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30 : 04 : 21

Global – Fashion retailer H&M is launching a free suit rental model to bolster people’s prospects at job interviews.

Recognising that it takes just one second for a potential employer to assess a job candidate, the One/Second/Suit scheme allows people to rent an H&M Man suit free for 24 hours. In this way, H&M hopes to boost applicants’ confidence by helping them to make a positive first impression.

Launching in the UK in April and the US in May, the scheme is supported by a campaign film shot by director Mark Romanek that captures the nerves people feel before interviews and the small gestures that bring reassurance. ‘Job interviews can be a nerve-wracking experience, but we believe nothing should hold you back, least of all what you wear,' explains Sara Spännar, head of marketing and communications at H&M. 'The One/Second/Suit is ready-to-wear confidence.'

As a global company with local reach, H&M is taking the role of a Civic Brand by offering beneficial Fast Fashion Rental to consumers without the need to make a purchase.

France – Two students are proposing a future in which chewing gum is given a new lease of life – and our city streets are tidier – by turning the sticky stuff into skateboard wheels.

Design students Hugo Maupetit and Vivian Fischer of L'École de Design Nantes Atlantique put forward the idea as an imagined partnership between skate brand Vans and gum company Mentos. The duo propose collecting chewing gum through gum boards affixed to lampposts, after which the gum would be cleaned and mixed with a secret ingredient to stabilise it. After being stained with natural dye to form the base of the wheels, they suggest the material is machined into skateboard wheels and stamped with the brands' logos.

‘Our initiative is supposed to clean the streets in a sustainable way,’ reads a statement from the designers. ‘We invented a system that will transform used wheels and turn them into new ones. No more waste is created, and the material stays in use.'

In a similar vein, circular economy company Pentatonic last year introduced The Pebble, a re-usable cutlery and dining set made from recycled CDs.

New research from Mintel reveals that young people are driving growth in the UK’s home improvement market.

According to the market research company, spending on the home in the UK is forecast to increase by 5.3% to reach £70.6bn ($98.2bn, €81.2bn) in 2021. Over a third (34%) of British consumers expect to increase spending in 2021 as a result of the pandemic, rising to 40% of 16–34-year-olds. Millennials aged 24–39 in particular are indulging in home improvements, with 51% splashing out on decorating.

Marco Amasanti, a retail analyst at Mintel, notes: ‘Given their greater transience, younger consumers, especially first-time home buyers, will spearhead purchasing [in 2021]. Amid ongoing financial pressures, many of these shoppers continue to turn to lower-value sectors, such as decorative accessories and garden products, as a means of personalising their living spaces.’

In our recent Premium Homeware Market, we explored the high-low brand collaborations and luxury ‘objets’ attracting the attention and spending of young people seeking to transform rented or temporary living spaces.