking their investments

Amid growing uncertainty, affluent consumers are shifting their traditional investments to reflect an expected reduction in wealth.

According to data from Agility Research & Strategy’s recent Affluential Wealth Report, ultra-high-net-worth (UHNWI) and high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) are shifting their investment priorities in the inter-Covid period. With one in four HNWIs expecting their wealth to temporarily decline, many report buying fewer luxury goods, with 48% of affluents in Hong Kong and 44% in Singapore saying they have started saving more.

With a view to where they are investing, however, Agility Research reports this is shifting towards items such as gold and precious gemstones, as well as foreign currencies, while new assets such as cryptocurrency, crowdfunding and P2P lending are on the rise.

In our latest luxury and hospitality macrotrend Omnilux Lifestyles, we examine how and why luxurians are opting for safe-haven spending, focused on longevity-led goods.