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Loewe’s Seoul store unveils artistic homage to craft and design

Casa Loewe Seoul, South Korea

South Korea – Loewe has unveiled its first Casa Loewe store in South Korea, located in Gangnam district. The Spanish fashion house has transformed the space into an art collectors’ haven, where fashion, art and craftsmanship converge. The store’s striking exterior features a monolithic façade covered in handmade ceramic tiles from Spain, presented in a rich green hue that harmonises with the surrounding urban environment.

Inside, the store is a tribute to Loewe’s rich craft heritage. The centrepiece is a multilevel bamboo sculpture by Japanese artist Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, which rises from the ground floor’s central atrium to the first floor, resembling intertwining tree trunks. This installation is complemented by a delicate basket woven entirely from horse hair by Dahye Jeong, the 2022 winner of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize.

The interior design further enhances the gallery-like atmosphere, with furniture crafted from materials such as custom felt, black walnut and canvas. Loewe’s Seoul store not only showcases fashion but also positions itself as a cultural space where art and craftsmanship are celebrated in tandem. This aligns with our findings in Five Luxury Brands Recrafting Heritage In-Store.

Strategic opportunity

Culture and art have always been integral to renowned luxury brands. How can you create a retail environment where customers can explore the cultural heritage and influences of your design collaborators?

Dyson unveils mushroom-infused hair line to tackle frizzy hair

Dyson Chitosan, US

US – Dyson is venturing into the mushroom trend with its latest haircare line Chitosan, which features fungal chitosan derived from oyster mushrooms. The new styling products promise to combat frizzy hair using the natural power of mushrooms, a wellness trend which has seen them already being used in coffee, supplements and beer.

Chitosan, set to launch in Dyson stores and online, includes a styling cream and serum, both priced at £50 ($66, €59) for 100ml. Dyson claims the products can reduce frizz by up to 50%.

‘Chitosan is delicate yet strong, providing the flexible hold we’ve engineered into our formulas,’ said Dyson’s founder and chief engineer James Dyson. The company has tested the products extensively to ensure they maintain natural hair movement while offering an all-day hold. According to Dyson, each bottle of Chitosan harnesses the power of up to eight oyster mushrooms.

This launch marks Dyson’s continued push into the beauty market, building on its success with innovations such as the Supersonic hairdryer. In our Elastic Brands macrotrend report, we analysed how brands need to be elastic by entering new markets and diversifying their product range to compete during volatile times.

Strategic opportunity

As seen at CES 2024, the beauty tech space is booming. Can you consider refocusing your R&D strategy towards high-tech beauty devices or AI-driven personalised beauty solutions?

Rockefeller Center opens New York Fashion Week to the public

US – The Council of Fashion Designers of America is democratising New York Fashion Week (NYFW) by partnering with the Rockefeller Center to bring runway shows to the public.

For the first time, from 6 to 11 September 2024, audiences will be able to experience the excitement of NYFW through live streams and recorded shows at The Rink, The Rockefeller Center’s seasonal ice skating rink.

Screenings will showcase collections from New York brands such as Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors and Tory Burch, with supplementary content from recent shows from Thom Browne and Rick Owens.

All screenings will be free and open to the public, marking the Rockefeller Center as the exclusive physical location where the public can engage with the otherwise industry-exclusive NYFW.

The partnership also reflects the industry’s renewed focus on curating cultural experiences to underpin brands’ credentials as leaders of taste, a topic we explored in our New Codes of Luxury macrotrend report. For more on the latest in fashion, check out our Viewpoint with Upstream, the world’s first fashion streaming app.

Thom Browne autumn winter 24, US

Strategic opportunity

Host immersive cultural experiences to solidify your status as a tastemaker while expanding your reach and creating new avenues for consumer engagement with your brand

Stat: Wealthier nations less alarmed by climate change despite higher awareness

Scenes From the Last Day on Planet Earth by Chris Maggio, US

Global – A recent international survey highlights a striking disparity in climate change attitudes between people in high-income, high-emission countries and those in lower-income nations. Conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and partners, the study reveals that while people in wealthier nations are more climate-literate, they exhibit significantly less concern about the crisis.

In high-income countries, 94% of women and 92% of men are aware of climate change, yet only 36% of women and 30% of men are ‘alarmed’ by it. In contrast, in lower-income nations with fewer per-capita emissions, 45% of women and 44% of men are alarmed about the situation.

The survey also finds that women in affluent countries are less likely to be climate sceptics, with 11% being ‘doubtful’ or ‘dismissive’ compared to 20% of men. Interestingly, more women in wealthy countries (46%) attribute global warming to human activities than men (45%).

In our macrotrend Paralysis Paradox we look at how people are experiencing a cognitive dissonance about environmental issues and how businesses need to transform and create solutions through radical innovations.

Strategic opportunity

To move consumers from awareness to action, consider creating climate change educational campaigns and tailored programmes that can be integrated into your business’s corporate social responsibility initiatives