29 : 05 : 20 : Weekly Debrief

1. On Running’s performance fashion for holistic living

Zurich – On Running has released a fashion-forward trainer to fit our inter-Covid way of living.

The brand’s first ‘fashion’ trainer, Cloudnova, has been released at a time when the global crisis is accelerating the trends it taps into. In fact, the brand has even pushed forward the release date of the shoe to suit the current landscape and merging of fashion, performance and outdoor living.

‘Performance used to borrow from fashion. Now it’s been the other way around, and we see that in how outdoor gear has been adopted by fashion brands and how almost every brand now has sneakers, because it’s driven by a generation who is blurring the boundaries between work, home, sports, and play,’ explains co-founder David Allemann.

Many affluent consumers are increasingly viewing nature as a form of luxury. Particularly as the lifestyle sector continues to be impacted by Covid-19, consumers will be looking for garments that help them enjoy the Elevated Outdoors.

3. Moxie teaches emotional intelligence to Gen Alpha

California – The robot is designed to promote social, emotional and cognitive development among children.

Designed by Fuseproject for the start-up Embodied, Moxie was originally imagined for children on the autism spectrum, but now is targeted at all young children. Through a subscription model, Moxie teaches its Gen Alpha users new educational content each week, learning more about the child over time in order to personalise its content.

With learning themes ranging from empathy and respect, to eye contact and problem-solving, the child’s development progress is available for parents to monitor via an app and dashboard. ‘Moxie is a game-changing technology that has the potential to transform the way that children build social, emotional and cognitive skills,’ says Wendell Brooks, president of Intel Capital, one of Embodied’s investors.

As well as tapping into the rise of Edu-play-tion, Moxie hints at how, in a post-Covid world, new forms of Neo Kinship may be established to fill the social gaps created by a lack of human interaction.

5. Mediamatic’s isolation-friendly dinner dates

Amsterdam – Mediamatic has launched an isolation-friendly dining experience on the waterfront near Amsterdam central station.

Designed to abide by social distancing measures, the concept brings together locally-sourced food and crafted Amsterdam brew. Allowing couples to experience a romantic dining experience in a private and protective cabin, the ‘Serres Séparées’ enables both a safe social setting and an intimate opportunity for connection.

As many hospitality spaces plan for their future of service during and after Covid-19, new initiatives are emerging to enable private socialising in outdoor and public settings.

In order to future-proof guest experiences, restaurateurs and hoteliers are being challenged to redesign communal spaces for optimum health and safety. For more, read our opinion piece on the future of hotel design.

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.