Palace and Wedgwood create eccentric skateboards and tea sets
UK – Iconic British skatewear brand Palace has partnered with heritage china and porcelain producer Wedgwood to create a whimsical collection launched in October 2023. The offbeat Palace Wedgwood line comprises skateboard designs and an elegant tea set.
This unorthodox partnership features a marriage of skate culture and classic English china. The collection includes a teapot, cup, saucer and plate adorned with a playful strawberry graphic pattern inspired by Wedgwood’s iconic wild strawberry and vine design. An exclusive set of skateboards will feature on the skate brand’s signature strawberry print and Wedgwood’s distinctive blue hue.
Photographed by Alasdair McLellan, the campaign takes inspiration from the renowned BBC tv series Antiques Roadshow, featuring Palace skateboarders alongside ceramics expert Lars Tharp. The collection is available in Palace stores, online and exclusively at Wedgwood, Harrods, from 20 October 2023.
Wedgwood, known for its luxury homeware collections, embraces Palace’s unconventional approach as it strives to re-invent itself as a hub for artistic expression and innovation. In Topline Tableware, we previously highlighted how younger generations are dusting off tabletop heirlooms, from crystals to silver cutlery, and driving a revival of traditional arts de la table – with a modern twist.
Strategic opportunity
Re-interpret your brand’s heritage or traditions to resonate with younger generations, who are keen to blend classic and contemporary elements. How could you explore partnerships with seemingly unrelated brands or industries to create fresh and exciting products?
Bleu Nour adopts a multi-sensory approach to fragrance
France – A new fragrance design studio, Bleu Nour, is revolutionising the perfume industry by turning colours into scents. Born and raised in Paris with a deep connection to Middle Eastern and North African culture, founder Nour Ibrahim has the rare condition of synaesthesia, which means she experiences an olfactory response when seeing colours.
Understanding the potential of multi-sensory experiences, Bleu Nour is inspired by synaesthesia and aims to build a common fragrance vocabulary using a visual approach. This innovative technique began with The Synesthetic Lab, a project developed during Nour’s time studying at Central Saint Martins. The project tackled the sensory challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly anosmia, or loss of smell, by creating a kit that connects odours with colours, thereby enhancing scent memory.
Bleu Nour aims to democratise the fragrance world by enabling everyone to experience scent in unique ways, a subject we explored in our Synaesthesia Scents microtrend report. Bleu Nour has already introduced captivating genderless fragrances Grounded and Neon Violette, and offers candles like Cendre et Or to elevate your space in a bid to make scent a multi-sensory experience accessible to all.
Strategic opportunity
Consider developing synaesthetic products that appeal to multiple senses simultaneously, creating unique, memorable customer experiences
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour film aims for record-breaking box office debut
US – Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie is set to make history as the top-grossing concert film in American box office history. AMC Theaters announced an estimated opening weekend revenue of £78.2m ($95m, €89.7m) to £79.9m ($97m, €91.6m). Advanced ticket sales alone ranked the film among the highest-grossing concert films ever, surpassing Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never. In terms of domestic revenue, the Eras Tour film is the highest-grossing concert movie, outperforming Bieber’s record. Michael Jackson’s This Is It comes second domestically, while the international release retains the all-time top spot.
The film has received critical acclaim, with Rolling Stone calling it unlike anything previously seen on screen. An opening weekend revenue of £79.9m ($97m, €91.6m) would place it among the year’s top 10 openings. Swift challenged industry norms by self-distributing the film, selling tickets for £16.38 ($19.89, €18.80), and £10.81 ($13.13, €12.41) for children (referring to Swift’s fifth studio album title and her lucky number). Owing to the high demand worldwide, the movie was released a day early.
We analysed how consumers are revenge spending on concerts and concert-adjacent experiences in The Great Concert Comeback.
Strategic opportunity
Consider how immersive experiences that go beyond the music, combining light, sound, visuals and tech, such as a Taylor Swift or Beyoncé’s concerts, can be repurposed into cinematic productions that extend the experience and drive new revenue streams
Stat: Low confidence and periods stop girls from enjoying PE
UK – The 2023 edition of the Youth Sport Trust Girls Active survey suggests the gap between the proportion of boys and girls who enjoy physical education (PE) is widening. Results show that, of the almost 25,000 children surveyed in England, only 64% of 7–18-year-old girls said they liked PE compared to 86% of boys the same age. The figure in a 2016 survey, which also included responses from Northern Ireland and Wales, was 74%.
Nearly two-thirds of all girls (64%), however, said they want to be more active in school, but barriers such as low confidence and periods stop them from taking part.
‘It’s not surprising, but it is disappointing to see that so many girls still lack confidence to really enjoy PE and physical activity at school. I can really empathise with their worries about being watched and judged by others,’ said Olympic pole vault bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw, who worked with the Youth Sport Trust on the Girls Active programme.
The survey follows the government promise of more than £600m ($728.4m, €688.2m) in funding to improve equal access to sports in schools, following an open letter from the England women’s national football team.
In Care Collectives, we previously analysed how exercise clubs and classes are turning care into the next pillar of wellbeing to answer women’s demands for judgement-free and safe spaces where they can be more active.
Strategic opportunity
Fitness and wellness brands should consider how to develop alternative physical education programmes that are tailored to girls’ interests and needs – building brand loyalty and addressing barriers such as low confidence simultaneously