Need to Know
03 : 08 : 22

New York – YEEZY GAP is taking over the Gap flagship store in Times Square, as the partnership between the affordable fashion brand and multi-hyphenate artist Kanye West continues. The memorable retail event marks the first time that products from the collaboration will be available in stores.

To introduce the collection, the Gap flagship has been redesigned in keeping with the utilitarian aesthetic of YEEZY GAP and Kanye West's affinity for simple, minimalist style. Rather than being displayed on clothing racks and tables, items from the much-hyped collection are thrown on the floor in giant sacks that indicate the price and size of the clothing inside. As a result, the retail experience is much more like thrifting than shopping in one of New York's most commercially conventional areas.

By subverting our expectations and developing a new retail language for high-low collaborations, YEEZY GAP is generating a unique shopping experience that embraces the rise of Hyperphysical Stores.

UK – The apparel brand, famed for its high-quality, workwear-focused garments, is making a foray into the homewares market. Leading with its ‘everyday uniform’ ethos, Ronning is entering the space with a three-piece collection of ceramics to be used in home environments.

Comprising two multi-purpose trays and a dish that can be used for incense or storage, each has been crafted and glazed in a way that focuses on quality and attention to detail. Playfully featured on the brand’s Instagram as displaying both personal accessories and food arrangements, Ronning invites its customers to use its homewares in a way that suits them. Here, the brand’s move into an alternative category is reflective of people’s changing relationships to work and workplace products.

Looking ahead, there is ongoing opportunity for brands across sectors to create premium homewares that elevate comfort and style – while also retaining core brand values and aesthetics.

The cost-of-living crisis is impacting grocery shopping habits among Britons, with new research highlighting the effect this is having on people with food intolerances.

According to research conducted by The Grocer using data from retail research firm Assosia, prices for more than 260 individual items across free-from food cupboard products, chilled and frozen foods, bakery and dessert items have risen in past 12 weeks.

For example, the cost of a Warburtons Gluten Free Multiseed loaf had risen 8% at retailer Tesco, from £1.85 ($2.25, €2.20) to £2 ($2.44, €2.38) on 20 July. Meanwhile, dairy-free and lactose-free brands are also experiencing price hikes. At Sainsbury’s supermarket, Arla Lactofree Soft Cheese 200g rose by 25% from £1.40 ($1.71, €1.67) to £1.75 ($2.13, €2.08) on 2 June.

With these foods experiencing a spike in costs, many shoppers will be left without options to trade down and buy cheaper products, especially where dietary requirements exist. With this in mind, brands and retailers must develop products in line with Retail-flation, creating schemes that specifically cater for consumers with dietary or health needs.