

Create Tomorrow, The WGSN Podcast
WGSN
What’s next – and how do you act on it?
Join Cassandra Napoli, Head of Consumer Insight at WGSN, the world’s leading trend forecaster, as she talks with inspiring industry voices about emerging trends and how they become real products and services, helping designers, product developers, buyers and marketers stay ahead.
Join Cassandra Napoli, Head of Consumer Insight at WGSN, the world’s leading trend forecaster, as she talks with inspiring industry voices about emerging trends and how they become real products and services, helping designers, product developers, buyers and marketers stay ahead.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 19, 2024 • 19min
121. Planet-positive Leather Tanning
Can leather be sustainable? Discover how innovative technologies are transforming leather into a high-performing, biocircular material that starts and ends with nature. This episode of Create Tomorrow explores Ecotan Leather, a natural leather tanning technology which replaces traditional chemical-based tanning, like chrome, with plant-based alternatives.
Join Lisa White, WGSN’s Director of Strategic Forecasting, and Randi Seiff, US Representative for Ecotan Leather, CEO and Co-founder of Treun House Atelier as they discuss how the fashion industry is embracing sustainable luxury. Learn from Randi leading the way by designing sustainable leather trainers with benefits for human and planet health

Nov 5, 2024 • 19min
120. Body Hair, Men’s Health & Glimmers in Personal Care
How much do you care about personal body care? From reaching for the razor to popping pills and brushing your teeth, we reveal personal care trends today that will stay for a few years.
Join Francesca Muston, VP of WGSN Fashion and Megan Bang, Beauty Analyst of WGSN and author of WGSN’s Future of Personal Care 2027 report in this episode of Create Tomorrow. Learn about trends destigmatising body hair, erectile dysfunction and reduced libidos and what brands can do to infuse glimmers or small moments of joy in our everyday personal care.

Oct 22, 2024 • 20min
119. Early Discounts – The Gift that Keeps on Giving
The holiday season is fast approaching and with it comes the annual scramble for gifts. This year, it looks like we are not quite as generous as we used to be – half of us are expecting to buy fewer goods and services and 95% of us will be looking for the best deals. This means that brands need to prioritise discounts to profit from the holiday season.
Join us in this episode about holiday shopping and gifting where we also explore the importance of personalisation, delivering value and sustainable choices with WGSN’s Director of Interiors, Gemma Riberti and Director of Insight, Joe McDonnell.

Oct 8, 2024 • 33min
118. Home is where Mindful Purchases are
How are we shopping and what informs how we make big purchases? The idea is simple – take your time to choose products you love and expect to continue to use for years to come.In this episode of Lives of Tomorrow, we’re discussing slow retail – where consumers are making more considered purchases, especially when it comes to big purchases and items for the home.
WGSN Insight Director Joe McDonell, Senior Strategist Candice Medeiros and Senior Strategist Rachel Gwyther look into products, apps and how retail feeds into this ethos. Find out consumers’ top priorities and how this impacts the big purchases we make for the home.

Sep 24, 2024 • 23min
117. Making Sense of the Catwalk with WGSN
Following New York Fashion Week, we review cutting-edge catwalk movements and how they form the wider trends we’ve been tracking at WGSN.
Joining host Francesca Muston, VP of WGSN Fashion, is Kim Cupido, WGSN’s Senior Editor for Catwalks. Kim shares key trends our catwalks team captured and how brands are implementing them. We delve into the details of catwalk data, WGSN’s image recognition AI tool, and how this helps us update every item on runways globally with fast, accurate and actionable coverage and analysis.

Sep 5, 2024 • 31min
116. Soft Yellows, 3D Printing Lego Parts, and Funflation Spending – Get Ready for Maison & Objet
Today marks the start of Maison & Objet 2024 – the holy grail event in the world of decor and design. The biannual international trade fair showcases the best in lifestyle, interior design and home decor in Paris. In this podcast, we explore everything from key product design trends to the latest retail trends, sharing the insights you need and the highlights of this year’s Maison.
WGSN Director of Strategic Forecasting Lisa White welcomes Maison veteran, Interiors Director Gemma Riberti and Insight Director Joe McDonnell. Listen in on the Maison Objet standout events with key designers like Mathieu Lehanneur and designer of the year 2024 Lionel Jadot to inspire your interior flair.

Aug 27, 2024 • 25min
115. Fashion Buying – from Rachel from Friends to TikTok Trends
Monisha Klar, Director of Fashion at WGSN, shares her expertise on the evolving landscape of fashion buying. She draws parallels between Rachel from *Friends* and modern buying strategies influenced by TikTok trends. Discover how data analytics and AI tools are revolutionizing the decision-making process, helping buyers navigate viral trends and forecast seasonal products effectively. Monisha also discusses emotional challenges faced by buyers and emphasizes creativity amidst the pressures of today’s fast-paced fashion world.

Aug 12, 2024 • 21min
114. Soft Adventure, Digital Brights and Rugged Luxury – WGSN’s Sports & Outdoor Trends
WGSN has been tracking a rise in appetite for outdoor adventures including glamping and nighttime activities. In this episode, we discuss this expanding demand and detail key trends shaping the future of sports and outdoors.
Senior Insight Strategist Cassandra Napoli hosts this chat with our Sports & Outdoor experts – Content Strategist, Caitlin Folgner, and CMF Senior Strategist, Jennifer Birch. From soft adventure to easily accessing health and wellness benefits of the outdoors for new participants, get on board the opportunities and design directions this movement presents.We’ve been forecasting the rise of rugged luxury bringing modern convenience and rich comfort to camping, where travellers can enjoy the outdoors leisurely without having to invest in new luxury gear amid a cost of living crisis. Listen in on how brands can strategise around colour, materials, and product development trends for hardware and apparel across industries.

Jul 29, 2024 • 23min
113. Paris Olympics 2024 Uniform Collections
The Olympics is not only about running the fastest, jumping the highest, and throwing the shot put the farthest. It is also about looking good while you do it. Yes, Olympic fashion is very much a thing and in this episode, you’ll learn all about it.
We hear about the fashion surrounding the Paris 2024 Olympic games – discussing key trends, sustainable choices, and WGSN Olympic fashion design highlights.
Lisa White, Director of Strategic Forecasting at WGSN hosts this Olympic kit fashion design special with guests Charlie Bardsley, Active Strategist, and Rebecca Saygi, Swimwear Strategist.

Jul 15, 2024 • 18min
112. The Future of the Dinner Party
Hello and welcome to WGSN’s fortnightly Create Tomorrow podcast, bringing you the latest innovations impacting the future of design and product.
In this episode, we discuss the dinner party. This classic culinary social situation is evolving in terms of who is being invited, what’s being served, and what gifts are being brought along if you’re invited to one.
Forget about spending hours making fancy French cuisine. The new dinner party is small and more practical – as well as being more cost-effective than dining out. And don't feel bad about asking your guests for help either.
Our host for this delicious podcast is Jen Creevy, Director of WGSN Food & Drink, with guests at the table, strategists Millie Diamond and Rachel Tan. Bon appetit!


