Advertise on podcast: Create Tomorrow, The WGSN Podcast

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.

Why is 2024 set for a warm glow? Tune in to hear how WGSN – in collaboration with sibling business Coloro – forecasts the colour of the year 18 months in advance and why this year’s shade is such a warming, gentle and versatile hue.  Exploring the inclusive, nourishing power of Apricot Crush with WGSN’s editorial director Bethan Ryder is Petra Lundgren, longtime colour trend forecaster for global fashion brand H&M, together with Urangoo Samba, head of colour at WGSN. So why are we crushing on an apricot shade, and how does it relate to digital lavender, which proved such a hit last year (Episode 69)? Petra talks about wellness and digital influences on colour selections, the emotive quality of colour and how WGSN helps her set a more sustainable colour agenda at H&M. While Urangoo explains the role AI plays in WGSN’s tracking of colours on the fashion catwalks globally and what the key drivers are that influence consumers’ colour choices. Plus, why the similarity between WGSN’s Apricot Crush and Pantone’s Peachy Fuzz is a positive sign of creative consensus in a polarised world.

Very much near-forecasting, in this episode we preview the year ahead, considering how the key events from politics, sports and entertainment will impact consumers and brands. WGSN’s editorial director Bethan Ryder speaks to Joe McDonnell, director of Insight, as he discusses 2024’s major events in relation to consumer behaviour. Discover how elections affect consumer confidence. Why it's a year of sport and how that will continue to fuel the outdoor boom. Plus, why consumers in a cost-of-living crisis will still invest in fun. We’ll also review the major film releases planned for 2024. So with that in mind sit back, grab your popcorn, and enjoy.

In this episode, editorial director Bethan Ryder is joined by colleagues Raeesa Brey, Cassandra Gagnon, and Natacia Lim to reveal three of WGSN’s cities to watch in 2024. From coastal concrete jungles to hyper-connected tech hubs preserving traditional cultures, here’s our pick of the cities now rising to meet the changing demands of urban living. We forecast our clients' buzziest destinations for creativity and innovation in 2024, but also reflect on how the newness and excitement impact natives of the different cities.

Will the robots take over? How will brands tackle sustainability? And what will become our favourite tipple in 2024? Tune in to get the answers as we discover just some of the trends WGSN is forecasting for the coming year. Join Carla Buzasi, CEO of WGSN and the host of this end-of-the-year episode with her fellow WGSN guests Andrea Bell, VP of Consumer Insights, and Lisa White, Director of Strategic Forecasting and Creative Direction. And if you’re listening to this from the comfort of a heated blanket on your chair... find out how we called it in 2022. Happy 2024 to you all!

Are you swapping your panettone for Christmas pudding? Toasting Lunar New Year with a Teatail? Or livening up your Hanukkah sufganiyot with Mexican guava flavours? If not, this episode might encourage you to dip into these new trends. As the year draws to a close, we tickle your tastebuds and take a look at how annual festive food and drink traditions are changing with new twists and emerging trends. Our Editorial Director at WGSN Bethan Ryder, aka Head Chef, leads this chat, with sous chefs Director of Food & Drink Jen Creevy and Strategist Millie Diamond adding insight and anecdotes to this festive platter. We reveal the exciting things happening in seasonal flavours and talk about what will be on our tables while feasting with family and friends. Whether you’re indulging in Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah or Lunar New Year, there’s something here for everyone. Not to mention a few tips on how to set a beautiful festive table overflowing with maximalist shareables. Appetite whet? Press play for all things taste and flavour.

Join us for a rifle through the underwear drawer of fashion, as we examine this often contentious category, which historically has been very polarised. Intimates and Lingeries is often a category split between the fun - read sexy - and the functional and never the twain shall meet. But the smalls category has come on in leaps and bounds and in this episode we chart the shift towards inclusiveness, review the latest trends and look ahead to the future. Exploring the finer details of the intimates and lingerie market is our special guest host Francesca Muston, VP of WGSN Fashion with colleagues Lorna Hall, Director of Fashion and Sofia Martellini, Senior Strategist Fashion.  We broach topics like leak-proof wear, reflect on seminal cultural underwear moments and how the pandemic redefined comfort for bras and consider the progress yet to be made on inclusivity in the male underwear category. Plus, expect to hear about how internet-breaking Kim Kardashian (Skims) and Rihanna (Savage x Fenty) have been pivotal in recent shifts in this category. So pull on your big girl pants and tune in…

