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Woolmark shows the fashion industry’s crude oil problem

Wear Wool, Not Fossil Fuel by The Woolmark Co, Australia

Sydney, Australia – Cheap clothing and crude oil are more closely related than many consumers may realise. Now, merino wool company Woolmark is exposing the fashion industry’s reliance on unclean energy with the Wear Wool, Not Fossil Fuel campaign.

Based on data that claims that an Olympic pool’s size worth of crude oil is created every 25 minutes to make synthetic garments, the advertisement depicts three people attempting to escape a pool of black crude oil. ‘Did you know that about 70% of all clothes today are made from synthetics? That’s another word for oil. We’re literally wearing oil,’ say Sil van der Woerd and Jorik Dozy, directors of Studio Birthplace, one of the creative studios behind the film.

By choosing natural fabrics instead of clothing made from synthetics, consumers can reduce the fashion industry’s impact on the planet and promote sustainability in the sector.

Strategic opportunity

How can fashion companies reduce their reliance on synthetic materials by embracing upcycling and using deadstock fabrics?

The tennis ball basket receives a luxury redesign

Trophy by Frederik Gustav for Palmes, Denmark

Copenhagen – The humble tennis ball basket has been given an elevated redesign, courtesy of Copenhagen label Palmes and design duo Frederik Gustav. The stained oak design transforms the often-overlooked item from a simple tool to something almost architectural: ‘a sculpture infused by inherent function’, says Palmes.

The limited-edition design takes something that is usually taken for granted, although it is an essential piece of training equipment for tennis players practising shots hour after hour, and elevates it to a luxury item. It’s about acknowledging the hours that go into improving and the dedication it takes to win; hence, the basket’s name, Trophy.

As Palmes describes it, the piece is designed to be: ‘a poetic companion that is with us throughout the endless hours, hours and hours that we find ourselves grinding away, forehand to backhand and backhand to forehand, on the tennis court’.

As we explored in Sportive Affluents, brands are infusing familiar sporting pursuits with a luxury edge, helping to revive previously stuffy categories and attracting attention from a new generation of affluent consumers.

Strategic opportunity

Work with designers to re-invent ordinary pieces of sporting equipment and beyond, elevating them to a new luxury status and capturing the imagination of young sportive affluents

Playhouse gamifies interior design

US – While interior design games that let players experiment with décor are not new, Playhouse is a mobile game that enables players to collaborate with actual furniture brands to produce a shoppable experience.

The game allows players to decorate virtual spaces with real products from companies such as Arhaus, Article, 1stDibs, Chairish and One Kings Lane. What’s more, users can move, rotate and resize objects to gain a better idea of how they might look in real life, making the game a great way to encounter new products. Playhouse players can also submit their designs for review to score more points and allow them to purchase more items.

By creating a lifestyle game that taps into the Avant Abodes trend, Playhouse developer Robin Games is creating a discovery tool for consumers to experience new products.

Playhouse by Robin Games, US

Strategic opportunity

How can you tap into the rise of casual mobile gaming to create opportunities for product discovery and customer engagement?

Stat: Gen Z account for only a small percentage of creators

Social Tourist by Charli and Dixie D’Amelio for Hollister, US

Despite the widespread perception of the creator economy as a youth-focused industry, new research shows that Millennials still dominate the space, with the average creator aged 40, while Gen Z account for just 14% of creators. The study by Adobe, Creators in the Creative Economy, finds that 42% of creators are Millennials, with a slight majority of these (52%) male. The study does not include creators under the age of 16, precluding a sizeable number of pre-teen creators online.

The report defines a creator as someone who makes creative work to share online at least once a month in the hope of increasing their social media presence. This differentiates creators from influencers, who are defined as having more than 5,000 followers and are able to make money from their content. Influencers account for only 14% of creators.

While an endless stream of TikTok trends give the impression that younger users are the driving force in this field, it’s Millennials that form the backbone of the Creator Economy, having been the first generation to monetise social media content and adopt the creator lifestyle.

Strategic opportunity

While younger users are an important group in the creator economy, don’t forget that Millennials still make up the majority of creators and influencers