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Telfar captures Liberia’s heritage in Olympic collection

Liberian Tokyo 2021 Olympics kit. Designed by Telfar

Liberia, US & Global – Burgeoning luxury brand Telfar is making its first foray into sportswear, following the brand’s appointment as Olympic clothing sponsor for Liberia. Referencing founder Telfar Clemen’s Liberian-American heritage, the collection includes duffel bags, sweatpants and leggings featuring the Liberian flag’s star and Telfar’s brand logo.

By drawing on cultural references in this way, Telfar captures his personal heritage while highlighting the sporting talent from his home country. ‘Sketched while in Africa, the garments tell the story of a journey of recognition...’ reads a statement in a press release. ‘They tell a story of return mirrored in Liberia’s rebuilding of its national team – which finds its athletes in its diaspora; scattered across America by the afterlife of colonialism, war, and ebola.’ First showcased at this year’s Olympic opening ceremony, several pieces from the collection will be sold via a drop model in the coming weeks.

As we explore in Accelerating African Fashion, luxury brands and wider collaborators are engaging with African design talent to produce cross-cultural collections.

Strategic opportunity

Luxury brands should take cues from this initiative to address the meaning of heritage for their brand. Work with global talent – both within and outside of fashion – to create products that accurately reflect cultural nuances

Majenye’s high-vibration beauty is powered by crystals

Majenye, US

US – As the worlds of beauty, spirituality and wellness continue to merge, beauty brand Majenye is introducing a range of crystal-infused products that promote holistic wellbeing. Its launch collection features a range of skincare, haircare, bath and home products that seek to harmonise people’s mental and physical health.

By positioning crystal healing as a core element of its offering, Majenye promotes the idea of high vibration beauty – that is, products that are energising and mood-elevating, as explored in Mood-boosting Beauty. Yetunde Alabi, founder of Majenye says: ‘With a focus on creating small batches of magical goodness, Majenye offers an assortment of non-toxic, crystal-infused and therapeutic products crafted with a minimalist aesthetic to soothe the mind, body and spirit.’

The brand also aligns with the mindsets we explore in the new Synchronised Care macrotrend, with self-care practices taking on deeper meanings and becoming interconnected with wider belief systems.

Strategic opportunity

Looking ahead, beauty and wellness brands can focus on the sensorial aspect of products to create mood-boosting rituals. Consider how sounds, scents and tactile packaging can elevate your existing offering

Travel site Fliggy curates a data-informed music festival

China – Alibaba-owned travel platform Fliggy is creating a three-day-long music festival in China’s Shapotou desert. Informed by its extensive consumer data, the Desert Hertz Music Festival will host a range of activities that reflect a growing interest among Chinese Generation Z to explore their cultural identity. Festival-goers will have the opportunity to taste local foods, discover ancient Chinese crafts and try on hanfu, a traditional clothing style popular among young audiences.

With Chinese tourists still largely unable to travel abroad, this initiative enables a sense of escapism and adventure while tuning into local interests. In this way, the festival recognises the idea that domestic travel is an important engine of growth for China.

Fliggy’s decision to utilise its own travel insights in this way has allowed the brand to design an experience that aligns with its target consumers. Indeed, as we discover in our research into China’s emerging youth, young people in the region are increasingly attuned to their heritage and are keen to support local brands.

Fliggy’s Desert Hertz Music Festival

Strategic opportunity

Tourism services should maximise the consumer data they have access to – including popular search terms and social media activity – to design leisure experiences that resonate well with particular demographics

Stat: UK home education rises despite schools re-opening

AltSchool by Architecture + Information is an educational start-up that integrates technology while also offering play-based learning and human interaction. Photography by Magda Biernat

While most children in the UK have been forced to learn from home as a result of pandemic-induced school closures, an increasing number of parents are actively choosing a permanent switch to home education. According to research by the BBC, this upward trend comes as some parents experience continuing Covid-19 anxiety, while others feel their children perform better thanks to home schooling.

Across the UK, the number of children registering for home education rose by 75% in the first eight months of the current school year. In northwest England, numbers were up by 92% on the previous two-year average. Meanwhile, more than 40,000 pupils were formally taken out of school in the UK between September 2020 and April 2021, compared with an average of 23,000 over the previous two years.

As remote studying becomes more widely adopted and the concept of ‘school’ becomes less of a physical entity, there is potential for new types of educational platforms and brands to augment curriculums, examinations and qualifications.

Strategic opportunity

Amid the rise of homeschooling, opportunities emerge to better connect children and parents at a local level. For brands, create campaigns and initiatives that bring home learners together for shared learning or social experiences