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category - female futures
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Need To Know
category - design
category - mobility
sector - health & wellness

This week: Gucci petwear, Tinder’s Pride memes, confronting men’s health concerns, bolstering emergency contraception and mixers with a Vitamin D punch.

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8 July 2022

Author: The Future Laboratory

Image: Punchy, UK

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The Gucci Pet Collection, Italy

1. Gucci takes designer petwear to new extremes

Italy – Catering for the explosive growth of pet ownership across the globe, Gucci has unveiled a collection of pet-related products and accessories, elevating designer pets to new heights.

The collection includes accessories for both cats and dogs, including beds, feeding bowls, pet clothing, leashes and more. There are also made-to-order offerings, including miniature couches that can be tailored to the dimensions of a client’s pets. All the items will be made with Gucci’s Demetra fabric and recycled cotton, in line with the brand’s commitment to using eco-friendly raw materials.

With prices reaching £8,050 ($9,700, €9,400) for a customised dog bed, this collection demonstrates that there is demand for upscale pet products. This, along with the rise of Pet Hospitality, indicates the rise of pets as new status symbols in affluent lifestyles.

Meme-ingful Connections by Tinder, US

2. Tinder taps LGBT+ artists to reimagine Pride memes

London – Tinder has partnered with LGBT+ artists to recreate a series of memes into GIFs that singles can use to spark new connections throughout Pride month and beyond. With 84% of people in the queer community saying humour is key when making the first move, according to OnePoll, and GIFs acting as a linchpin of chat conversations on the platform, the memes tap into queer love in a playful way.

The dating platform collaborated with five artists, Dom&Ink, Ashton Attzs, Andrew Ahern, Artist Named Nobody and Kxmolo, to create the work, while the memes were selected by Tinder’s meme panel, which included influential members of the LGBT+ community. This ensured the GIFs authentically represented the hyper-specific references used by the community, helping to boost user engagement by making them feel timely, relevant, and most of all – funny. Tinder also pledged to make a donation to Raze, an NGO focused on creating cultural opportunities for LGBT+ artists and creators.

The launch taps into changing attitudes towards online dating, including a shift towards community-oriented platforms identified in Gen Z Are Ready to Reboot Dating.

Campaign for Mosh by Sunday Gravy and Matt Devine, Australia

3. Mosh encourages men to confront health concerns

Australia – Men’s health platform Mosh is calling on Australian men to stop ignoring their health issues through a playful campaign by creative agency Sunday Gravy. Focusing on a man named Derek, the campaign film adopts a surreal approach to highlight the health problems many men face.

From seeing overweight versions of himself eating at a table to confronting a room full of balding Derek clones, the aim of the advert is to draw attention to the fact that too many men sweep their problems under the rug. In this way, Mosh communicates the idea that its services are available to help men confront their health concerns – from sexual wellbeing to mental health – in an easy and accessible way. Josh Dorevitch, brand and communications lead at Mosh, says: ‘Knowing that most blokes can be guilty of sweeping their health under the rug, we wanted to highlight this behaviour in a memorable way that gets men to take action.’

Here, Mosh demonstrates the need for Modern Male Medicare brands to continue destigmatising men’s health problems.

4. Stix bolsters access to emergency contraception

US – Amid fresh anger about abortion laws in America, healthcare start-up Stix has introduced an emergency contraception pill for £31 ($38, €36). The pill, called Restart, is also being offered to women in need as part of a fund by Stix. To access the pill for free, women can either reach out directly to the brand or go through one of its non-profit partners, which currently include Jane’s Due Process in Texas and the Utah Abortion Fund.

Along with the pill and access fund, Stix is also rolling out a series of billboards near crisis pregnancy centres in America. Through this multi-faceted approach, the company aims to raise both national and global awareness of issues surrounding women’s abortion rights. While it recognises that emergency contraception isn’t a solution for anti-abortion laws, the pill and accompanying campaign aim to empower health decisions on an individual basis.

In this way, Stix is establishing itself as an essential life-stage brand that is taking measures to protect women's futures.

Restart by Stix, US
Punchy, UK

5. These mixers pack a Vitamin D punch

UK – Non-alcoholic canned beverage brand Punchy is disrupting the mixer category with a line of drinks that contain 50% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin D. Featuring vegan, natural and low-sugar ingredients, Punchy offers a health-conscious alternative to conventional mixers.

With playful packaging and innovative flavour combinations – including cucumber, yuzu and rosemary – the drinks reflect a growing desire to prioritise wellness without sacrificing convenience or taste. 'Vitamin D keeps your immune system rolling with the punches – but for half the year during winter we don’t get enough from sunlight,’ explains Paddy Cavanagh-Butler, founder of Punchy. ‘That’s why we’ve charged every can of Punchy with 200 IU vitamin D (50% RI) – just enough to give a balanced diet an extra boost.’

With this product, the brand is looking to achieve a healthy balance between functional benefits and desirable drinks. Punchy also supports the evolution of the Food-as-medicine Movement.

 

To future-proof your world, visit The Future Laboratory's forecasting platform LS:N Global for daily news, opinions, trends, sector specific insights, and strategic toolkits.
 

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