RADAR Magazine | #7

INSPIRATION - INSIGHT - IDEAS

Design trends curated by the ever-curious at ECHO Brand Design

the new lu xury

WINTER 2016 #7

Creative Director Andrew Capper andy@echobranddesign.co.uk Marketing Director Nellie Veltman nellie@echobranddesign.co.uk Contributors Andrew Capper Niall McRiner Danielle Verbeeten Clem Cart wright Jessica Skinner Heather Park Follow us @echobranddesign instagram/echobranddesign www.echobranddesign.com

welco meto radar Design trends magazine curated by the ever-curious at ECHO Brand Design.

the new luxury WINTER 2016 #7 An exploration of how brands are revolutionising the luxur y landscape.

t h e ne w lu xu ry

contents This issue of Radar, Echo’s Design Trends Magazine, focuses on The New Luxury, which is impacting many aspects of the branding world. But what does this mean for brand owners, marketers and consumers? How is it manifesting across different categories and at each brand touch point? Inside we explore three micro-trends and what they mean for your brand...

pg 5

accessible Today’s luxury isn’t about exclusivity or status; the boom of online shopping and next-day delivery is making luxury more convenient and accessible than ever before.

We are all now looking for more emotional behaviour, products and services that focus on the power of individuality and choice.

pg 6

Speed and Convenience

pg 8

Limited Editions of the Everyday

pg 9

Expect the Unexpected

pg 10

What this means for your brand

pg 11

experiential

www.theguardian.com

As luxury brands move from expense for the sake of expense, many are starting to respond to millennial desires for richer experiences and brand interactions. We are seeing luxury brands lead the way in creating new sensorial experiences, retail environments and digital platforms. www.lovelypackage.com

pg 12

Brand Ambassadors

pg 14

Sensorial Sensations

pg 15

Seamless Experiences

pg 16

What this means for your brand

pg 17

responsible Consumer awareness of and concern for social, ethical and environmental issues are changing the way that we buy. Brands need to communicate their core values whether they are social, political or environmental to create lasting and meaningful experiences with their consumers.

pg 18

Honest Ethics

pg 19

Smart and Sophisticated

pg 21

Upcycling Utopia

pg 22

What this means for your brand

www.fadmagazine.com

3

4

“Today’s notion of luxury is less tangible than ever, and all the more exciting as a result.”

The luxury brand landscape has always been at the cutting edge, with visual codes and cues adopted by mass brands and high-street stores alike to give us all a taste of the elite. However, the traditional luxury landscape is changing with fascinating repercussions for brands.

Our shifting sense of luxury is becoming increasingly complex as we move away from a world of grandeur to a new spectrum of luxury. This new luxury champions our changing personal values and our originality. It is about more than overt displays of wealth and offers new types of indulgence. We desire products that encourage the savouring of precious time; coffees that can take 48 hours to brew, cocktails crafted and slowly infused. Equally, products and services that offer the luxury of saving us time; quality home deliveries and innovative taxi services.

We want richer experiences through brand interactions.

www.wellcomecollection.org

Luxury definition luxury noun: luxury 1. A state of great comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense 2. An inessential, desirable item which is expensive or difficult to obtain 3. A pleasure obtained only rarely

The new luxury landscape is led by our own personal interpretations of what luxury means for us as individuals. This sees luxury champion new expressions, from altruism and social responsibility to playfulness and irreverence. We are seeing mass brands and luxury co-exist in ways they never would have before.

As a result, the luxury brand landscape is developing a new look and feel, with new visual codes and new rules to play by. Today’s notion of luxury is less tangible than ever, and all the more exciting as a result.

Hello Fresh Hello Fresh transformed the dining-in market with seamless tailor-made experiences encouraging consumers to spend more time cooking and less time shopping.

www.theguardian.com

01

accessible

t he n e w a cce s s ib l e l u x u ry Today’s luxury isn’t about exclusivity or status; the boom of online shopping and next-day delivery is making luxury more convenient and accessible than ever before.

We are all now looking for more emotional behaviour, products and services that focus on the power of individuality and choice.

Consumers want to feel good about their purchases beyond the functionality of the item itself. Our reliance on smart products and the multifarious conveniences that they present have led us to not just yearn for ease and accessibility, but to expect it.

