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MDW: Diesel dives into interiors with branded Miami residences

Tripping by Diesel Living, Italy

Italy – During the pandemic, the home became an extended comfort zone for many people, with the objects within it becoming sources of joy and wellbeing. In recognition of how this will shape the future home, Italian brand Diesel has unveiled a new venture, Diesel Living, at Salone Del Mobile Milano 2022.

This new business arm sees the brand partner with real estate group Bel-Invest and Italian furniture, lighting, kitchen and bathroom designers to create branded Diesel residences – the first of which is being developed in Miami, a location known for luxury real estate.

Diesel will join a selection of brands migrating outside their primary sectors in an effort to infiltrate other aspects of our lives, including home and living. It hopes the project will remind people to ‘make the most out of being inside, a place where everything that surrounds you offers up hypnotic surfaces for your inner voyage’, suggesting the importance of living spaces for positive mental health and self-reflection. To read more on branded residencies, discover our Brandlords microtrend.

Strategic opportunity

Consider how you can seamlessly integrate your brand into consumers’ everyday lives and abodes through design credentials such as patterns and colours or identifiable brand traits

A youth festival for post-Covid connections

Tour de Moon, UK

UK – Tour de Moon is a festival aimed at 18–25-year-olds, providing spaces of expression and exchange for one of the age groups hardest hit by the pandemic.

The event, which will take place this summer in regional cities across the UK, is themed around the lunar cycle. It will take over abandoned spaces to inspire young people to consider life beyond Earth, while also making connections and conversations with strangers. Kicking off in Leicester, the festival will travel to 10 places over two months, offering talks, cinema, sports and music all linked to a cosmic theme.

Creating a space for British youth – especially those outside the capital city of London – the festival demonstrates how nightlife can be a space for radical healing. ‘One of our main aims of the festival is to distribute essential funding and provide a high-profile platform to a sector and demographic which have been hit especially hard by the impacts of Covid and funding cuts over the last few years,’ explains Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun, founder of Tour de Moon.

Strategic opportunity

When focusing on youth events and activations, companies should look farther afield than capital cities and organise happenings for people in rural or coastal areas

MDW: Mario Cucinella examines alt materials for city construction

Italy – Designing with nature in mind is a standout topic at this year’s Salone Del Mobile Milano 2022, with architects Mario Cucinella exploring the theme in depth with a virtuous eco-system installation dubbed Design with Nature.

Taking the form of an educational and guided walkway, the exhibition shared the sombre history of urbanisation, using towering sculptures and dramatic lighting to convey the severity of construction processes and urban waste. While the intention was to remind visitors of the consequences of urbanisation on the natural eco-system, it also set out a new framework for building processes and methods that both respect – and are inspired by – nature.

The architect proposed alternative materials that could replace traditional building materials, such as fish-scale Scalite for panelling, upcycled yarns from Sinterama for construction and plastic waste textile Reviva for interior design.

The exhibition shows the possibility of creating a more sustainable and resilient urban environment by using ecological wisdom from fauna and flora, something we will explore further in our Interspecies Architecture article, coming soon.

Design with Nature by Mario Cucinella, Milan

Strategic opportunity

Those in construction must think about the negative impact of traditional building processes and materials. Consider how recycled materials can become a new frontier for both interior and exterior design

Stat: Shoppers are sceptical about the metaverse

Adidas, US

Companies investing in metaverse marketplaces should be aware that consumers aren’t likely to abandon physical shopping just yet. According to research by Productsup, 60% of consumers have no interest in virtual shopping whatsoever.

The report, which surveyed more than 5,000 consumers aged 16 and above in the US and Europe, suggests that adopting a hybrid strategy might be the key to boosting digital sales. Across generations, for example, one of the most common desires that emerged was for the metaverse to be used as a vehicle for information and communication, particularly in relation to sustainability and environmental issues. When it came to information delivery, members of Generation Z were more likely to opt for data provided online (40%) or via QR codes (37%), whereas those aged 55 and older prefer data presented on the product itself.

Despite the hype surrounding the metaverse, the research reveals that hybrid experiences and product transparency are still important to consumers when it comes to virtual shopping. To learn how to strike the right balance between the physical and digital, readers can consult the Hyperphysical Stores report.

Strategic opportunity

Based on the research above, how might your company create a digital retail experience that consumers actually want to experience? Consider the benefits, for example, of a virtual sustainability workshop