News 22.08.2023

Need to Know

Dolce & Gabbana unveils branded smart tv, FIFA 23 now includes a woman player wearing a hijab, and why a return to the office could slow down women’s job hours surge.

Dolce & Gabbana collaborates with Sky on artistic smart tv

Dolce & Gabbana and Sky Glass Smart TV

Global – Italian luxury fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana has joined forces with British media conglomerate Sky Group to introduce a unique twist to an existing smart tv model. Unveiled during Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda fashion week, the limited-edition 65-inch Sky Glass Carretto Siciliano showcases the brand’s iconic print, hand-painted by a Palermo-based artisan. The design draws inspiration from western Sicily’s traditional geometric patterns and extends across the television’s bezels and back end.

The collaboration enhances the Sky Glass model, which already offers integrated content, major free-to-air channels and streaming apps. Replacing the Sky insignia is a carefully crafted Dolce & Gabbana icon.

The release marks the fashion house’s continued move into the world of home products, following its recent partnership with Italian appliance company Smeg for a Blu Mediterraneo-themed appliance collection. This project offers insight into how fashion brands are stepping into our homes and the next iteration of creatively branded homeware we can expect to see more of.

Strategic opportunity

This collaboration not only offers a static product a Guilded Luxury makeover, but also shows that consumers – now used to spending more time at home – are continually looking to level up their interior space through innovative design and technology

FIFA 23 game update features first in-game hijab wearer

Nouhaïla Benzina in FIFA 23 Nouhaïla Benzina in FIFA 23

Global – A recent FIFA 23 video game update includes the character model of Moroccan footballer Nouhaila Benzina wearing a hijab. This marks the first instance of EA’s football simulator incorporating a head covering on a player. Benzina, a 25-year-old Moroccan athlete, made history as the first senior-level World Cup player to wear a hijab during a game.

Although FIFA lifted its head covering ban in 2014, it has taken almost a decade for this representation to manifest into gaming. Benzina adorning a hijab during a game not only defies cultural stereotypes about Muslim women, but also makes a statement in light of countries defying FIFA rules. France, for instance, maintains a ban on French football players from wearing headscarves.

The digital representation of this is important as people’s real-life personas and online avatars are merging rapidly, as discussed in our Affirmative Avatars Market.

Strategic opportunity

Young people turning to the digital marketplace are seeking authentic forms of identity and expression. Brands therefore need to ensure that they are offering inclusive and diverse opportunities for consumers to engage with, making the virtual world a stigma-free escape

Stat: Return to office push in UK threatens women’s job hours surge

Photography by RF._.studio, South Africa Photography by RF._.studio, South Africa

UK – The drive to bring more British workers back to the office poses a risk to the increase in working hours among women, which was made possible by pandemic-induced flexible and remote working options. Analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that women in the UK are working more than ever due to hybrid working policies that allow greater opportunities to balance childcare and work. ONS data shows that hours worked per woman are up almost 5% on levels before Covid-19 struck. Analysts worry this trend will be reversed if businesses reduce flexibility.

On the other hand, men are spending fewer hours at work, a trend that began in the decade before the first lockdown, but which has accelerated since. In order for the government to bring down inflation rates, they need to fill vacancies, which in the UK labour market remain at near record highs.

Overall, women have shifted from part-time to full-time working, ONS data reveals, reiterating the importance of offering employees Work State solutions. The threat of this being taken away – JPMorgan Chase, Amazon, Blackrock and Goldman Sachs have asked staff to spend more time in the office – can have large-scale economic repercussions.

Strategic opportunity

Businesses need to weigh up the cost of changing work styles again. As well as alienating working mothers, other employees that are now accustomed to hybrid working might not want to sacrifice the wellbeing it offers them by returning to their old schedules

Previous News Articles
NYX turns beauty into gameplay for back-to-school on Roblox

News

NYX turns beauty into gameplay for back-to-school on Roblox

NYX Professional Makeup is amplifying its digital-first strategy with a bold return to Roblox by taking over the platform’s most popular high schoo...
Nyx Professional Makeup : NYX : Metaverse
Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

News

Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, ...
Foresight Friday
Stat: Ageing pressures persist despite shifts in beauty language

News

Stat: Ageing pressures persist despite shifts in beauty language

Despite the rise of pro-ageing narratives in beauty marketing, new research from skincare retailer Face the Future finds that pressure to look...
Society : Ageing : Statistic
New Forest’s rebranding turns tourists into custodians

News

New Forest’s rebranding turns tourists into custodians

Studio Glass has unveiled a new brand identity for The New Forest that weaves local stories, seasonal colour palettes and community voices into a s...
Design : Branding : Advertising
Boots to open fragrance-only concept store

News

Boots to open fragrance-only concept store

Boots is set to open its first fragrance-only concept store at Broadgate Central, London, in autumn 2025, marking a major expansion in its beauty t...
Retail : Fragrance : Perfume
Stat: Britons increasingly crave a healthy and nutritious breakfast

News

Stat: Britons increasingly crave a healthy and nutritious breakfast

A June 2025 Weetabix survey reveals that while cereal remains Britain’s top breakfast choice, health, convenience and solo routines are reshaping t...
Health : Nutrition : Food & Drink
Peachy Den and Adidas spotlight the enduring power of female sporting legends

News

Peachy Den and Adidas spotlight the enduring power of female sporting legends

British fashion label Peachy Den has teamed up with global sportswear giant Adidas to re-imagine the bold spirit of 1980s and 1990s football kits, ...
Fashion : Sports : Adidas
Riley makes organic period care a hotel room standard

News

Riley makes organic period care a hotel room standard

Irish B Corp company Riley has launched a discreet organic period care hotel kit to bring menstrual essentials to hotel rooms as standard amenities.
Health : Travel & Hospitality : Period Care
Stat: Gen Z reject AI dating tools

News

Stat: Gen Z reject AI dating tools

As dating apps bet big on AI to attract younger users, a new Bloomberg Intelligence survey shows Gen Z aren’t buying it.
AI : Dating Apps : Ai Dating Tools
Tencent’s AI model generates virtual worlds from a single text prompt

News

Tencent’s AI model generates virtual worlds from a single text prompt

Tencent has launched an open-source AI model, Hunyuan3D World Model 1.0, that allows users to generate complex 3D environments from a single text p...
VR : AI : Technology
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