This poses the question, has the ultimate luxury in retail become expediency? From little everyday luxuries to the ultra high end, brands need to take cues from outside of their product range to communicate with their consumer in new and exciting ways.

speed and convenience

“has the ultimate luxury in retail become expediency?”

The luxury of time is becoming increasingly valued. For multi-tasking, time-poor consumers, increased online accessibility of everyday necessities is a luxury. The future is becoming more direct, convenient and delightful. We have seen a rising trend in subscription services across all categories from groceries (Hello Fresh) to grooming (Dollar Shave Club; Worker’s Soap) with their alluring offer of trialing new products each month.

For brands, adopting a direct-to-consumer business model is a great opportunity to elevate their product range to include specialist and bespoke formats; test new markets with differentiated product development quicker and more effectively; and create moments of delight and brand advocacy through the crafting of memorable customer experiences.

For the consumer, it injects surprise and delight into otherwise unexciting everyday necessities and provides them with an opportunity to curate their own collection of products.

Dollar Shave Club Dollar Shave Club transcends transactional e-commerce. They have created an entire

d i re ct

language through their products and editorial content to build a community around the brand.

www.fashionistodiaries.com

5

6

Becks Taste The World Offering a distinctive taste and clarity in ingredients as well as a strong look and feel illustrates a definitively more premium product.

www.thedieline.com

t he n e w a cce s s ib l e l u x u ry

trade up

Bisto Collector’s Edition

A limited edition tin of gravy elevates a

limited editions of the everyday

material and style puts a contemporary spin on a retro offering making it a desirable object to

Consumers are not always looking for more premium brands in order to feel treated. Limited editions of everyday items provide an opportunity for consumers to trade up with a trusted brand and enjoy a more luxurious lifestyle without the expensive price tag.

Unusual, unparalleled and limited edition products inspire new buying habits making any FMCG seem special. Bisto put vintage glamour into its packaging, transforming a commodity into a keepsake. For younger consumers seeking experiences with added value, brands with exclusive offerings provide richer experiences and build brand loyalty.

www.thedieline.com

www.robot-food.com

7

commodity to a keepsake. The change in

8

keep on display.

t h e n e w a c ce s s i b le lu xu ry

AFF EC T I ONS

expect the unexpected Consumers spend their money where their affections lie.

Premium sausages or laundry detergents may be unusual products for the luxury market, but that’s not to say there isn’t a desire or need for these products. Now is the time for brands to innovate with physicality to stretch the consumer’s understanding of a product while creating an unexpectedly better user experience. Whether it is through re-appropriating physical packaging or designing iconic structural signatures, brands can borrow cues and codes from different categories to create surprising and unique products for consumers to indulge in.

Duchess & Rover disrupted the dog food category with its reappropriated packaging and premium product mimicking human raw meat packaging to elevate dog food as a luxurious treat.

Likewise, L’eaundry’s fragranced laundry detergent’s surprising innovation gained considerable attention particularly within the FMCG category. Everyday luxury is the new desirable.

Duchess & Rover With their adoption of high-end

www.thedieline.com

food cues, healthy flavour variants and convenient packaging format, suddenly we have a fresh and healthy dog food brand set to rival any of the existing processed foods and products that exist in store. www.bpando.org

9

10

L’eaundry L’eaundry luxury laundry detergent takes cues from perfume with its clean and minimal packaging design.

what this means for your brand: • Adopt a direct-to-consumer business model to elevate product range • Consider a limited edition and longer lasting packaging to create tomorrow’s icons • Make your online presence as slick and easy as your supermarket presence • Take cues and codes from outside your product category • Bring luxury into the home through seamless delivery services

www.leaundry.com

02

experiential www.thedrum.com

t he n e w e x p er ien t ia l l u x u ry Rapha Cycling brand Rapha, born out of high performance clothing, has transformed a sport into a lifestyle.

RRC (Rapha Cycling Club) taps into the social aspect of cycling for amateurs and enthusiasts alike.

EMOTION www.rapha.cc

www.rapha.cc

As luxury brands move from expense for the sake of expense, many are starting to respond to millennial desires for richer experiences and brand interactions. We are seeing luxury brands lead the way in creating new sensorial experiences, retail environments and digital platforms.

The brands that have always been associated with luxury and stand the test of time are those that continue to deliver against their core values creating functionally superior products - think Jaeger-Lecoultre watches, Bose Speakers, the Burberry Macintosh. How can brands without the traditional price tag as proof denote a feeling of luxury that creates long-term relationships with their customers?

