See into this, the Day-Meta.

(Central image-original artwork above is created at its final stage by using AI agents).

Yesterday's launch of Orion, the augmented reality eyewear by Meta, was very much an expected evolution in the smart eyewear industry which falls perfectly into place with these news released by Euromonitor. News that certainly deserve a separate post.

Following the updates of EssilorLuxottica extending their long-term partnership with Meta, there is some expert commentary below on the potential impact of this 10-year deal to further advance the development of smart eyewear.

EssilorLuxottica, the gigantic and legendary French-Italian coalition in eyewear and optical lenses join Meta: both have been leading the change with their collaboration on Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses since 2019. EssilorLuxottica’s decision to extend the long-term partnership with Meta is exactly the right move. This extension could transform the landscape of the sector finally bringing AR experiences closer to mainstream acceptance, with Meta’s long-term vision to build the next generation AI. The question is will Ray-Ban Stories be the game changer or will another major tech companies or a small start up be the one to transform the era of AR smart glasses. The race is on. Of course challenges remain regarding privacy and data security concerns, battery life and socially acceptable designs. However, in Euromonitor’s opinion, smart eyewear is no longer five to 10 years away from becoming part of the mainstream.’

We are eagerly waiting the extras on this fascinating huge alliance and certainly the reaction of the EU central administration regarding GDPR and copyright implications as they are previously established for all digital goods and services in the continent. The crossover between edutainment to optical and probably later hearing aids, also remains a sector to watch from now on since the launch. There is an enlargement not to say a marriage of many scientific domains other than tech, which is going to affect further the design process of the product and its many uses. 

Smart glasses are here to stay, it seems. Next step will be new frames in design, materials and colours and combination of the augmented reality part with the refractive power of the lenses (dioptres or dpt) for vision purposes. You got three major players working on that now. 

Much love + design ❣️💙💚🤓😎

A4D-D4A

A SALONE DEL MOBILE 2024 POST-IT ...!-))

(Photo above: Salone in the City, ©Alessandro Russoti, SPC Publicis Group, courtesy of Salone del Mobile, Milan).

Goodbye, farewell, adieu, adieu, adieu♫♬ until next year 2025 (8 - 13/4).

Another year of significant growth for Salone del Mobile, thus means for significant revenues for the European and International design sectors and its most prominent members through their representation on Italian ground, throughout the immense expo at Rho Fiera.

Some facts and figures at the closure of the 62th Salone del Mobile edition:

With 17.1% more visitors than in 2023, the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2024 saw a record turnout with 361,417 presences overall (100,000 more than in 2022). An excellent result for professional presences, which were up 26.8%, 65.8% of them from abroad.

In photos bellow: The Kiosk at Piazza della Scala, Milan, signed by DWA Design Studio and curated by Corraini Edizioni, ©Salone del Mobile.Milano. Shortcuts from the clouds inside the Salone Satellite exhibition, ©Ludovica Mangini.

The data which, once again, confirm the key role of the Exhibition in the internationalization of the companies in the sector, the value of networking, as well as the catalyzing force of an event that has gone beyond the perimeter of the trade fair dimension.

The top 15 market geographies saw China make a great comeback, followed by Germany, Spain, Brazil, France, the United States, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, India, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and Austria.

The presence of the media is growing compared to last year: 5,552 accredited journalists and communication professionals for a total of 6,778 admissions (50.4% from abroad).

The number of Italian and foreign students also increased, reaching 13,556, of which 8,368 were Italian (+25.5%), for an average overall growth of 18.8%. The interest of the public of design enthusiasts was consolidated over the weekend (32,567 attendance).

Thank you to the organisers and to all parties involved for another exquisite event. The Salone goes live once a year but its many manifestations and actions continue all year round. Stay tuned!

In photo bellow: Stefano Boeri, President of Triennale Milano in an unexpected pose, ©Salone del Mobile.Milan

Until next year (8 - 13th of April 2025), support real, good design and designers in all sectors, wherever you are.

Much Love + Design 💙💚💋

A4D-D4A

For more bits and bytes on all things-design (this year's Salone del Mobile included), for our Insta press here, for FCBK press there.

 

Farewell to 2023, Peace & Justice 4 All.

In picture above a slide from the Sarah Schleuning vigorous presentation (Different by design: A New Model for Accessing Exhibitions) for the Museum and Justice colloquial event this month, run by CoMuseum at the Benaki Museum in Athens, GR. Sarah Schleuning is the Margot B. Perot Senior Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, at the Dallas Museum of Art, U.S.A. She works intensively and for many years on the integration of social groups with special features such as autism, visual and hearing impairement, dyslexia et al., in the whole design exhibition experience, sharing and understanding.

Museums are political beings. Democracy continues to stay in peril, with censorship and the power of the majority to define and decide policies and results. AI regulation is going through continuous transformation and numerous missed opportunities for progress, just before we will end up with a satisfactory omnibus law and most importantly a system inspiring back our trust to local administrators.

We leave this year with a bag of New design Highlights to show the Way from now on, in a society hammered by turmoil. Content is King as it gets filtered by more documentation and criticism and less opinionated ephemera. 

It is a transitional year, hopefully leading to something more cohesive: a concrete space for neverending social challenges and changes, where design will always play the fundamental role. 

Happy New Year 2024.

🎊💙💚😻

A4D-D4A

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Epica Awards 2023: The Winners!

In a world that can be harsh, creativity can help us to overcome adversity. This is one of the messages emerging from the wonderful reel of different products and campaigns for the past year.

Epica Awards 2023: and yes that was a Wrap! The only international design, advertising and innovation awards nominated and given by the Press, independently, transparently and inclusively based on the most accurate yet expansive criteria, is now over with incredible works on the Gold categories and also some top choices (happy to see one of our votes from Japan here already ❤️) awarded the Grand Prix in each category by our Experts international jury in Brussels.

👋👋👋👁️👁️👁️

In detail concerning the Grand Prix Winners:

In the 2023 Epica Awards there were Grand Prix winners from the United States, the UK, the Netherlands, Poland and Japan. There were no Media or Print Grand Prix this year, as the jury felt the contenders were equal in terms of quality. Notably, McCann Worldgroup was Network of the Year at The Epica Awards for the sixth time.

The Grand Prix debate took place this year in Brussels in partnership with PUB magazine, EA Belgian jury member.

The President of the jury was Dagmara Szulce, Global Executive Director of the IAA.

GRAND PRIX

• RESPONSIBILITY: “The Last Photo”, Hope&Glory PR, UK, CALM

• PR: “The Brake Room”, McCann New York, Chick-fil-A

• DESIGN: “ADLAM: An Alphabet to Preserve A Culture”, McCann New York, Microsoft ✨🌹

• INNOVATION: “The Mammoth Meatball”, VML, Netherlands, Vow

• DIGITAL: “Where To Settle”, McCann Poland, Mastercard

• FILM: “Train Of Memories,” SIX Inc, Japan, Sotetsu Holdings (in top photo above). ✨🌹

• NETWORK OF THE YEAR: McCann Worldgroup

• AGENCY OF THE YEAR: McCann NY

The Responsibility Grand Prix – celebrating work for good causes – went to PR agency Hope&Glory for the media campaign behind “The Last Photo”, for the charity CALM, an unexpected and moving perspective on the taboo subject of suicide.

Don Ferguson, Deputy Managing Director, Hope&GloryPR, said: “Winning the Grand Prix is both immensely exciting and humbling in equal measure, especially considering the level of work it's up against and the fact an Epica is the only award exclusively voted for by journalists worldwide. It's a campaign we are incredibly proud of and share the plaudits with all of the incredible people at adam&eveDDB, The7stars and, of course, CALM.”

The PR Grand Prix went to McCann New York for “The Brake Room”, a restroom created on behalf of Chick-fil-A for food delivery couriers, so they could shelter from harsh weather and the stresses of their job.The concept has spread to other brands and cities.

The Design Grand Prix, another win for McCann New York, went to the fantastic ADLAM project, in which Microsoft helped preserve a disappearing culture by digitizing an alphabet that had only existed in a handful of notebooks, thus making it available to write, read and learn worldwide.

In what turned out to be a landmark year for McCann, the Digital Grand Prix went to McCann Poland for Mastercard’s “Where To Settle”, which used Mastercard data to enable Ukrainian refugees in Poland to identify towns where it might be easier to find work and housing, rather than the main urban centres.

The Innovation Grand Prix went to VML for “The Mammoth Meatball”, a scientific feat that involved recreating mammoth meat from the extinct animal’s DNA, to promote lab-grown meat.

Bas Korsten, Global Chief Creative Officer Innovation & EMEA CCO, VML, commented: “The Epica Awards are unique. And I couldn’t be happier to win the Grand Prix in Innovation, because I strongly believe we can think our way out of the problems we’re facing in the world today. Cultured meat is one of those solutions. And through this project, the world knows a bit more about its incredible potential.”

Finally, the Film Grand Prix was won by SIX Inc Japan for “Train Of Memories”. In a single shot using several actors, it depicts a father and daughter on their daily train journey, while showing how their relationship evolves as they age. The jury praised its refined craft, including copywriting and music.

Yuta Okuyama, Creative Director of SIX Inc, said: “We are very honored to be selected by journalists with insightful and cutting-edge perspectives. In an era where AI-generated creative production frequently makes headlines, we are very proud of being recognized for our work crafted by human hands.”

McCann’s run of prizes meant that it was once again Network of the Year. Javier Campopiano, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer, McCann Worldgroup, said: “The Epica jury composed of industry reporters is a breath of fresh air. Even more as we share something truly important with journalism: a relentless pursuit of the truth, – which underpins our mantra and the way we get to ideas: ‘Truth Well Told.’  In an era when truth is constantly under attack, celebrating these ideas is more important than it has ever been. Thanks to the Epica Awards for these honors, and to our clients for their trust and partnership.”

Commenting on McCann New York’s multiple wins, which propelled it to Agency of the Year status, Shayne Millington, Chief Creative Officer, McCann New York, said:  “McCann New York is beyond honored to be recognized as Agency of the Year by the Epica Awards. Thank you to our clients at Mastercard, Microsoft and Chick-fil-A for being incredible partners in bringing these powerful stories and ideas to the world, and to our colleagues at McCann Poland, who were instrumental in the creation of Where to Settle. It is especially meaningful to be recognized by the journalists who have the clearest view and most objective lens on all the incredible work coming from our industry around the globe.”

Commenting on the awards overall, jury President Dagmara Szulce, Global Executive Director of the IAA, said: “Journalists need to be heard in the world of awards. They bring objectivity, keep us honest and are connected to the culture. And as reporters they provide a critical eye which helps to raise the bar. Not surprisingly, once again this year they awarded ideas that are fresh, innovative, authentic and true to the brand purpose. The quality of work in the Responsibility field was particularly high and I’d love to see even more creatives engaged in that space. Overall, it was inspiring to hear the variety of opinions expressed by leading journalists on an international jury and how they arrived at a consensus.”

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Entrants & Entries by Country:

The highest number of entries this year came from Canada (296) followed by Germany (202), France (138), the United States (126), and the United Kingdom (125). In terms of networks, Publicis, McCann Worldgroup, Dentsu and VML (the newly combined VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson) were particularly well represented.

You will find full details of all the winners on the EA website at www.epica-awards.com

Founded in 1987, Epica is the only global creative award judged by journalists from the marketing, design and advertising press, as well as specialist reporters in fields ranging from automotive to production.

Check the link to watch in full all the Awards and the Winners  in the official Epica Awards website: 

https://www.epica-awards.com/news/2023-winners-announcement

Thank you EA for this experience as a jury member and for the incredibly talented creatives you gathered around your cause.

With much love 💙💚🤩

A4D-D4A

EPICA AWARDS 2023…Drumroll!

Hey there😎

Just a quick note to remind you to save the date for the winners announcement, that will take place on Thursday December 7th at 7PM CET (Paris time).

You can share the stream of this year’s ceremony with this link to the Epica Awards official website: https://www.epica-awards.com/news/2023-winners-announcement 

Stream like a proper creative mermaid here then.

With much love, enjoy next week only the best of creativity in design, vis com, advertising and beyond.

A4D-D4A💙💚🌞

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023! HEALTH, LOVE, CREATIVITY AND CONSCIOUS DESIGN 4 A BETTER WORLD.

 🙏💗💨💪

LOTS OF LOVE & BEST WISHES 4 ALL!!!

A4D-D4A💙💚🙋

#NoMoreFear

Dheeraj Khanna is Here. No further titles are necessary. Enjoy... :-))

Dheeraj Khanna, Expert Fashion Consultant, talks about the white elephant of the fashion industry: is there a lack of diversity and inclusion among fashion designers? Dheeraj Khanna has been the head designer for Vince Camuto Men's, the head designer of Original Penguin Tailored, and the senior designer for Perry Ellis.

The fashion industry has long been an inherently exclusive industry that presents barriers to entry that deter social and geographical mobility. The late Virgil Abloh, head of menswear at Louis Vuitton, Olivier Rousteing, the Balmain designer, and Rhuigi Villasenor at Switzerland’s Bally are some of the notable few who highlighted how few artistic voices there are in fashion from minority backgrounds. The fashion industry made all the right diversity noises in the wake of the BLM protests in 2020, but it shouldn’t stop there. With fashion companies facing pressure from consumers, particularly younger ones, on diversity and sustainability, how and when will the face of fashion change? 

Dheeraj Khanna, current brand management consultant for Robert Barakett, is one of the many designers that are fashion-forward but is kept behind closed doors. Mr. Khanna acknowledges all the changes made in recent years to the fashion industry;  however, he believes that there still needs to be major reforms on the back end of the fashion world, and a voice that speaks up for the face of change.

A Real Designer comes around here in our little real-Design-corner to highlight some essentials when it comes to the industry and beyond, the vast fashion landscape of now, answering 5 questions and explaining things the right and un-common way. We are delighted and eager to show off that exceptional voice in those lines bellow.

All4design-design4all: Supply chain crisis, human rights and employee rights, environmental footprint: is it too late to reverse fashion policies in order to reform fashion as a truly sustainable industry?

Dheeraj Khanna: It is never too late to reverse course and head towards a more sustainable path in fashion. Currently fashion is one of the largest contributors to CO2 emissions but that can be changed through reexamining the practices at large in manufacturing and expectations of buyers and consumers. A lot of this is already happening at every level. Major brands such as Nike, Adidas, and H&M, amongst many others have set strict targets to have closed loop manufacturing within this decade. Textile mills and garment manufacturers now routinely provide standardized certifications to ensure responsible manufacturing across all steps of the supply chain. Consumers are now more and more scrutinizing all their purchase decisions and looking to purchase from companies that align with their mindset on climate change. 

I think Gen-Z is leading the charge on the consumer front in becoming more conscious about their consumption. A lot more can be done but this is an entire paradigm change that is moving at macro societal level and even at the best of times it’s a slow process. 

A4D-D4A: Is fashion education providing a solid foundation for designers nowadays in terms of technical skills (pattern cutting, textile engineering, sewing techniques) but also a familiarisation with the essential digital tools much needed for building a brand (coding, digital marketing, programming for intelligent multiverse commercial platforms and NFTs)?

D.K.: Well, it’s been a while since I have been out of school but fashion school can only go so far. If one takes the proper courses then yes, they will gain the technical knowledge but I personally don’t know of anyone in the apparel industry and I supposed that’s true of many other industries as well, where college experience directly lead to immediate understanding and mastery of their first job. You learn as you go. Fashion design and apparel manufacturing is such a dynamic process and in a sense you never really leave a school. You’re always learning because there’s always new techniques, or processes or software, or materials being introduced to let you expand your creativity further. 

Coding, digital marketing, programming for multiverse and NFTs are still largely outside the purview of fashion design. Lot more companies are embracing these new platforms through collaborations with artists or companies that already exist within this space. They can be a fantastic venue for brand awareness or connecting with consumers.

A4D-D4A: As a fashion designer you are a citizen of the world but also a person with a very strong cultural heritage behind you, when it comes to garment aesthetics. Which are your references when you create a collection?

