Create Tomorrow, The WGSN Podcast

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

What do fashion buying and Rachel Green from Friends have in common? In this episode of Create Tomorrow, we discuss fashion buying and the tools buyers have for strategic decision-making. VP of WGSN Fashion, Francesca Muston, and WGSN Director of Fashion, Monisha Klar discuss the process of fashion buying and the trends directing the future of fashion. With WGSN’s fashion buying platform launch, we discover future-proof trend decision intelligence and buying-specific forecasts following the product-to-market lifecycle. Take a break and listen in on how to make well-informed decisions, lead a buying team, and manage the day-to-day operations of specific categories.

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.

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.

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!

Hello and welcome to WGSN’s fortnightly Create Tomorrow podcast, bringing you the latest innovations impacting the future of design and product. Surfer, filmmaker and journalist Chris Nelson joins WGSN Editorial Director Bethan Ryder to discuss his documentary The Big Sea. In this episode, we dive into a new documentary exploring the connection between the $10bn surfing industry and Cancer Alley in Louisiana in the US. Cancer Alley is a region along the Mississippi River with many factories and chemical plants. The pollution from these plants has made the air and water unhealthy, causing high rates of cancer and other illnesses among residents. The documentary sheds light on the toxic truth behind a single material, Neoprene, which is used to make swimsuits. Chris and Bethan discuss greenwashing and more about the film, because it demonstrates the crucial role designers and brands can and must play in creating a better future for people and the planet. 

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 emerging styles, subcultures, consumer drivers  and aesthetics in youth fashion that we’ve been tracking at festivals across the globe. WGSN Youth Fashion Strategists Mia Jacobs and Jaeyeon Park join host Graham ‘Kraggy’ Krag, Senior Commissioning Manager at WGSN to find out how subcultures and multi-genre festival line-ups are shaking up the festival fashion scene. Hear why fandom dressing is growing in popularity and find out who the ‘Mini Tylers’ are and what the ‘Signature Lana’ looks like.

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, the WGSN Consumer Tech team discusses how technology – or more accurately, the way we interact with technology – can help improve the lives of people from marginalised communities. Joining host Lisa Yong, Director of Consumer Tech, are WGSN UX strategists Arianne Anabukiand Abdulrahman Hadi. Find out how user experience design can help create social inclusion, the importance of considering a holistic approach, and how to make sure accessibility is at the centre of the design thinking. With more and more people having access to a smartphone, we also discuss how negative user experience can impact how we engage with brands. Plus we go into detail about the ‘dark mode’ on smartphones and discuss just how accessible this really is.

Hello and welcome to the fortnightly Create Tomorrow podcast, which brings you the latest innovations impacting the future of design and products. Planning a vacation? Hands up if you overpack, underpack, or just epically fail when packing for a holiday. Well, this episode is for you. Sprinkled in among the forecasting chat, we have some hacks and tips on how to travel light with style. Unfortunately, we don’t have any advice on the best just-in-case item to pack when you get invited onto a yacht (inside joke – press play to find out more). Take flight with us on this journey into the future of travel, as we discuss how coolcations and wellcations are likely to impact fashion design. Joining our host WGSN editorial director Bethan Ryder are Brielle Saggese, Insight Strategist, and Sara Maggioni Head of Womenswear. Find out how holiday habits are changing, due to climate change, wellness concerns and the White Lotus effect and what this means for your vacation wardrobe. The team unpacks the latest trends in travel, from set-jetting to sleep tourism and helpful hacks like the TikTok-famous 333 method. Pack your hand luggage – and let’s go!

Hello and welcome to the fortnightly Create Tomorrow podcast, bringing you the latest innovations impacting the future of design and product. IRL retail is very much back with a bang. Discussing the green shoots of physical retail 2024 is Joe McDonnell, Director of Insight, together with our Insight retail experts Laura Saunter, Senior Strategist, and Candice Medeiros, Strategist. Tune in to learn more about the return of the mall rat, why retail stores outperform store closures for the first time in over a decade, and how consumers are demonstrating contradictory spending behaviours – trading down on essentials to treat themselves to big-ticket experiences. Stores aren’t just about buying but socialising and community building, with retailers offering value adds, such as yoga classes, workshops, personalised experiences, and more, creating opportunities for fostering connections. The team discusses the impact of AI in retail and how it might be best used in the future. They also explore the rising popularity and increasing criticism of the ‘buy now, pay later’ model. Plus, discover the exciting innovations likely to drive change in tomorrow’s retail environment.

