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Iris van Herpen unveils Sympoiesis at Paris Haute Couture Week

Iris van Herpen, Sympoiesis, Paris

France – At Paris Haute Couture Week, Iris van Herpen unveiled Sympoiesis, a collection steeped in material innovation.

Among the standout pieces was a luminous gown infused with 125m living bioluminescent algae (pyrocystis lunula) and a wedding dress spun from Brewed Protein – a bio-based fibre derived from fermented sugar cane.

The glowing algae dress, developed in collaboration with biodesigner Chris Bellamy, is the result of a meticulous 35-step process. To remain alive, the garment requires carefully controlled conditions of humidity, light and temperature – turning the act of wearing into one of stewardship.

Meanwhile, Brewed Protein – developed by Japanese biotech company Spiber – marks a milestone in sustainable luxury. With the opening of the world’s first commercial protein polymer plant and a European outpost, Spiber is positioning itself as a key player in the future of regenerative materials. Its products can be broken down into nutrients and reused in the fermentation process to create new protein.

For van Herpen, whose work has long existed at the intersection of couture and experimental design, the living dress is more than a fashion spectacle: it’s a poetic provocation – a call to care for the ecosystems that inspire and sustain us.

As highlighted in our Biofabricated Futures report, biofabrication is emerging as a progressive regenerative approach that provides businesses with a path to sustainable growth.

Strategic opportunity

Co-create products that require active care or interaction to foster deeper emotional engagement while signalling a shift from passive consumption to regenerative participation in sustainability

Foresight Friday: Dan Hastings, deputy foresight editor

Photo by Dushawn Jovic on Unsplash, US

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, deputy foresight editor Dan Hastings dives into the power of short-form video, haute couture watch parties and C-pop.

: Can the New York Times turn its writers into video stars? That’s the question Vulture explored earlier this week while analysing the newspaper’s podcast strategy and pivot to video. This shift isn’t entirely new. And I should know, as a former short-form video content specialist at Instagram. But what stands out now is the undeniable power of TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts in the context of elections.

According to The Ezra Klein Show, it was Zohran Mamdani’s short-form video strategy that helped secure his win in the New York Democratic primary. ‘You cannot buy attention now the way you once could; you can only earn it,’ said Klein. It marks a major shift from the political playbook of the past 40 years, when campaigns largely focused on raising vast sums for tv ads and paid social media.

The podcast also explored Mamdani’s strategy of ‘listening as broadcasting’. Instead of speaking at people through television screens, he flipped the script by putting microphones in their faces and asking questions in a vox pop style. It resonated deeply with audiences, tapping into the familiar guy on the street video format.

: The success of Lyes’ Dior watch party in Paris during Haute Couture Week is fascinating to observe. Consumers are clearly craving in-person connections with peers who share their interests and it’s not just happening in fashion – Love Island USA watch parties are also booming in Los Angeles.

: In other news, a recent study finds that long-tailed macaques pay more attention to videos featuring familiar group members than to strangers; C-pop girl group A20 May made history as the first all-Chinese girl group to hit the US Top 40 twice; and the seizure of hundreds of fake Labubu dolls with the wrong number of teeth in Ayrshire shows that the kidult craze is so popular, even fraudsters are cashing in.

Quote of the week

‘If ChatGPT and 'Google Zero' are eroding the web’s infrastructure and redirecting audiences away from news publications by default, and if AI slop threatens to render most text-based journalism suspect, what better check is there than orienting the business around a sense of humanity?’

Nicholas Quah, critic, Vulture

Stat: Global spending on leisure travel will triple by 2040

Photography by Matthew Barra

Global – A new report by Boston Consulting Group reveals that the global leisure travel market is set to triple in value, growing from £3.51 trillion ($4.25 trillion, €4.19) in 2024 to £11.7 trillion ($15 trillion, €13.95 trillion) by 2040. Leisure travel – defined as travel taken for rest, recreation or pleasure rather than business – is expected to grow by 8% annually until 2029, before easing slightly to 7% growth up to 2040.

This surge will be driven largely by emerging markets such as China, India, Saudi Arabia and Cambodia, where rising middle classes are fuelling demand for travel as a lifestyle priority. A parallel driver is the global shift from material ownership to experience-first living.

Significantly, the study highlights that domestic leisure travel will account for the majority of this growth – projected to rise from £3.2 trillion ($4.1 trillion, €3.81 trillion) in 2024 to £9.13 trillion ($11.7 trillion, €10.88 trillion) by 2040. This signals a rising appetite for localised experiences, regional discovery and short-haul wellness retreats.

As younger, tech-savvy travellers start to spend more, they’re changing what people want from travel. They prefer personalised, digital and hands-on experiences, so travel and hospitality brands need to keep up by offering flexible plans, easy booking and wellness-focused options.

This shift is already visible in China, where domestic tourism is booming. As explored in our Destination Debrief: Hainan report, the island is emerging as a key luxury travel hub. With duty-free sales projected to reach £37m ($50.5m, €43m) by 2025, according to official data, Hainan shows how domestic leisure travel is reshaping the global tourism landscape.

Strategic opportunity

As domestic travel gains momentum among the middle class, consider how affluent travellers are also seeking high-end experiences closer to home. How can you develop luxury resorts, spas and boutique hotels in second-tier cities or scenic domestic destinations such as Hainan in China, Kerala in India, or AlUla in Saudi Arabia?