The answer is to build emotional and/or physical attributes that give a brand credibility to become an expert in its category. This could be anything from increasing access to their products, building an online community, providing a secondary purpose, or activating brand advocates.

brand ambassadors Consumers want more than a brand to buy into; they want a lifestyle to aspire to, a platform where they are able to share experiences and advice with a brand they love and trust. Cycling brand Rapha was early to embrace its content marketing and build a virtual community of enthusiasts that quickly transformed their consumers into brand ambassadors. Online blogs, Pinterest boards, and lifestyle advice are just a few offerings from August Uncommon Tea that serve to engage those who share the same passion.

www.august.la

Brands can create ambassadors by broadening their storytelling across a multitude of channels considering innovative structural design, non-traditional retail models and new consumer occasions. Storytelling is a great way for brands to cut through the noise of proliferated brand messaging and engage with their consumers. We only need to look as far as Johnnie Walker to see how an interesting and original brand story can create an emotional bond and capture new audiences.

August Uncommon Tea With their unique seasonal blends and refined design, this brand is modernising tea as a culinary experience. www.august.la

11

12

t h e ne w e x p er i e n t i al lu xu ry

Johnnie Walker Consumers can immerse themselves in the world of Johnnie Walker at any one of six exclusive embassies. Part gallery, part lifestyle space, they brings together the history, provenance and pioneering spirit of the brand. www.johnniewalker.com

“The brands that have always been associated with luxury and stand the test of time are those that deliver against their core values, creating functionally superior products.”

Gillemore

Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it: Gillemore’s potion-like bottle, hypnotising logo and premium matte black finish bring a touch of magic into the world of gin.

www.lovelypackage.com

13

14

sensorial sensations Selfridges Fragrance Lab The concept store was designed to guide consumers through a series of spaces created to heighten their senses, which would then lead them to fragrances that match their personality.

Don’t be afraid to take risks.

Crafting on-brand experiences increases brand loyalty and provides a hook for bringing in new enthusiasts. Selfridges transformed a corner of its store into a white laboratory-like space, complete with assistants in lab coats. The concept store was created to guide consumers through a series of spaces designed to heighten their senses, which would then lead them to fragrances that match their personality. Mysterious and magical gin brand Gillemore is a feast for the eyes with its concept, mixing design and brand experience, coming together in one spectacular visual experience.

Alternatively, with more high end brands we have seen the crafting of multi-sensorial experiences through meaningful collaborations that inspire new creations. Take the BMW art journey supporting emerging artists by taking them on a journey of creative discovery, or more recently Veuve Clicquot’s Widow Series. The new annual event will launch every Halloween as a tribute to widow Madame Clicquot. Partnering with a different creative each year, the exhibition will see themes in photography, film and art enjoyed with Veuve Clicquot tastings. Showcasing the creativity and one-off exclusivity of art as part of a bigger luxury experience is a smart move.

www.a-pbrandmemories.tumblr.com

t h e ne w e x p e r i e n t i al lu xu ry

David Kind A new experience for eyewear shopping, that proves a rushed decision in the opticians no longer needs to be the norm. David Kind offers a selection of glasses to try for six days at home for free based on your style profile given online.

www.jenniferlake.com

seamless experiences In a crowded marketplace, never has it been more important to deliver a unique and seamless brand experience from the moment of consumer engagement and then ever after. A disjointed consumer journey makes one less brand advocate. Brands need to ensure that their messaging is personal and relevant to both potential and existing customers and importantly, applied across all consumer-facing channels.

ENGAG

David Kind brings bespoke luxury to eyewear with its too-good-to-be-true elegant design, personalised delivery service and overall ease. Beginning with a questionnaire and ending with high quality beautifully designed eyewear, all the while feeling extra special with the help of a personal stylist, the entire journey is easy and very satisfying.

The strongest brands are those that place value on crafting personalised experiences. Hair care brand Concoction has turned the traditional model on its head as it takes a step back, letting the consumer become the expert.

