16 : 11 : 18 : Weekly Debrief

1. Heist is disrupting the shapewear market

UK – Heist, a brand known for its inclusive range of hosiery, is using a performance fabric to advance the shapewear sector.

The Outer Body is a shaping bodysuit that removes the struggle, sweat and squeeze that many women experience when wearing traditional shapewear. In a bid to enhance both comfort and shape, the product takes cues from the body’s natural support system of connective tissue, known as the fascia. The resulting product is made with a laser-perforated fabric never before used in underwear, which is breathable and lightweight, only applying pressure to the areas where the body needs it.

The product was developed by Heist’s vice president of innovation Fiona Fairhurst, a performance-wear innovator who is renowned for designing the Olympic-medal winning Speedo Fastskin swimsuits. ‘We wanted to give women freedom by giving them something better – bodywear that’s designed to move with the body, not against it,’ Fairhurst explains.

By creating underwear focused on efficacy and comfort over the male gaze, Heist is also championing the concept of Bare-it-all Branding.

3. Natoora is a high-end grocery store offering seasonal produce

London – The company that supplies London’s leading chefs with fresh produce has opened its first direct-to-consumer grocery store.

Natoora breaks free from the traditional design codes of supermarkets, using grey cement to create a sleek environment inspired by geology. Instead of organising its fruit and vegetables into categories, the produce is arranged according to its seasonal window – meaning shoppers are first greeted by early season produce, culminating in the discovery of a fermentation room at the back of the shop.

A refrigeration system means that the shop is constantly chilled to preserve the produce. The space also eschews plastic packaging, tapping into the growing movement towards zero-waste retail. While Natoora has long supplied high-end restaurants with ingredients, it is now determined to educate the general public about the importance of seasonality and transparency in food.

Look out for our new Food and Drink macrotrend Uprooted Diets, in which we explore the rise of local-first grocers such as Natoora.

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5. Hims launches a line for her

US – Men’s pharmaceutical brand Hims is applying its direct-to-consumer model to the women’s health market, addressing concerns around skin, hair and sex.

Rather than focusing on beautifying, Hers is a female wellbeing brand and e-commerce store for medical products that – as with Hims – support specific types of personal care. It will soon offer products such as acne cream, a treatment for melasma, a formula for women experiencing hair loss, and Addyi, the only FDA-approved medication for hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Hers customers can also order birth control following a consultation with doctors.

Similarly to Hims, which offers a fresh perspective on issues such as male baldness and erectile dysfunction, Hers focuses on affordable, medical-grade products that cater to a range of life-stages, from teens to women going through the menopause. Female consumers are increasingly looking to brands to guide them through the biological inconveniences that come with being a woman.

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