Retail

Retail Industry Trends : From groceries to placemaking, retail is becoming more immersive, expressive, dramatic and hyper-personalised.

News 15.09.2020

Need to Know

Lego and Levi’s celebrate play, an online card game for diversity and inclusion, and female consumers are confused about the perimenopause.

Levi’s and Lego tap into DIY fashion

Lego and Levi’s

Global – A new capsule collection co-created by Lego and Levi’s allows consumers to take style and creativity into their own hands.

The forthcoming Lego and Levi’s collection playfully elevates Levi’s classics by adding Lego’s iconic baseplate on some selected garments. The silicon panel is attached to the majority of pieces, including trucker jackets, a pair of 501 jeans, hoodies, sweatshirts and accessories. By providing 110 Lego Dots, the wearer is encouraged to create personalised mosaic-like designs on top of the baseplates. The t-shirts, which don’t carry the customisable element, feature bold imagery instead.

‘This is such a fun collaboration celebrating self-expression, creativity and nostalgia,’ says Karyn Hillman, chief product officer for Levi’s, and adds: ‘With the customisable baseplates, Levi’s is now literally a new blank canvas for Lego play.’

In this way, the brands are targeting a new DIY fashion consumer who has emerged amid the pandemic. Explore our DIY Dressing Market to learn about similar creative product approaches.

These earrings are designed to keep AirPods in place

Pebble Pods by Misho, US Pebble Pods by Misho, US
Pebble Pods by Misho, US Pebble Pods by Misho, US

US – Jewellery brand Misho is launching a series of earrings that wrap and clip onto Apple AirPods.

The versatile creations act as supports to stop the AirPods falling out, as well as adding an aesthetic element to the product. The Pebble Pods, for example, feature a sculptural design and gold finish to mimic Misho's popular Pebble rings, while a more subtle version integrates gold or silver stud fastenings into the pods themselves.

Suhani Parekh, jewellery designer for Misho, says: ‘Jewellery is so incredibly personal and in a way so are these devices that have become inextricable from our lives, like the jewellery we wear, your phone or your headphones – they've become a second skin. Who you're speaking to, the music you're listening to and what you're wearing – it's all so personal. I love that there's a poetic connection there.’

As Leila Saad argues in her opinion piece, products are increasingly failing to adhere to problem-solving purposes, paving the way for new innovations that support and personalise consumer technology.

A card game that inspires inclusive design

London – Cards For Humanity is a practical online game that aims to encourage creatives to design more inclusively.

Inspired by Cards Against Humanity, the UK-based design studio Idean has elevated the controversial party game and created a tool for a more thoughtful design approach. When visiting the site, the online game deals a pair of cards: a person and a trait. The combinations challenge stereotypes and force players to think about new ways to serve complex user scenarios.

On the back of each visualised card the player can find relevant information such as how a disability or special need affects a person’s everyday life and how many people are affected by it. By further asking the question ‘How can you meet their need?’, the game intends to help creatives reveal their hidden biases and consequently create products, services and businesses which are more inclusive.

For more brand initiatives, concepts and campaigns that are championing diversity and inclusion, explore our Intersectionality series.

Cards For Humanity, UK

Stat: Women lack information about the perimenopause

Uzza, Barcelona Uzza, Barcelona

A study by Avon has revealed a global lack of information among women when it comes to the perimenopause.

Revealing the topic as still largely taboo among consumers, the research reveals that 44% of women across the world were still unaware of the perimenopause until they started to have symptoms. Meanwhile, 46% of the women featured in the study stated that they didn’t expect the perimenopause to start when it did.

‘Menopause is a commonly understood term, but the preceding process, the perimenopausal phase, is far less understood,' explains Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP involved in the research. 'Officially, you reach the menopause when you have your last period. But the perimenopause, leading up to your final period, can last anywhere from a few months to four years. I see that in my surgery all the time, and these findings demonstrate that this is a truly global information gap.’

In order to support women beyond offering tokenistic products, brands should consider ways of positively Rebranding the Menopause.

Archi-tainment

Micro Trends

Archi-tainment

A new generation of transformative structures focused on next-level entertainment experiences are set to influence commercial, public and third spa...
Design : Architecture : Spatial Design
Five Champagne and Wine Brands Exploring Provenance Retail

Big Ideas

Five Champagne and Wine Brands Exploring Provenance Retail

Moving away from the traditional store experience, champagne and wine brands are using authentic storytelling to disrupt how and where consumers vi...
Wine : Retail : Champagne
Curated Clutter

Micro Trends

Curated Clutter

Culture is experiencing a move from clean to cluttered, but this consumer shift is not just about aesthetics.
Fashion : Pop Culture : Marketing
Retail Staff Futures

Big Ideas

Retail Staff Futures

There is a new chapter ahead for the retail workforce amid post-pandemic challenges, AI integration and consumers’ thirst for human connection.
Future Of Work : Retail : Technology
The Rise of the C-Store

Micro Trends

The Rise of the C-Store

Brands are re-appraising the convenience store sector, viewing this once low-key retail channel as a valuable, authentic backdrop for launches, bra...
Retail : Food & Drink : Fashion
Autonomous Retail Futures

Viewpoints

Autonomous Retail Futures

Lisbon-based start-up Sensei’s just-walk-out technology places convenience and intuition at the heart of the retail experience, says co-founder Joa...
Artificial Intelligence : Future Of Retail : Autonomous Retail
Five Must-See Hyperphysical Stores in New York

Big Ideas

Five Must-See Hyperphysical Stores in New York

From appointment abodes to new third spaces designed for meditative browsing, these new stores have turned the Big Apple into a hyperphysical shopp...
Retail : Fashion : Luxury
Five Luxury Leisure Pop-Ups

Big Ideas

Five Luxury Leisure Pop-Ups

As the personal luxury goods market rebounds and consumers continue to seek out experiences across travel, leisure and dining, luxury brands are di...
Luxury : Travel & Hospitality : Retail
NRF 2024 Retail’s Big Show: Community, Luxury and Loyalty

Big Ideas

NRF 2024 Retail’s Big Show: Community, Luxury and Loyalty

At the biggest retail conference in the US, all eyes were on experiential retail, the evolution of the luxury consumer and the critical role of loy...
Retail : Events : Luxury
CES 2024: Smart Living Futures

Big Ideas

CES 2024: Smart Living Futures

The 100th edition of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) peeled back the curtain on life in the 2030s, where flying electric vehicles, intelligent ...
Technology : CES 2024 : Automotive
Destination Debrief: Hainan

Big Ideas

Destination Debrief: Hainan

China’s Hawaii has turned its tropical forests and pristine beaches into a destination for both local and global luxury consumers seeking an authen...
China : Hainan Island : Hainan
Future Forecast 2024: Retail

Micro Trends

Future Forecast 2024: Retail

Retail is settling into a post-Covid landscape in which consumers frequently welcome brands into their homes, exploring products, consuming content...
Retail : Luxury : Fashion
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

What do we use cookies for?

We use cookies to enable the use of our platform’s paid features and to analyse our traffic. No personal data, including your IP address, is stored and we do not sell data to third parties.

Learn more