News 11.11.2022

Need to Know

Lalique and artist James Turrell unveil perfume collaboration, air-purifying house plants, and flexibility is a key motivator for employees.

Lalique unveils perfume collaboration with artist James Turrell

Lalique and James Turrell, France and US
Lalique and James Turrell, France and US
Lalique and James Turrell, France and US

US – Historic French crystal-maker and perfumer Lalique has collaborated with American artist James Turrell, known for his work with light and space, on two exclusive fragrances.

Introduced at Paris+ par Art Basel, the two new scents and bottle designs are the result of over four years of close collaboration between the two ‘artists of light’, and are only available in a limited edition of 100 pieces in a nod to Lalique’s 100-year anniversary. Range Rider and Purple Sage are inspired by the American West and Zane Grey’s novel Riders of the Purple Sage.

Both scents are encapsulated in show-stopping artisan-made crystal flaçons, combining artistic and olfactory sensibilities, which playfully diffuse and diffract light thanks to their architectural prism shapes.

At the intersection of luxury and art, this collaboration blurs the lines between product and collectible artwork, and is sure to appeal to premium homeware connoisseurs and luxury fragrance enthusiasts alike.

At LS:N Global, we are tracking concepts reframing the future of fragrance, innovating both formulas and packaging designs.

Strategic opportunity

Merge utility and beauty: luxurious products that double as collectible objects will be perceived as higher value and more sustainable, thanks to their extended life cycle and decorative function

Neoplants introduces house plants that purify the air

Neo P1 Prototype by Neoplants, France Neo P1 Prototype by Neoplants, France
Neo P1 Prototype by Neoplants, France Neo P1 Prototype by Neoplants, France

France – Bio-engineering specialist Neoplants has unveiled its recent innovation, Neo P1, a house plant engineered to remove harmful pollutants in the air. The company was co-founded by CEO Lionel Mora and chief technology officer Patrick Torbey, whose mission is to use bio-engineering to create plants with purpose. After four years of scientific research, Neoplants has successfully created the world’s most efficient natural purifier, proven to be 30 times more effective at removing pollutants than the most efficient plants found in nature.

The founders hope Neo P1 will inspire a movement towards technological innovation working in synch with nature. ‘It is critical that we use human talent for innovation to partner with, and enhance, our natural world rather than consuming it,’ says Mora.

With the help of technology, the company aims to speed up the evolution process to create a world where ‘plants are upgraded as frequently as our phones’, says Torbey, enhancing the natural world to create climate change solutions. The LS:N Global team continue to track bio-hacking as an emerging trend; you can read more in our market on Nature-hacking.

Strategic opportunity

Neoplants demonstrates some of the ways brands can use bio-engineering to create climate change solutions. Partner with researchers who are at the cutting edge of emerging bio-studies

A virtual influencer becomes Marks & Spencer’s newest ambassador

UK – British high street behemoth Marks & Spencer has announced a new addition to its M&S Insiders influencer programme in the shape of a virtual persona – the first digital character representing a high street retailer.

Named Mira – which stands for Marks & Spencer, Influencer, Reality, Augmented – the avatar has been developed in collaboration with tech agency Happy Finish. The content posted by Mira, including fashion tips, style inspiration and the brand’s latest collections, will be created by M&S’s in-house team.

The move is part of the retailer’s ongoing experiments with emerging technologies, designed to connect with younger audiences and diversify their community.

Anna Braithwaite, the director of marketing for clothing and home, adds, ‘We are excited to welcome Mira – UK retail’s first virtual influencer – to our M&S Insiders family. A virtual influencer means we can be more fleet of foot in responding to trends and conversations and it opens possibilities in both the physical and virtual worlds in the future.’

Virtual personas entering the high street retail sphere signals the growing avatar influence, propelling the concept from niche and digital-first players to a much larger and diverse mainstream audience.

Mira by Marks & Spencer, UK

Strategic opportunity

Marks & Spencer’s introduction of in-house virtual influencer Mira shows how businesses can incorporate digital innovation in line with their brand’s identity, heritage and consumer base

Stat: Flexible working is a big incentive for employees

Distant Workplace by Thiago Tallmann, Brazil Distant Workplace by Thiago Tallmann, Brazil

Global – A recent study by McKinsey & Co shows that flexible working is a top motivation for employees, with 40% of those surveyed saying that this would help persuade them to stay in a role.

The rise in remote working has set a new norm for what many employees want from the workplace. Increasingly, the standard 9–5 working day is being replaced by what the BBC defines as ‘non-linear work days’ that allow individuals to coordinate their working hours to suit them. Such flexible working patterns can help to improve employees’ work-life balance by addressing the problems of working unpaid overtime or outside core hours.

Following The Great Resignation, if employers are to remain an attractive proposition in this new normal, they should consider expanding the benefits they offer employees. Look out for our forthcoming Workplace Futures report in early 2023, which will examine workplace trends.

Strategic opportunity

Employees are adapting to a new, more personalised way of working. It is in the interests of employers to accommodate this shift if they want to avoid missing out on diverse talent

Previous News Articles
Pattern Beauty brings authenticity and curl culture to tv with first-ever commercial

News

Pattern Beauty brings authenticity and curl culture to tv with first-ever commercial

Tracee Ellis Ross has launched Pattern Beauty’s first ever tv commercial, a 60-second spot that blends humour, nostalgia and a celebration of textu...
Haircare : Pattern Beauty : Beauty
The Messenger bot quietly transforming women’s safety in Jordan

News

The Messenger bot quietly transforming women’s safety in Jordan

A discreet digital tool is offering life-saving support to vulnerable women in Jordan.
Artifical Intelligence : Technology : Women's Safety
Stat: Study finds TikTok is reshaping luxury discovery

News

Stat: Study finds TikTok is reshaping luxury discovery

A new study in the US, the UK, France and Italy, commissioned by TikTok, reveals a structural shift in how consumers discover luxury, inc...
Statistic : TikTok : Luxury
BMW rebrands motorcycling as digital detox

News

BMW rebrands motorcycling as digital detox

BMW Motorrad and its UAE dealership AGMC have launched Throttle Therapy, a series of 10-second videos positioning motorcycling as a form of digital...
Health & Wellness : Advertising : Digital Detox
Chanel launches its first dedicated Arts & Culture magazine

News

Chanel launches its first dedicated Arts & Culture magazine

Marking 100 years in the UK, Chanel has unveiled Arts & Culture magazine Vol 1, a print publication spotlighting its recent collaborations with...
Chanel : Magazine : Print Media
Stat: Global support for corporate LGBTQ+ Pride faces new challenges

News

Stat: Global support for corporate LGBTQ+ Pride faces new challenges

Global support for brands actively promoting LGBTQ+ equality is weakening, according to Ipsos’ 2025 LGBT+ Pride Report.   
Dei : Pride : Identities
Louis Vuitton unveils new super-sized ship-shaped Shanghai store

News

Louis Vuitton unveils new super-sized ship-shaped Shanghai store

Louis Vuitton has opened The Louis, a striking flagship store in central Shanghai.
Luxury : Retail : China
Queen Mary University of London powers campus with waste heat from data centre

News

Queen Mary University of London powers campus with waste heat from data centre

Queen Mary University of London is cutting emissions and energy bills by using waste heat from its data centre to power campus heating.
Data Centre : Sustainability
Stat: Social media overtakes tv as leading news source for Americans

News

Stat: Social media overtakes tv as leading news source for Americans

For the first time, social media and video apps have surpassed television as Americans’ most-used source for news, according to the Reuters Institu...
Stat : Statistic : Media
Cashify flips Indian wedding tradition to promote smartphone resale

News

Cashify flips Indian wedding tradition to promote smartphone resale

Smartphone reselling platform Cashify is challenging outdated attitudes to second-hand tech by reimagining a long-standing wedding ritual as a cele...
Technology : Sustainability : Circularity
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN