Daily Signals 21.07.2025

Signals

Luxury brands go beyond metaverse hype with immersive tech, Camper joins forces with Issey Miyake and why Americans are prioritising inner health over looks.

How luxury brands went beyond metaverse hype with immersive tech

Balenciaga Winter 2024 Show Set at Les Invalides in Paris, France

Global - From Balenciaga to L’Oréal, luxury brands are turning to immersive technologies to prototype shows, reimagine retail and bring storytelling to life in richer, more interactive ways.

In The Untold – the second chapter in The Future Laboratory and Together Group’s New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation report – we explore how luxury brands are moving beyond metaverse hype to embrace immersive technologies as practical and creative tools.

Elie Saab, for instance, utilises spatial design platforms to bring its creative vision to life before any construction begins. Creative studios such as OBO are working with fashion houses to stage immersive previews of runway shows and events, while AI tools like the Dazed Archive are making decades of culture instantly searchable and creatively inspiring.

In retail, brands from Lululemon to Valentino are experimenting with AR, VR and digital twins to extend in-store experiences and personalise service. Meanwhile, platforms including Roblox and Fortnite are becoming launchpads for branded content and storytelling worlds beyond marketing stunts.

More than a spectacle, immersive tech is becoming core to how brands ideate, test and emotionally connect across campaigns, stores and entertainment to keep luxury agile and culturally relevant.

New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation is accessible to view via an interactive website.

Camper and Issey Miyake fuse sculptural design with everyday wear

Issey Miyake x Camper, Global Issey Miyake x Camper, Global
Issey Miyake x Camper, Global Issey Miyake x Camper, Global

Global – Spanish footwear brand Camper has partnered with Japanese fashion house Issey Miyake to launch Peu Form, a sculptural reinterpretation of the classic Peu silhouette. Designed by Issey Miyake’s creative director Satoshi Kondo, the shoes embrace the brand’s philosophy of ‘a single piece of cloth’ and transform Italian leather into flexible, crumpled forms that adapt to the foot like a second skin.

Slip-on and ankle boot options are available in black, white, Klein blue and signature Camper red, combining comfort, function and minimalistic design. The collaboration blurs the line between utility and artistry and elevates a functional everyday item into a soft architectural object. The shoes are also foldable and packable.

The project confirms the findings of our Collaboration Culture report, which highlights how brands must co-create with visionary talents and respond to fast-evolving micro-aesthetics. Peu Form feels co-authored rather than imposed and shows both entities participating in a design dialogue. This positions Camper and Issey Miyake as collaborators in culture rather than arbiters of it.

Strategic opportunity

Camper and Issey Miyake reimagined an everyday product as an art object without compromising usability. Consider how design, tactility and emotion can transform functional items into aspirational, collectible products

Coca-Cola launches Real Thing Records with identity-led design

Global – Coca-Cola has entered the music scene with the launch of Real Thing Records, a label created in collaboration with Universal Music Group and brought to life by design agency Explorers Club Studio.

The label aims to spotlight emerging global talent while building a bridge between artists and fans through bold design.

Rooted in Coca-Cola’s iconic brand language, the identity reimagines its signature Arden Square red box into the Arden Portal – a storytelling device symbolising connectivity.

The visual system combines generative motion, a 3D logo cube reminiscent of ‘on air’ signs and lo-fi photography capturing the raw energy of nightlife and live music, shot at London’s House of Koko.

‘We set out to create an identity for the future of music, entertainment and fandom,’ says Explorers Club co-founder Aaron Skipper, highlighting the collaborative effort to blend legacy design with next-gen culture.

For more insights on the future of the music industry, visit our Pop Culture & Media sector.

Coca-Cola's Real Thing Records, Global

Strategic opportunity

Elevate brand recognition by turning familiar design elements into bold, flexible assets for cross-sector storytelling

Stat: Americans are prioritising inner health over looks

Sanctum, Global Sanctum, Global

US – According to a July 2025 study by supplements and vitamins specialist Metagenics, 77% of Americans now say they prioritise feeling good overlooking good.  Though it is surprising to see internal wellbeing taking precedence over surface-level appearance, LS:N Global predicted this behaviour in  Longevity Lifestyles, our macrotrend report examining how consumers are increasingly motivated by the promise of a longer, and better-quality life.  

The research of 2,000 Americans shows that three in four people are prioritising feeling good on the inside. To achieve this they are focusing on sleep (50%), eating nourishing meals (49%) and moving their bodies in ways that feel good (44%). Interestingly, 31% of respondents said they regularly take a probiotic or supplement to support internal health, while 57% of those who don’t said they are open to considering it. Given gut health is no longer a niche area of interest, 53% of those surveyed said they were confident they could explain how gut health affects the rest of the body without needing to look it up. 

‘Ultimately, people are redefining what health means in 2025,’ said Gulam Khan, vice president of marketing, North America at Metagenics. ‘It’s no longer about chasing perfection, but about genuinely feeling better for today and into the future. Whether it’s setting boundaries, taking a walk or supporting your gut with a probiotic, people are realising that lasting wellness starts from the inside out.’

Strategic opportunity

Consider how to shift focus from aesthetics to how your products or services make consumers feel. For instance, how can you inject ‘feel-good’ into your offer with calming textures, mood-enhancing ingredients or gut-friendly recipes?

Previous Daily Signals Articles
Natuurhuisje frames nature as the protagonist in new brand campaign

Daily Signals

Natuurhuisje frames nature as the protagonist in new brand campaign

Dutch holiday rental platform Natuurhuisje has launched a campaign that positions nature as an active presence, patiently waiting for travellers se...
Nature : Travel : Campaign
Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

Daily Signals

Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, senior foresight analyst ...
Identity : Social Media : The Time Economy
Stat: Visual shopping drives Gen Z decision-making

Daily Signals

Stat: Visual shopping drives Gen Z decision-making

Gen Z is redefining how we discover, curate and shop. According to Pinterest, 69% of Gen Z agree that visual results are more helpful than text or ...
Discovery : Retail : Statistic
Sephora joins forces with Tabasco for heat-infused lip gloss debut

Daily Signals

Sephora joins forces with Tabasco for heat-infused lip gloss debut

Sephora Collection has teamed up with Tabasco to launch a limited-edition lip gloss range that brings the cult hot sauce label’s fiery identity int...
Beauty : Branding : Food
Stat: Textile recycling economy gathers pace

Daily Signals

Stat: Textile recycling economy gathers pace

The global clothing and textile recycling market is being cemented as a core pillar of fashion’s circular economy. Valued at £10.1bn ($13.6bn, ...
Sustainability : Fashion : Statistic
Norwegian Cruise Line revives 1990s tagline to re-energise the category

Daily Signals

Norwegian Cruise Line revives 1990s tagline to re-energise the category

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is reviving its 1990s tagline ‘It’s Different Out Here’ as the centrepiece of a full brand reset.
Marketing : Branding : Travel
Fujifilm turns instant photography into a creative time tool

Daily Signals

Fujifilm turns instant photography into a creative time tool

Fujifilm has unveiled the instax mini Evo Cinema, a new hybrid instant camera set to launch on 30 January 2026.
Technology : Time Economy : Consumer Behaviour
Nvidia ACE drives adaptive storytelling with AI characters

Daily Signals

Nvidia ACE drives adaptive storytelling with AI characters

Nvidia is taking non-playable characters (NPCs) beyond predictable behaviour with Nvidia ACE, a platform that lets them respond naturally to player...
Gaming : Entertainment : Artificial Intelligence
Stat: India’s consumers lead spending and economic confidence across APAC

Daily Signals

Stat: India’s consumers lead spending and economic confidence across APAC

According to a new report from McKinsey & Co, while consumer sentiment across Asia-Pacific remains stable but selective, India is emerging as a...
Retail : Consumer Behaviour : Statistic
.Lumen wins CES 2026 accessibility award for AI-powered glasses for the blind

Daily Signals

.Lumen wins CES 2026 accessibility award for AI-powered glasses for the blind

European deep tech start-up .lumen has won the CTA Foundation Pitch Competition for Accessibility at CES 2026, receiving a £7,420 ($10,000,€8,550) ...
CES : Technology : Accessibility
You have 2 free Daily Signals remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN