Global – Fashion designer Simon Porte Jacquemus has partnered with director Gordon von Steiner on a new tongue-in-cheek short film entitled ‘La Bomba’, which launches Jacquemus’ spring 2018 collection. Set in a Spanish villa in Tenerife, the playful film features models, dancers and an acrobat kitted out in oversized sun hats and miniature handbags as they perform salsa moves and balancing tricks.
With its focus on evoking an atmosphere of frivolity rather than the collection perse, La Bomba injects new life into the tired tropes of luxury fashion, creating a campaign that appeals to the younger consumer in not taking itself too seriously. For more on the major shifts occurring within luxury see our sector focus.
London – Published by art journalist Eddy Frankel and gallery director Justin Hammond, OFF is a new biannual print magazine that looks at the intersection between art and sport. Exploring football-related art, from 16th-century Dutch painting to contemporary video installations, the first issue includes a feature examining contemporary artist Chris Ofili’s obsession with footballer Mario Balotelli.
Echoing the need for a multifaceted approach to sports media, as exemplified by Caricom magazine, OOF adds a new voice to the conversation that diverges from mainstream football journalism. ‘Every day, football does with ease what art constantly tries to do: it makes people feel,’ says co-founder Frankel. ‘And because it plays such an important part in the everyday lives of so many people in the world, it has been a recurring topic in fine art for centuries.’
Alaska – Located in the middle of Denali National Park, 10 miles from the summit of Denali – the tallest mountain in North America – Sheldon Chalet offers luxury consumers an experience previously reserved for mountaineers. During their stay at the 10-room chalet, guests can choose to explore the Ruth Glacier, experience the aurora borealis and venture to the original Don Sheldon mountain house, built in 1966 as a retreat for mountain-climbers.
Guests are flown in by helicopter and are treated to a champagne reception upon arrival. The family-run business is working to make the accommodation completely carbon-neutral, with solar panels and a run-off powered water supply as well as a special Finnish fireplace that doubles as a high-efficiency, clean-combustion heating system, all contributing to this aspiration.
Recently, Norwegian architecture studio Snøhetta unveiled plans for its Svart Hotel, which similarly concentrates on offering a sustainable hospitality experience in the Arctic Circle. There is a growing conscientiousness among brands of the need to create travel experiences that have a minimal impact on the local environment.
Barcelona – Through machine learning, cloud computing and sensor technology, the Livin Shower creates a bespoke shower experience. The fixture, which can be easily added to bathrooms using household tools, offers 10 custom profiles, allowing individuals to save their preferred temperature and favourite music.
Livin uses a temperature-control algorithm to reach the specified temperature in minimal time, auto-pausing the water stream once the temperature reaches the target temperature until the user walks in to save water.
The system’s one-click button lets users pause and resume their shower while retaining the water at the optimum temperature, while an accompanying app monitors temperature and water usage to inspire greater vigilance. As we have already seen in Connected Kitchens, the Internet of Things is entering new spaces in the home, now extending into the bathroom.
London – Presented in collaboration with the London College of Fashion’s Innovation Agency (FIA) and ILMxLAB, designer Steven Tai’s autumn/winter 2018 presentation blurred the physical and digital through the use of a digital avatar. Set to a backdrop of an AR-enhanced street in China, the digital model, present with real models, switched between pieces in real-time.
‘Immersive technologies are leading us to a new narrative for the fashion industry,’ says Matthew Drinkwater, head of FIA in a statement. ‘Imagine a world where you can augment everything from the clothes that you’re wearing to the environment that surrounds you, in real time’.
It highlighted another move from a fashion brand looking to avatars as a means of enhancing their offering. For more on the opportunities avatars are opening up, from acting as brand ambassadors to helping fashion brands optimise their sizing process, see our Avatar Influence microtrend.
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