Milan Design Week is the world’s biggest event dedicated to design and innovation – and WGSN’s team of experts visit every year. In this episode, hear from WGSN forecasters Lisa White, Director of Strategic Forecasting and Creative Direction, Gemma Riberti, Director of Interiors, and Helen Palmer, Head of Materials, Textiles & Knit, as they dive into this year’s fair which takes place as the Salone del Mobile at Rho Fiera Milano, plus Fuorisalone, comprising countless installations and events throughout the city. Our Interiors experts report live from Milan to reflect on their highlights so far which include hyper-tactility, elemental materiality, and products playing with, or inspired by water. Expect to hear about Milan Design Week regulars, such as the Rossana Orlandi Gallery, Moooi, Dimoregallery, Hermès and FormaFantasma, plus what global brands Google and Samsung showcased. The trio discuss the WGSN trends they spied including the prevalence of curtains and soft spaces, the rise of darkness, and the products, talks, or installations that brought them ‘Glimmers’.

Hello and welcome to the fortnightly Create Tomorrow podcast, bringing you the latest innovations impacting the future of design and product. In this episode of WGSN’s Create Tomorrow podcast, the WGSN Beauty team reflects on Cosmoprof Bologna – the biggest annual beauty trade show in the world that sets the agenda for all categories of beauty. Special guest host Clare Varga, Director of Beauty at WGSN, hears the highlights from her team’s experts – Head of WGSN Beauty Sienna Piccioni and Beauty Strategist Pia Fisher. From AI-inspired beauty products and innovative scalp analysis tech, to the latest key ingredients and the rise in personalised beauty, discover the innovations and trends that brands and consumers can expect to see in the coming months. Enjoy a beautiful listen!

Hello and welcome to the fortnightly Create Tomorrow podcast bringing you the latest innovations impacting the future of design and product. In this episode of WGSN’s Create Tomorrow podcast, we report from this year’s SXSW festival, the annual event in Austin, Texas which brings together tech, film, music, education, and culture – it’s always buzzing with new ideas and concepts. As leaders in trend forecasting, we travel the globe, researching new concepts and trends to inform our work, and SXSW is one of our calendar highlights. Tune in to hear from our experts on the ground. Senior Strategist of Insight Cassandra Napoli quizzes colleagues Liz Tan, Strategist at WGSN Insight, and Carol Aquino, Head of Consumer Tech, about their SXSW discoveries. Hear how SXSW helps inform our work at WGSN and why it’s such an important event to attend.

How can the beauty of light help solve the climate crisis? What does it mean to see the stars at night? And what can we learn from fireflies? These are the questions answered by the enlightening artworks of Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde. Daan is the founder of the social design lab Studio Roosegaarde, most famous for Spark, organic sustainable fireworks inspired in part by his love of fireflies. Studio Roosegaarde’s immersive, large-scale artworks operate at the intersection of art, design, and engineering and are often poetic and mesmerising and always thought-provoking. WGSN’s executive editorial director Bethan Ryder and Director of Strategic Forecasting Lisa White talk to Daan about his passion for light, something that radiates from global projects, which address the climate crisis and ask how we can learn from nature to create a better tomorrow.

We’re constantly scouring the globe for the latest trends, and in this episode of Create Tomorrow we report back from Maison & Objet, the biannual interiors trade fair in Paris. One of the most important global events for the interior design industry.  Director of WGSN Interiors Gemma Riberti shares her fair highlights, from the colours she’s tracked to the unstoppable rise of the outdoor market. Plus exciting new sustainability materials, including a patent-pending innovation that transforms rice husks into precious objects of beauty. We find out why tactile neutrals, rustic ceramics, soft leather detailing and a focus on wood will dominate, and Gemma picks her favourite take-home piece from the fair.