D.K.: As someone who has spent his career working for other companies or brand my own preference and my own heritage never really played a factor in my career. When you’re helping someone else achieve their vision it’s always about understanding their heritage and their sensibilities to best align with their vision for their brand. When you’re working under larger fashion houses then there are strict brand guidelines to follow. 

I supposed I am more influenced by my parents than my ethnicity. Especially my mother. She always instilled a deep sense of taking pride in your work and fostering an attitude of respect, especially self-respect. Growing up in USA as an immigrant with very little knowledge of the language or the culture at large, there was a sense of self preservation, from which came focus and the practice of observation. Observing people, their actions, their attitudes, their tonal shifts. I think my philosophy towards designs stems from having to always be on a look out and see things other may have missed. 

When creating a collection there’s always an internal discussion of how much of my own influence can I include into an existing aesthetic. If the brand I am working with or consulting on is already aligned with my own personal tastes than I ask myself how can timeless staples such a t-shirt be done differently. How to make something feel familiar yet new. All of these internal dialogues and constant questioning probably stems me having to constantly observe my surroundings as a child. Growing up in NYC I didn’t speak much English so I always had to deeply observe the people around me to make sure I wasn’t offending anyone or to look out for dangerous situations. I think that translates to constantly looking at things and asking myself “hmm…what’s the vibe here and what direction do I want this to go?”. 

A4D-D4A: Is there anything you currently use or sth you experienced as a user/ customer such as: a tool, a game, an app, a piece of furniture or even a space that impressed you quite a bit recently?

D.K.: I am going to cheat a bit and say, as a “space”, Lucerne, Switzerland is phenomenal. I recently had the pleasure of visiting for the first time and just from an initial observer’s point of view – It’s absolutely incredible how Lucerne and the surrounding villages nearby have built a modern functioning city ALONG with nature instead of paving our natural flora and fauna to put up concrete parking lots. It’s a modern, vibrant that seamlessly blends into its geographical surroundings and does so in such a beautiful way that it feels like a fantasy land. I am sure the city has its own trials and tribulations but overall it was such a magnificent location to be in. Using Europe is a bit of a copout but I can’t think of another place in recent memory that started to reshape my opinions on city planning and urban sprawl. 

A4D-D4A: Gender, colour and the Politics of Fashion: give us your own - positive, negative or other-definition of your private journey inside the fashion industry, as a human being and a civilian.

D.K.: This is a conflicting topic for me as I love this industry but very often it feels like this industry rewards those who look a certain way or act a certain way. Suffice to say I am very often the only one of my kind in most high level meetings. I have had the incredible fortune of having had great mentors, supervisors, and managers guide me and I’ve made lifelong friends but there is a quite of bit of work to be done in terms of inclusivity. Fashion brands have made great strides in welcoming inclusivity, promoting body positivity, addressing mental health, but that seems largely relegated to advertising. On the consumer front fashion brands have always been on the fore front of addressing social change and nurturing it but behind closed doors the effort is not as evident. I have been routinely looked over for promotions or sidelined for leadership positions because those in charge would rather have someone they’re more “familiar” with. I’d wager that lot of POC reading this can attest to this fact. Whether we’d like to address the inconvenient truth or not amongst ourselves but nepotism and favoritism is rampant in C-suite level positions in a lot of fashion companies. Of course the apparel business in not a singular monolith and in 2022 it’s more diverse than ever, but like it is with sustainability and global warming; as a society we can be doing so much more. 

In this regard I, again, admire Gen-Z in their radical inclusion and forthright approach towards their interpersonal relationships. Maybe it’s a bromidic to state that I look at the generations behind me for positive examples on how to move forward as none of us are without bias or flaws. When it comes to design and streamlining processes I audit my own preconceived notions often and if more boards members of large fashion companies started doing that about their own role in actual inclusivity then we can start to see some magnificent changes and view points in fashion.

The talent is out there, we just have to willing to look beyond our own sphere. 

****

We thank Dheeraj so much for his time and we invite you to discover the many facets of the current fashion universe through his eyes and maybe also contemplate on the future of garment design, a future yet untold and probably with many surprises coming up for the industry and the consumers as well.

Until the next post,

Take care and follow What's Good 4 You

A4D-D4A💙💚🙋