Create Tomorrow, The WGSN Podcast

The wider concept of gender identity has altered in the public conscious over the past decade, with a more positive understanding emerging that gender is fluid and not a binary thing. This has been powered by the internet and social media, which has given voice to LGBTQ+ communities and activists. Education is more accessible and as a consequence notions of masculinity are also being viewed as a spectrum rather than a hackneyed set of strongman stereotypes. 

Over the past year as the pandemic took hold globally, consumer awareness of their own health and wellbeing, and also the food that we are putting into our bodies played a massive role in dealing with the global health crisis and propelled the plant based food industry even higher in market share. The growth rate in the US more than doubled in 2020 as sales surged 27% to $7 billion dollars according to the Plant Based Foods Association and the Good Food Institute. Joining WGSN President and CEO Carla Buzasi to talk about the growing craving for all things plant based is Lita Dwight, the founder of Bryt Life Foods alongside WGSN’s very own Kara Nielson, who heads up our food and drink platform.

This episode explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has created a pet boom, with humankind across the globe seeking solace affection and touch from furry friends. In the US, 69% of consumers own an animal and 37% have adopted one in the last six months according the Bank of America. The Washington Post reported that by mid-July shelters, non-profit rescues, private breeders and pet stores all reported more consumer demand than there were dogs and puppies to fill it.

WGSN Creative Director Lisa White is joined by Anab Jain and Jon Ardern, co-founders of Superflux, a studio that creates speculative worlds and tells future stories that help explain where civilization might be going and what we can do to influence these potential outcomes. Their byline is brilliant at explaining their mission in just seven words: Translating future uncertainty into present-day choices.

This week WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi speaks to the CEO and Founder of fashion-textile disruptor Bolt Threads, Dan Widmaier. Joining them is WGSN's Head of Materials and Textiles, Helen Palmer. The conversation focusses around Bolt Threads' revolutionary new non-leather, Mylo and explores innovation, industry change and sustainability in textiles and beyond.

This week the WGSN team discusses youth and nostalgia, two things that have often (though it seems counterintuitive) gone hand in hand. Although teens and twenty-somethings often love a bit of retro, the term is definitely on the rise as a discussion topic on social media. It's a fundamental human emotion and has been very much on people's minds during the pandemic and over the past year of lockdowns, particularly among Gen-Z and Millennials. 

WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi speaks to Nanushka Founder, Sandra Sandor and Peter Baldaszti the company’s co-owner and CEO. Over the years the label has made a name for itself through its ardent approach to sustainability while staying committed to its luxury roots. Over the course of this conversation they discuss  the changing consumer relationship with sustainable fashion, how Nanushka challenges suppliers to truly deliver sustainable solutions, and how to manage the growth of a business while maintaining that “family” ethos they had established from the start.

For consumers, the climate crisis is no longer a theoretical problem that will need to be solved in the future, but rather, it is something that is urgent and happening now. Having seen the swift action from governments around the world in response to the pandemic, consumers are now expecting a similar level of drive in response to the climate crisis. All of this is driving broad shifts in consumer behaviour as the pandemic accelerated shifts around values, with people adopting a much more frugal mindset. This week we look at the role our industry can play as part of the solution. 

The DNA of an Yves Béhar project is pushing design and technology boundaries to forge new territories often light years ahead of the mainstream. From sustainable shoe packaging for Puma, to Samsung's "The Frame" TV, his studio, fuseproject which he founded in 1999, explores the nexus between design and technology with a strong focus on sustainability and always with an optimistic, punk meets freewheeling west coast attitude.

Over the past year it's felt like stalemate. In our Groundhog Day existence, rarely has fashion seemed so pragmatic. We've seen sweatpants, puffer coats, wellies and walking boots selling out across the globe, while heels, tailored workwear and dresses are gathering dust.  So what does emerging from the lockdown mean for fashion from a product perspective? How do categories from workwear and partywear evolve and what happens next to loungewear?