LSN : News : Stat: UK curriculums lack literary diversity

This water brand crowdsources activist messaging

SAVEME by SKINN, Belgium

Belgium – SAVEME is a water brand offering people the opportunity to shape its brand messaging and design aesthetic in line with activist values.

Created by SKINN branding agency, the direct-to-consumer (DTC) canned water invites community input, allowing its customers to use the product as a blank canvas for expressing opinions about environmental concerns. Ideas can be submitted via the brand's website, with 3D design tools to help people create their desired message. Customers then vote for the best submissions in SAVEME’s Can gallery, in turn informing which designs are printed onto water cans and sold on the brand’s e-shop.

Its name, SAVEME, also communicates a sense of personalisation through the word ‘me’, as well as being the initials for ‘Mother Earth’. By inviting this crowdsourced approach, the brand is tuning into the values of young activists and empowering consumers in new ways.

We explore some of the other ways that future-positive mindsets are being fuelled in our Graphic Activism design direction.

LBDO’s intimate products prioritise natural ingredients

The Essensuals by LBDO, Australia

Australia – LBDO is challenging existing sexual wellness products by promoting the importance of natural ingredients.

Its debut range, dubbed The Essensuals, features an organic and vegan lubricant and massage oil as an alternative to artificial formulations. The water-based lubricant uses aloe vera and kakadu plum and quandong – ingredients that are hydrating and high in antioxidants. Meanwhile, the brand’s multi-use massage oil blends the oils of kakadu plum seeds, coconut, jojoba and sandalwood to create a lightweight and non-greasy texture.

‘The whole sexual wellness industry, I’ve learned, is really unregulated – you can use any material or ingredients in the products – and I couldn’t believe that, because it’s something you’re putting on your delicate skin or inside your body,’ explains Rachel Baker, founder of LBDO. ‘So I wanted to have a whole suite of products using only natural ingredients.’

To discover why and how sexual wellness is becoming a key pillar in people's wellbeing, delve into the trend of Pleasure Health within Synchronised Care.

LVMH’s research centre boosts sustainable luxury

France – Luxury group LVMH is set to open a dedicated research centre pioneering sustainable production practices for the luxury sector.

The facility, located just outside of Paris, will focus on the research and development of new materials, innovative bio-technologies and digital data to future proof luxury. Expected to open between 2024 and 2025, the research centre will be home to about 1,000 employees – including scientists, researchers and sustainability-focused startups. Its location will also be close to a number of renowned schools for engineering, science and agriculture.

Through this project, LVMH aims to the lead the way in reducing carbon footprints and introducing more eco-friendly practices across its brand family. According to the luxury group, the facility will be a ‘very dynamic research ecosystem bringing together the world’s best expertise while maintaining a close connection with education and research.’

By expanding its sustainability efforts across all areas of luxury production, the company is responding to the conscious mindset shifts we identify in Uneasy Affluence.

Mylo by Bolt Threads, US

Stat: UK curriculums lack literary diversity

Love Reading Love Life by Shanghai Book Fair, Asia

There is an ongoing lack of diversity in English Literature curriculums across UK schools, finds a study by Penguin Books UK and race equality think tank, The Runnymede Trust. The research, conducted as part of Penguin Books’ Lit in Colour initiative, finds that as little as 0.7% of candidates for GCSE English Literature in 2019 answered a question on a novel by an author of colour. Meanwhile, 82% of its youth survey respondents said they don’t recall ever studying a text written by a person of the global majority (PGM).

Considering the access barriers that continue to exist in this space, the research outlines that time, money, subject knowledge and teacher confidence all impact the lack of diversity in current teaching material. And with just 12% of secondary teachers and 13% of primary teachers having had training around how to talk about race, there is clear opportunity for improvement in this space.

As young people drive a movement towards decolonising education, there is an increasing need for more diverse reading opportunities.