LSN : News : Nintendo HQ to re-open as a luxury hotel

Genderless underwear to get kids talking about bodies

Oddokids by Oddobody, US

New York – Entering the childrenswear market for the first time, underwear brand Oddobody is launching a line for kids. Extending its gender-neutral approach to 2–9-year-olds, the company is aiming to dispel design tropes in the typically gendered category.

Inspired by the Our Bodies, Ourselves movement, Oddobody is applying its gender-fluid mission to its new collection – called Oddokids – which comprises unisex tank tops and underwear made of 100% organic cotton and priced from £13 ($18, €16) to £24 ($32, €28). The collection comes with a pamphlet edited by psychotherapist Rachel E Simon featuring games and activities for kids as well as talking points to help parents broach the topic of bodies with their children.

As the Alpha generation come of age, they’re expecting a higher level of gender-inclusivity in the products they use. Aligning itself with the values of Upskilled Alphas, from our 2021 Innovation Debrief, the Oddokids line shows how retailers can incorporate education into their brand missions.

Strategic opportunity

Gender-neutral toy collections and childrenswear are an easy win for youth brands to help dispel the rigid gender associations ingrained in the industry

Nintendo HQ to re-open as a luxury hotel

Marufukuro designed by Tadao Ando, Japan

Kyoto – Transforming a historically significant landmark into a luxury hotel, the original Nintendo headquarters are being repurposed into a hospitality destination. Set to open in April 2022, the Marufukuro hotel will welcome avid gamers and luxurians alike.

Designed by Tokyo-based renovation company Play Do See and supervised by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the hotel will preserve many of the fittings and details from the original site. Dating back to 1933, the building pays homage to Nintendo’s humble beginnings as a purveyor of Western-style playing cards. With a total of 18 guest rooms, a restaurant, bar, spa, and gym, the boutique hotel transports travellers into past eras while offering luxury services and experiences.

The renovation of the building, vacant since 1959, will allow consumers to experience the evolution of the technology company at first hand. Tapping into our Traveltainment trend, this hotel re-imagines the potential of vacant cultural landmarks by blending Nintendo’s brand history with luxury hospitality services.

Strategic opportunity

Brands and hoteliers have an opportunity to cater for fans and tourists by creating entertaining stays that mix playful activities with discerning luxury

This media production house will orbit space

Global – With an eye on the future of off-planet media, the Space Entertainment Enterprise has announced its plan for an entertainment production facility in space.

The dedicated module, officially named SEE-1, is set to dock on the commercial wing of the International Space Station in 2024. Backed by NASA and SpaceX, the site is slated to accommodate film and tv production as well as sports events, concerts and live-streamed influencer content for social media. The facility will also include a Space Arena with the capacity for an on-site audience and zero-gravity sports and entertainment.

The announcement follows that for the Orbital Reef business park, paving the way for the normalisation of commercial spaces in orbit. SEE-1 expands on this development, going beyond traditional business and media to include production studios fuelling the Creator Economy, extending our Sideline Studios microtrend into the solar system.

SEE-1 by Space Entertainment Enterprise, US

Strategic opportunity

Engaging with space innovation can be daunting for brands, but consider how outer space entertainment and events could create media opportunities back on Earth

Stat: Food waste is fuelled by consumer indecision

Ramen noodles by Immi

People across the UK are throwing away a staggering amount of produce, with research revealing that consumer indecision is fuelling food waste. Every year, £1.2bn ($1.6bn, €1.4bn) of food is thrown away because British consumers don’t know what to cook, according to Censuswide.

According to the report, an average of nearly three items are thrown away per household every week – totalling an estimated 76m items being discarded nationally. Interestingly, the report finds that a fifth of Britons believe that a leading cause of food waste is not knowing what to cook, giving food companies the opportunity to develop campaigns and services that address this issue.

Zero-waste cooking is becoming mainstream, from saving unwanted fruit and veg to scaling back on supermarket trips. Ikea’s ScrapBook CookBook, for example, markets recipes made from leftovers in an easy-to-understand way.

Strategic opportunity

As global inflation rates rise, people are making the most of their food shops. Food brands should consider launching campaigns that teach consumers how to maximise their leftovers