Need to Know
25 : 03 : 22

Devon, England – Organic perfume company Ffern is fusing the worlds of food and fragrance. Its latest scent, Spring 22, is made in collaboration with celebrated chef, Skye Gyngell.

The idea for the perfume was hatched at Gyngell’s London restaurant, Spring, where she and Ffern’s nose Elodie Durande began discussions around the link between food and fragrance. At both companies, the importance of fresh, natural ingredients is paramount. With this in mind, they have created a scent that evokes the smell of spring – both the season and the restaurant. By adding notes of basil and peppercorn to the scent, the perfume has a culinary twist.

To buy the new scent, customers must join Ffern’s ledger, as all the company’s fragrances are made to order in small batches to reduce waste. Combining sustainability and food, this scent is a fresh new direction for Bio-positive Beauty.

Tokyo – Japanese streetwear label Ambush is building an immersive social hub for its shoppers online, creating a branded metaverse space dubbed the Silver Fctry.

Signalling how companies interested in the metaverse can forge their own experiences away from existing platforms, Silver Fctry can be accessed through Ambush's website as a space for customers to explore digital art and design, and shop and socialise virtually with one another.

Inspired by artist Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory, an experimental New York studio that was the meeting ground for the city’s thriving art scene in the 1960s, visitors to Ambush's space appear as avatars dressed in spacesuits. They can explore four portals, each housing a different brand experience, such as a video library of past runway shows, and an exhibition area where customers may buy both real and digital items. Users will be able to interact with other avatars and change the colour of their spacesuit according to their preferences.

By creating a metaverse experience that allows consumers to meet each other, Ambush is expanding the concept of Fashion Meta-networks, where fashion brands are building alternative online spaces.

As inflation rates soar, the UK is expected to face its most severe income squeeze in 50 years. Independent think tank the Resolution Foundation is projecting that the typical British household’s income will fall by £1,000 ($1,318, €1,200) in 2022.

The UK's cost of living crisis, which had already begun as a result of rising energy prices, an increase in National Insurance rates and higher inflation, is now being worsened by the war in Ukraine, making the situation even more dire for UK citizens. It is now predicted that inflation will peak at 8.3% in April, which is significantly higher than the 7.25% figure that was originally forecast in February. Low- and middle-income families are set to be hit the hardest, as social support policies are not designed to respond in real time to such crises.

As families and homes across the country face the sharpest squeeze in their personal finances since the 1970s, brands must consider their role to assuage its impact, be it through pricing, product range or civic activities.