The Relevancy Read

Hot takes, early calls and astute observations, carefully curated.

A Sampling

A Goop-ified hospital giftshop.

February 21, 2023

Hospital giftshops get Goop-ified.

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center upgrades the hospital giftshop with a new specialty boutique Hydra. Located in its cancer wing, the space gives patients and caregivers a much-needed refuge, including elevated personal and specialty care items, apparel, and snacks, while also including a beauty bar, fitness area, resting rooms, and workspaces. The store feels more like a high-end spa then a depressing waiting area. It’s time to make these inherently stressful and sad spaces more comfortable and accommodating. How can your brand bring a bright spot to the hospital experience?

Digital-age desire for community and connection creates cult-like living conditions.

Inspired by an existing project in San Francisco, The Neighborhood NYC clusters like-minded professionals within one square mile of Bushwick for a Burning-Man-meets-Silicon-Valley “college campus” that lowers the coordination costs of hanging out and collaborating. With the remote work economy booming, Startup Madeira orchestrated something similar on a Portuguese island dubbed Digital Nomadland. Call it meta-gentrification or a cult, it’s clear the laptop class is in desperate need of human interaction. Think of your brand network and footprint as instruments to community, not just transactions.

Good design is the ultimate superpower.

The recent announcement of Phoebe Philo’s incoming signature brand sent the fashion world into a tizzy, perfectly illustrated by industry meme-er @crispino21. The impact of the press release alone proves that the consumer is sick of gimmicks and hungry for exquisitely designed clothing. As noted in our report, Consumer Dynamics: Aesthetics Pivot, we foresee maximalism minimizing, where the desire for over-the-top outfitting fades in favor of clever-but-wearable designs—Philo’s specialty.

Sustainability trends can do more harm than good.

Using deadstock fabric creates demand for a material that shouldn’t exist. Trade-in programs give people moral license to buy more stuff they probably don’t need. Experts increasingly frame the issue as a matter of quantity, advising consumers to place strict limits on spending habits. Financial Times editor Lauren Indvik argues for “ethical wardrobing,” citing research that indicates people should buy no more than nine new garments a year to limit global temperatures from rising more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, mitigating the worst impacts of climate change. Whether for sustainability, cost-saving, or both, shiny and new is no longer cool. The RealReal’s 2022 Luxury Consignment Report shows items in “fair condition” are in more demand than ever—"beat up” is the new bragging right.