News 05.07.2024

Need to Know

Riyadh Air debuts couture cabin uniforms, Gabriela Białkowska’s Foresight Friday and why online grocery shopping is on the rise in the US.

Riyadh Air unveils couture cabin uniforms

Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia – Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s new premium airline, has teamed up with Saudi fashion designer Ashi, founder of the Parisian couture house Ashi Studio, to unveil a unique lifestyle collection during haute couture week in Paris.

The fashion house debuted womenswear and menswear looks consisting of cashmere outerwear and dresses, fine wool trousers, custom leather footwear, amethyst earrings and pillbox hats, inspired by the 1950s ‘golden age of aviation’. The collection's bespoke colours, Electric Amethyst for women and Dark Amethyst for men, were chosen as a homage to Saudi Arabia's lavender fields and Riyadh Air’s branding. Set for a full launch early next year, the line will outfit Riyadh Air’s cabin crew, pilots, concierges and airport agents.

The Future Laboratory and Together Group’s New Codes of Luxury in Saudi Arabia report previously analysed how Saudi’s creative economies and cultural sectors are in growth mode. Riyadh Air’s commitment to merging high fashion with aviation exemplifies this movement, setting a new standard for luxury and artistry as the airline prepares for its inaugural flight in 2025.

Strategic opportunity

Luxury brands should look to collaborate with high-end airlines to design unique seasonal uniforms that elevate the airline’s prestige and appeal to affluent travellers

Nike and Hyperice launch high-tech shoes for athlete recovery

Global – Nike has teamed up with health tech company Hyperice to introduce innovative wearables designed to aid athlete recovery. The Nike x Hyperice collection features high-top shoes and a vest equipped with advanced technologies for heating, cooling and massaging.

The high-top shoes incorporate Hyperice’s Normatec air compression technology, which inflates and deflates dual-air bladders to massage the foot and ankle. These shoes also include warming elements to enhance muscle recovery. Powered by battery packs in each insole, the shoes offer three levels of adjustable compression and heat, controllable via a button in the heel.

The accompanying vest autonomously monitors and adjusts the wearer’s body temperature using integrated thermoelectric coolers. Hyperice’s air bladders in the vest ensure a snug fit, pressing thermal modules against the body for optimal heating and cooling.

‘This technology helps get the body ready for activity, whether you’re playing for a title or on your feet a lot at work,’ said Tobie Hatfield, Nike’s senior director of athlete innovation.

We have previously analysed how brands are creating more functional and protective clothing in our Safety Fits microtrend report.

Nike x Hyperice, US

Strategic opportunity

How can your brand create functional fashion? Consider developing products that cater to the growing need for protection, enhancement and empowerment

Foresight Friday: Gabriela Białkowska, creative foresight analyst

Photography by Polina Tankilevitch Photography by Polina Tankilevitch

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. Here, creative foresight analyst Gabriela Białkowska discusses Gen Z’s social anemoia, The Sims 4 and family.

Noplace, an emerging platform aiming to bring the social element back to social media, has recently soared to the top of the App Store. Designed for those looking for community, Noplace offers customisable profiles reminiscent of Myspace and allows users to share their activities and preferences in a simple, short text format. The platform taps into Gen Z’s anemoia – nostalgia for a time or a place one has never known – for the pre-Facebook era as well as their need for connection, which we have discussed in our Gen Z Now and Next: From Vision to Contradiction macrotrend report.

: Meanwhile, EA has finally answered the calls of The Sims community by introducing a free, polyamorous relationships update with the launch of the Lovestruck Expansion Pack. This feature allows Sims to define romantic boundaries and engage in multiple relationships without jealousy. Although this is a significant step for inclusive gameplay, the community had been requesting this in-game feature for years.

: In our Innovation Debrief 2024–2025 report, we dedicated a section to the rise of the DINKWAD (double-income, no-kids, with-a-dog) lifestyle economy. I’d like to highlight the proudly queer Dogs and their Dykes photo project. This community initiative by Nessie Appleton and Mair Howells is a heartwarming ‘online love letter to dykes, and the love for their dogs’.

Quote of the week

'We encourage people to build empathy, to get under the skin of consumers, in global roles to understand local culture, local nuances'

Mie-Leng Wong, senior vice-president global brands, Mondelez

Stat: Online grocery shopping grows as consumers embrace convenience

Walmart, US Walmart, US

US – The use of home delivery for online grocery shopping has increased by 5 points since Morning Consult began tracking in 2021, reaching 22% as of May 2024. This rise is especially notable among Millennials, urban dwellers and high-income households, who use online grocery shopping options at disproportionately higher rates.

Some 53% of US adults surveyed indicated that it’s ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ likely they will shop online for groceries and household goods, a series high – in August, only 44% expressed the same likelihood. Currently, the most popular option is to have groceries delivered after placing an online order, with about 22% of respondents choosing this service in the last month.

Contrary to fears that online shopping might limit consumer choices, users of these services are more likely than others to try different brands or stores. The convenience of online grocery shopping, which became crucial during the pandemic, is seeing renewed interest.

For more insights on what’s new and next for online grocery shopping, head to our analysis of Food Delivery Futures.

Strategic opportunity

Retailers should consider the environmental benefits of autonomous delivery vehicles. How can your brand use this technology for time-optimised last-mile deliveries of any product? 

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