Plump, swivel seats that offer massage functionality and bed-down flat, wraparound screens, lighting that boosts circadian rhythms and reduces stress and scentscaping possibilities… Lounge or spa? Neither actually. This could be the car interior of the future if CASE innovations (tune in to discover what that is) continue to evolve, helping to push boundaries in car manufacturing and design. In this episode of Create Tomorrow, we explore the future of electric vehicles from a tech and design perspective. More specifically, how automated driving will impact the car interior – with EVs likely to evolve into a ‘lounge on wheels’. WGSN Editorial Director Bethan Ryder leads this conversation with Carol Aquino, Head of Consumer Tech, and Angela Ringo, Senior Trend Forecaster and Editor on the Interiors team. Bethan finds out how automakers are embracing innovative ideas that bring supreme comfort and relaxation to the car interior, integrating wellness, while also including state-of-the-art screen technology.  Are you sitting comfortably, because the EV design journey has only just begun...

How do brands speak to us as we age? Does the language used encourage us to buy from them or steer clear? Food for thought on this conversation around age beauty and brands. Director of Editorial at WGSN Bethan Ryder speaks about the age-agnostic shift we are seeing in beauty products. Age-agnostic is essentially a move away from skin resilience claims – serving the need, not the number – and a shift from ‘age appropriate’ makeup. To help flesh out this idea, Bethan speaks to Cassandra Napoli, Senior Strategist on Insight, and Pia Fisher, Beauty Strategist. Cassandra and Pia give insight and examples of the ways brands are pivoting on the language used in relation to beauty products for older consumers. Bethan dispels the claim that youth is the pinnacle of beauty, citing pop culture references of where ageing is celebrated, in the form of Madonna and Pamela Anderson. The team explore the idea of ageing well and embracing your age amid the backdrop of an AI renaissance. Examples of the latter include Hollywood actors being de-aged, and influencers ‘hacking’ their biological age by using social media filters. Cassandra shares tips on the language brands should be adopting, the importance of online communities and the power of visibility – how seeing ourselves in campaigns makes us more inclined to engage with brands.

In this episode, WGSN Interiors strategists discuss the key trends in Holiday decor, from tablescaping to gift wrapping. Host Bethan Ryder, Editorial Director at WGSN, speaks to Bonnie Pierre-Davis and Cassandra Gagnon about how consumers are approaching gifting for the Holiday season, interior trend aesthetics and ways we can gift wrap with a focus on sustainability. We find out what trends and drivers are emerging in seasonal decor from the WGSN Interiors team’s visit to the International Trade Fair for Seasonal and Festive Decorations, Christmasworld and Atlanta market. We also find out why there is a shift away from traditional gifting to a rise in the conscious crafting movement, where people are making and designing their own as gifts. It wouldn’t be a WGSN podcast without projections for next year, so Bonnie and Cassandra also share what they see carrying through to 2024.

In this episode, WGSN Creative Director Lisa White and acclaimed climate fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson discuss biodiversity, sustainability incentives and regulations, and whether AI is impacting human creativity. Kim Stanley Robinson has been writing for over 40 years and has published more than 20 books, focusing on near and far futures. He talked with Lisa as part of WGSN’s recent Trends Days – a biannual brainstorming event exploring future forecasts – where they discussed the future of the biosphere, nature and human nature, plus how speculative fiction can and should play a role in the worlds of business and industry.    Stan’s work incorporates so much of what we value at WGSN, in particular our STEPIC methodology, which focuses on insights into Society, Technology, the Environment, Politics, Industry and Creativity. Through his rigorous research and storytelling skills, he gives readers a seat in the future to better understand how our actions today can and will impact the outcomes of tomorrow.

Exploring Inclusive Design with Lekker Architects at Singapore Design WeekFrom ceramics that conduct electricity to visions of the inclusive urban environments of tomorrow, in this episode, we preview Singapore Design Week (SDW) which runs until October 1. Dawn Lim, executive director of DesignSingapore Council, talks about this festival of creativity which focuses on the future of sustainability, tech and care for our society – topics we are constantly dissecting at WGSN. We also catch up with the duo behind Lekker Architects, Ong Ker-Shing and Dr Joshua Comaroff, who are curating a project for SDW called FI&LD, which is inspired by a sports field and promotes the concept of inclusivity through play. The duo are pioneers in the field of inclusive design, and won Singapore’s annual President’s Design Award this year for their IKEA-inspired book, Hack Care: Tips and Tricks for a Dementia-Friendly Home.