Concotion Concoction is redefining the haircare category with their unique mixology system that allows consumers to create products that respond to their specific wants and needs .

www.amelianliana.com

15

16

what this means for your brand: • Make the most of your brand story across all communication channels • Be consistent in your tone of voice and language • Craft on-brand experiences • Be surprising and impactful with collaborations • Bring luxury into the home allowing the consumer to become the experts

EMENT

BMW Art Journey A new global art initiative offering selected artists the chance to design a journey of creative discovery to a destination of their choice. Through this journey they will be inspired to undertake research, make contacts and envision and create new work. www.bmwartjourney.com

03

responsible

Pure Earth Pure Earth is a social venture that works with Himalayan women to create sustainably developed products through fair trade. www.purearth.asia

t he n e w r es p o ns ib l e l u x u ry Consumer awareness of and concern for social, ethical and environmental issues is changing the way that we buy. Brands need to communicate their core values, whether social, political or environmental, to create lasting and meaningful experiences with their consumers.

www.everlane.com

Everlane Clothing brand Everlane provides transparent

As consumer attitudes have developed, so has the way brands do business. Ethical practices have moved beyond the realm of a haloed few into broader consumerism and commerce. Increasingly, we are seeing brands engage with their consumer on a deeper level, investing their energies into communicating the value of craftsmanship, provenance, heritage and philosophy in their products.

Consumers want to align themselves with brands that manifest these core values, demonstrating not their financial or stylistic independence, but their social conscience and duty of care. Responsible and traceable sourcing, transparent messaging, innovative design and smarter recycling systems are just a few of the initiatives taken by brands to create more ethical, ecological and human relationships.

messaging of the factory origins of their products manufactured worldwide.

www.everlane.com

honest ethics For some consumers, an awareness of provenance and production can be as valuable as the product itself.

Transparency is very important in telling a story whether this is on pack or in a brand’s communications.

Faced first with beautiful photography ahead of its online shop window, we learn immediately of ethical brand Pure Earth’s core values; trusted products, natural ingredients and an ethical work story. Similarly, clothing label Everlane advocates “radical transparency” on its site providing consumers with stories and images of the production lines that go into the manufacturing of their clothing.

transparent messaging

Reduce, reuse and recycle are the three Rs making their way into the world of brands. Consumers want to know who the partakers are through clear communication. Be it a clothing, fragrance or coffee brand, consumers want to be in the know with information on materials and/ or ingredients. Not only does it help them in choosing the right product for them, it marks a unique selling point for brands. Juniper Ridge prides itself on using 100% natural ingredients in their Wilderness perfumes. They stamp their products with their harvest number giving consumers access to the extraction and distilling process from beginning to end via photos and videos.

www.thefuturepositive.com

17

18

smart and sophisticated Design and innovation must always have sustainability top of mind. More and more we are seeing designers adopt and invent sustainable initiatives using interdisciplinary thinking that stretches across different schools of thought: science, art, design and innovation.

Helen Storey’s catalytic clothing is surprising, impactful and inspiring.

H&M and Kering have recently announced that they are working with textile innovators Worn Again on testing ground-breaking fibrerecycling technology that aims to meet the growing demand for cotton and polyester production worldwide. The joint partnership is inviting new innovations in the apparel sector as it presents solutions for new eco-friendly materials. Brands need to be smart, forward-thinking and innovative. Don’t be afraid to collaborate – joining expertise can speed up the journey towards building a better future.

Helen Storey Helen Storey has developed a series of dissolvable textiles.

This dress is made from a fabric which contains polyvinyl alcohol.

It dissolves in water transforming into a form that can be easily recycled.

www.fadmagazine.com

t he n e w r es p o ns ib l e l u x u ry H&M and Kering H&M and Kering are working with textile innovators Worn Again on testing ground-breaking fibrerecycling technology that aims to meet the growing demand for cotton and polyester production worldwide.

“it’s cool to be kind.”

www.circle-economy.com

Haeckles Haeckles is a natural fragrance and skincare brand built upon a love of natural ingredients as well as a love of the heritage of coastal living. All products are formulated in their lab in Margate where they distill local botanicals that offer the very best anti-oxidant properties.

Seaweed forms the base ingredient of their entire skincare range.

www.telegraph.co.uk

Cocolux Cocolux candles are made exclusively from raw materials including coconut wax. They pride themselves on their handcrafted vessels made with some of nature’s finest metals.

www.winkelenmagazine.blogspot.com

19

20

t h e ne w r e spon s i ble lu xu ry Back to Mac With their Back 2 Mac return

upcycling utopia

and reward scheme, Mac incentivises customers to return

Today’s consumers want to connect with culture in a meaningful way and buy into brands that stand for something. Environmental consciousness has conceived the latest trend of brands adopting circular economy business models. When a circular journey is integrated into this story, brands become stronger, broader and deeper.

Clothing brands Nudie Jeans and Patagonia have built their brand around one belief; disposal is not an option.

Wear, repair, reuse and recycle is their philosophy, saving the consumer time and money while meeting their own personal environmental goals. Make up brands MAC works on a return and reward model where the consumer is incentivised to recycle. Circular models increase loyalty through advocating quality, durability and through consumers themselves being given the chance to play a part in the sustainability cycle.

packs to store by giving them a lipstick reward.

www.marieandthemakeup.com

stand for somethin Nudie

Its free repair service

encourages consumers to

reuse their jeans time again before recycling them.

www.restoresolutions.com

www.theguardian.com

21

22

what this means for your brand: • Communicate your story clearly (provenance, materials, production, end-of-life etc) • Be inventive and daring in your initiatives • Collaborate with different schools of thought to build on expertise • Be consistent. Create a sustainable story from beginning to end

Patagonia Runs several environmental initiatives encouraging their customers to reduce their purchasing by repairing and reusing old clothes.

ng

www.patagonia.com

what else keeps us busy?

Is the cold weather getting you down?

We’re distracting ourselves with the weird and wonderful things that London has to offer us.

www.bompasandparr.com

1

BOMBAS AND PARR YOGA

www.artversed.com

2

CHAMPAGNE LIFE

We’re looking forward to unwinding with Bombas and Parr’s latest venture - Yoga with the Butterflies. Presented by their hugely popular British Museum of Foods, this installation is not one to miss.

Head down to the Saatchi Gallery and see the ground breaking exhibition that celebrates women in art; featuring works by female artists from around the world working across media as diverse as painting, taxidermy and clay.

Southwark, Tickets £22 www.bompasandparr.com/projects

Chelsea, Free www.saatchigallery.com/artists

t h e n e w l u x u ry

www.fedbywater.co.uk

3

www.factorysettings.co.uk

4

FED BY WATER Ever wondered what an alkaline Mediterranean diet looks like? We’re eager to find out and visit this new concept restaurant in the heart of Dalston that focuses on clean living. It takes a holistic approach to food and drink with the objective of bringing the nutritional importance of pure water to the public conscience.

The first part of the States of Mind: Tracing the Edges of Consciousness series did not disappoint with Ann Veronica Janssens’ yellowbluepink installation. We are excited to see what adventure the second part brings us.

Dalston, Free www.fedbywater.co.uk

Euston, Free www.wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions

www.laines.london

5

STATES OF MIND

CRAFT BEER RISING Don’t miss CBR ‘16, the annual festival that brings together UK brewers as well as some of London’s finest street food. Newcomers for 2016 include the Big Hug Brewery and Lost in Cyder Space.

Shoreditch, £15 www.craftbeerrising.co.uk

23

24

next time...

Keep an eye out for our Spring edition of Radar coming soon; we’ll be exploring gender neutrality and the effect it’s having on brand behaviours and consumer desires.

Until then we’ll be enjoying the turning season and looking forward to some spring sunshine. Keep an eye on what we’re busy doing on instagram; @echobranddesign Keeping up to date on trends is easy; sign up to our publications list today by contacting Nellie Veltman and we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop. What else is on our radar? Take a look at the ECHO website to keep up to date with our thought pieces, provocative blogs and latest versions of Absolem, a written publications that imagines the future wonderlands for brands.

Creative Director Andrew Capper andy@echobranddesign.co.uk

Instagram @echobranddesign

Instagram @echobranddesign

Marketing Director Nellie Veltman nellie@echobranddesign.co.uk Contributors Andrew Capper Niall McRiner Danielle Verbeeten Clem Cartwright Jessica Skinner Heather Park

Instagram @echobranddesign

echobranddesign.co.uk

Follow us @echobranddesign

INSPIRATION - INSIGHT - IDEAS

Design trends curated by the ever-curious at ECHO Brand Design

the new gender

www.voltcafe.com

WINTER 2016 #7

WE PLAN, DESIGN & IMPLEMENT BRANDS Here at Echo we’re passionate about delivering design with Magic, Madness and Meaning. Want to hear more? Come along to our new offices for a brew and let’s ponder the potential future of brands together...