LSN : News : 15 : 07 : 24

Arc’teryx partners with Indigenous artists on Walk Gently platform and collection

Canada – High-performance outerwear brand Arc’teryx has launched Walk Gently, a design platform and clothing line amplifying Indigenous voices, created in collaboration with xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) artist Cole Sparrow-Crawford.

Arc’teryx was founded on the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people, known today as Vancouver. An invitation to join Arc’teryx on its journey to consider more deeply what it means to be on Indigenous lands, Walk Gently is part of the company's ongoing commitments to amplify Indigenous voices.

The seven-piece collection of gender-neutral apparel, footwear and packs infuses Arc’teryx’s technical designs with the weaving and ancestral design patterns from the Coast Salish community. The collection is available in selected global stores, with profits donated to organisations such as Indigenous Women Outdoors.

The Walk Gently platform and clothing collection aligns with our recent Rebranding Nature design direction, in which we analysed how softer aesthetics and messaging that promote a positive future are being used to encourage Gen Z outdoors and engage them in conservation and climate activism.

Strategic opportunity

Brands that help elevate marginalised narratives are the ones which will gain the most cultural traction – take inspiration from Arc’teryx and raise the profile of Indigenous culture without appropriation or entitlement

Campaign calls for outdoor sports enthusiasts to prioritise sun safety

Silhouettes by Melanoma Fund. Creative by Neverland, UK

UK – Neverland and the Melanoma Fund have introduced the Silhouettes campaign, shedding light on the critical need for sun protection during outdoor sports.

Despite melanoma being almost 100% curable at stage 1, it remains one of the deadliest cancers, causing over 2,300 deaths annually in the UK. The campaign features striking imagery of unprotected moles transformed into melanomas shaped like footballers, swimmers and cyclists. These visuals are strategically placed on parts of the body where melanomas commonly occur, raising awareness about the importance of skin protection during outdoor activities.

‘With a summer of sport ahead, more people will be inspired to go outdoors,’ commented Andy Clough, joint executive creative director at Neverland, in a press release. ‘Getting them to simply check and protect their skin could potentially save them from skin cancer.’

The Silhouettes campaign exemplifies how companies can leverage the power of design and strategic outdoor placements for effective public health advocacy.

Strategic opportunity

Organisations seeking to engage the public and foster social responsibility can take cues from the Silhouettes campaign, and bake into their communications strategies good design and relatability

Sable Yong’s debut book inspires a signature scent

US – Writer Sable Yong’s latest work combines the literary and olfactory worlds; Die Hot With a Vengeance is a collection of essays on vanity paired with a signature fragrance.

Published on 9 July 2024, the essays delve into break-up transformations, the allure of plastic surgery mishaps and other beauty themes. To complement the book, the writer worked with Joey Roisin from Hoax Parfum to create Die Hot With a Vengeance eau de parfum.

Limited to 250 bottles and containing notes of vanilla, amber, plum and patchouli, the ‘perfect scent for stylish villains undone by their own glamour’ smells like red wine spilled in a Birkin bag, smeared lipstick on suede, the lingering aroma of an apology bouquet, neon signs and stale cigarette ache.

The fragrance transforms the act of reading Yong’s work into an immersive sensory experience. In our Scents and Scent-ability viewpoint with Firmenich, we explored how fragrance houses are investigating how artificially induced synaesthesia can be used to enhance the use and perception of scent.

Die Hot With A Vengeance eau de parfum by Sable Yong, US

Strategic opportunity

The fragrance market is saturated. Cut through the noise by creating scents that elevate cultural experiences such as reading or that have functional benefits such as improving sleep

Stat: Usage of GLP-1 weight loss medications among young women increases

Photography by Polina Tankilevitch, Russia

US – A shift in obesity treatments, particularly among teenagers, is taking place, with medications such as Wegovy, Zepbound, Ozempic and Mounjaro increasingly used to manage weight and associated conditions.

Data from the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates a dramatic rise in prescriptions for GLP-1 treatments among young people, from 8,722 in 2020 to more than 60,000 in 2023 – an increase of nearly 600%.

Of these prescriptions, more than 60% are going to women, with physiological and social factors at play in this gender disparity. Female patients who take medication for polycystic ovary syndrome benefit from weight-loss treatment due to the hormonal and insulin-related aspects of their conditions. Young women often face societal pressures regarding body image more acutely than boys, contributing to the higher prescription rates among females.

There is growing medical acceptance of GLP-1 drug use in young people in order to address obesity and related conditions early in life. We explore how these weekly injections are re-shaping more than waistlines in our Neozempic Futures analysis.

Strategic opportunity

As GLP-1 drugs become more medically acceptable for young people, what will be the knock-on social effect, specifically for young women? On the one hand, consider the impact on pressure around body image, but also the growing awareness of preventative health measures among younger people.