News 22.05.2025

News

Kai Cenat launches Streamer University, De Beers Group shuts down lab-grown diamond division and the gender divide persists in everyday money talk.

Social media star Kai Cenat launches Streamer University

Kai Cenat’s Streamer University

US – Twitch streamer and YouTuber Kai Cenat has launched Streamer University, a weekend-long experience for aspiring creators to collaborate, learn and produce content. 

Inspired by Hogwarts, Cenat announced the initiative via a cinematic Instagram video stating: ‘Here, you will find a school where chaos is encouraged and content is king.’ Within minutes of the launch, more than one million applications flooded the official website, briefly crashing it. 

Held on an undisclosed college campus, the programme is open to all types of content creators, not just streamers, with 150 spots available. ‘All creators will be living on a college campus for free… If you want to be a teacher or student, apply now!’ Cenat posted on X. 

Originally teased during a Twitch stream earlier this year, Cenat’s goal is to offer an immersive, collaborative space. The course promises top industry creator-led workshops, with sessions covering everything from live-stream production to brand-building and creative strategy. 

Cenat’s latest venture aligns with our report, The New Creatorverse, in which we analysed how content creators are evolving into multimedia powerhouses, building immersive IP eco-systems, retail ventures and employee-driven content to secure longevity and bypass tech gatekeepers in a saturated market. 

Strategic opportunity

Host immersive, in-person brand residencies or talent incubators for emerging creators, offering education, tools and collaborative space – positioning your brand as a long-term cultural ally in the evolving creator economy while establishing relationships with up-and-coming creators

De Beers to close its lab-grown diamond jewellery brand

UK – De Beers Group has announced the closure of Lightbox, its lab-grown diamond jewellery brand, signalling a strategic retreat from the synthetic jewellery market.

Introduced in 2018 as a disruptor brand with transparent pricing and clear differentiation from natural diamonds, Lightbox will now wind down operations, with De Beers in talks to sell remaining inventory and assets. The closure aligns with De Beers’ Origins Strategy, launched in May 2024, which aims to drive demand for natural diamonds for a new generation of consumers.

Al Cook, CEO of De Beers Group, said: ‘The persistently declining value of lab-grown diamonds in jewellery underscores the growing differentiation between these factory-made products and natural diamonds. Lightbox has helped to highlight the fundamental differences in value between these two categories.’ In our Great Wealth Transfer report, we highlighted that for affluent Gen Z and Millennials, investments and spending now revolve around purpose and impact.

Read more about consumers’ emotional and psychological journeys through the luxury sector in our New Codes of Luxury report.

Lightbox loose lab-grown stones, UK

Strategic opportunity

In response to evolving consumer values, consider optimising operations to concentrate on core business areas that offer stronger profitability and reinforce brand equity

Stat: Financial mansplaining endures for a majority of British women

Aspiration, US Aspiration, US

UK – Gender bias in money matters is pushing British women out of financial conversations, according to new research commissioned by digital wealth manager Moneyfarm.  

The study reveals that nearly 60% of women have been ‘mansplained’ to about finances, with two-thirds saying they have been interrupted or talked over by a man who assumed they would not understand a personal finance issue. One in four women reported being told how to budget by a man, and a third had received unsolicited lectures on how investing works.  

British men ‘mansplain’ personal finance to women an average of 11 times per month, with husbands, partners and male colleagues cited as the most frequent offenders. As a result, many women admit to avoiding financial conversations with men altogether to avoid frustration and condescension.   

While more fintech platforms are evolving to become gender-intelligent, Moneyfarm’s findings reveal how deep-rooted cultural assumptions still alienate many women from financial dialogue – and by extension, decision-making power – in both the home and the workplace. 

These findings echo insights from our FemFin: Female-forward Finance report, which explores how women disruptors are not only challenging outdated narratives but also pioneering a systemic shift – reshaping financial tools, platforms and services to better reflect their values, priorities and lived experiences.

Strategic opportunity

Recognising women’s spending power, brands must rethink tone, language and interaction design to remove barriers and create financial spaces where women feel informed, respected and empowered

Previous News Articles
The Fashion Innovation Agency debuts 3D garment volumetric capture service

News

The Fashion Innovation Agency debuts 3D garment volumetric capture service

The Fashion Innovation Agency at London College of Fashion has launched Reskinning Reality, the UK’s first 3D garment volumetric capture service ai...
Fashion : Technology : Virtual Fashion
Elemis brings beauty trackside with new Aston Martin F1 collection

News

Elemis brings beauty trackside with new Aston Martin F1 collection

Premium beauty brand Elemis is stepping further into the world of Formula 1 with the launch of four exclusive skincare collections in partnership w...
Aston Martin : Elemis : Formula 1
Stat: US cinema execs predict the end of traditional moviegoing within 20 years 

News

Stat: US cinema execs predict the end of traditional moviegoing within 20 years 

Over half of cinema executives in the US believe the traditional cinema model will no longer be viable within the next 20 years, according to a new...
Movies : Entertainment : Stat
 New clubhouse for women’s sports retail opens in London

News

New clubhouse for women’s sports retail opens in London

A new retail concept is putting women’s sport centre stage this summer.
Sports : Retail : Fashion
Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

News

Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

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 : Fashion : Sustainability
Stat: Nearly half of women feel misunderstood by brands

News

Stat: Nearly half of women feel misunderstood by brands

Despite driving an estimated £25 trillion ($31.8 trillion, €29.4 trillion) in global discretionary spending, nearly half of women worldwide say bra...
Branding & Advertising : Brands : Retail
Modem’s Dream Recorder turns sleep into spatial storytelling

News

Modem’s Dream Recorder turns sleep into spatial storytelling

Dutch design studio Modem has unveiled Dream Recorder, an AI-powered device that transforms spoken memories of dreams into cinematic video se...
Technology : Modem : Dreams
Australia approves nation’s first lab-grown meat for high-end menus

News

Australia approves nation’s first lab-grown meat for high-end menus

Australia has approved its first lab-grown meat products, with Sydney-food-tech start-up Vow set to serve cultured quail dishes in upscale restaura...
Cultivated Meat : Lab-grown Meat : Lab Grown
Stat: America’s millionaire class is growing faster than ever

News

Stat: America’s millionaire class is growing faster than ever

According to UBS’s 2025 Global Wealth Report, more than 1,000 people became millionaires every day in America in 2024.
Wealth : Society : The Great Wealth Transfer
Instagram champions creative risk-taking with star-studded global campaign

News

Instagram champions creative risk-taking with star-studded global campaign

As Instagram approaches its 15th anniversary, the platform has launched a new campaign spotlighting creativity on social media. Entitled Anyway, th...
Instagram : Social Media : Creativity
You have 1 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN