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LS:N Global’s latest report Future Five 2025 explores the topics of tomorrow

Future Five 2025 by The Future Laboratory

Global – The Future Laboratory’s trends intelligence and foresight platform LS:N Global has launched its latest report, Future Five 2025, a trend briefing designed to help you navigate the key insights, opinions and future opportunities crucial for your strategic planning in the year ahead and beyond.

Future Five builds on LS:N Global’s Topics section, which includes insight, foresight, trend forecasting and strategic analysis across the key areas where we believe brands and companies should be focusing their attention. 

The topics we think are most important for businesses to be fluent in for the year ahead are:

: Artificial Intelligence: As humanity embraces an inevitable partnership with AI, we focus on the need to create a protopian future in which technology empowers rather than enslaves us

: Future Spaces: We explore how wellbeing, sustainability and technology will all be key in creating adaptable, people-centric and future-proof spaces that allow communities to thrive

: Gaming: As the gaming community extends beyond the stereotypical image of the white male gamer, we consider the industry’s diversity challenges and highlight opportunities for engaging Gens Z and Alpha

: Longevity: With global spending on wellness spiralling upwards, we spotlight the need to eradicate the historic gender health gap while addressing trends such as GLP-1 weight loss drugs and consumer demand for elevated wellbeing experiences

: Sustainability: We emphasise the need for brands to up the ante in their climate activism, creating tangible positive change in the fashion and luxury industries rather than merely minimising harm

Get the report

LS:N Global members can download the full report here.

By Rotation opens new rental pop-up store for fifth anniversary

By Rotation Mayfair pop-up, UK

UK – Peer-to-peer rental platform By Rotation is marking its fifth anniversary with an immersive, five-storey pop-up experience in Mayfair, London. Made possible through Westminster City Council’s initiative, Meanwhile On, and rent-free support from the building’s landlord, the pop-up offers a curated selection of luxury items for rent, including high-end designer pieces, exclusive menswear from Savile Row and items from celebrity wardrobes. Shoppers can also purchase selected items, adding a new layer to By Rotation’s offerings.

In addition to the rental collections, the pop-up hosts By Rotation’s headquarters and features spaces for content creation and podcast recording, underlining the brand’s desire to connect its digital community in real life.

‘The pop-up allows us to bring our community together in a tangible way,’ says founder Eshita Kabra-Davies, highlighting the brand’s commitment to fostering connection and encouraging engagement with its customers.

In our Resale Redux report, we explored the booming resale market and how consumer demand is driving the fashion industry’s piqued interest in a circular economy.

Strategic opportunity

Think of ways to integrate a circular or more sustainable product lifecycle into your business model. This could be through buy-back or trade-in programmes or repair and upcycling services for end-of-life items

New Roitfeld magazine blends fashion and sport

France – Carine Roitfeld, editor-in-chief of CR Fashion Book, and her son CR Fashion Book CEO Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, are set to publish a new magazine dedicated to the dynamic relationship between sports and fashion.

Launching in spring 2025, this yet-to-be-named biannual publication and digital platform will explore the intersection of athleticism and style, with NBA legend Dwyane Wade as its inaugural guest editor.

The publication promises exclusive interviews, essays and trend reports that celebrate the synergy between high fashion and sports culture. Readers can expect style advice from industry experts, spotlights on fashion-forward athletes and features that examine how sports are reshaping contemporary fashion. Beyond print, the platform will offer e-commerce opportunities, exclusive brand collaborations and limited-edition merchandise created by athletes and designers.

‘Fashion and sport are two powerful forms of expression that inspire millions,’ Carine Roitfeld told WWD. The new publication aims to create a space that celebrates this fusion and showcases the unique stories that emerge when these worlds collide, a topic we explore further in Game-Changers: The Future of Sports Fandom.

WB Adios Neftenga by adidas Originals and Wales Bonner

Strategic opportunity

Use cross-industry collaborations to expand into untapped audience segments; blending fashion with sports creates unique consumer experiences and fosters brand loyalty through cultural relevance and shared passions

Stat: The influencer industry could double in value by 2027

Photography by Ron Lach, Global

Global – According to Forbes’s most recent research on the top creators in 2024, the influencer industry is booming. Now valued at some £192.5bn ($250bn, €231.7bn) by the magazine, the industry’s value is projected to rise sharply to £385bn ($500bn, €463.4bn) by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs. This growth exceeds that of the music industry’s revenue in 2023, which rose from £22bn ($28.6bn, €26bn) in 2022 to £26.5bn ($35.1bn, €32bn), and the video games industry’s forecast of £144.7bn ($188bn, €174.2bn) in 2022.

With some 50m participants in the eco-system, the US boasts 12m full-time influencers, making up 7% of the workforce, according to The Wall Street Journal. When including hobbyists and part-time influencers, that number swells to 27m paid content creators.

Top influencers are reaping substantial rewards, with YouTubers like MrBeast earning about £65.4m ($85m, €78.8m) and Dhar Mann £34.6m ($45m, €41.7m) in the past year. The Paul brothers, Logan and Jake, collectively earned an astounding £18bn ($23.4bn, €21.7bn).

For more insights on what’s new and next for the creator economy, head to our analysis of Web Summit Lisbon 2023: The Future of the Creator Economy, Podcasts and Gaming.

Strategic opportunity

Creators are here to stay; consider how to co-create products or limited-edition collaborations with them to tap into their loyal fan base. This approach not only boosts sales but also allows brands to develop culturally relevant products with greater customer affinity