Create Tomorrow, The WGSN Podcast

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...

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,...

In our final episode of mini-episodes reporting from the London Design Festival, an annual event that takes over the UK capital every September, we visit Material Matters on London’s Southbank. Now in its second year, the fair has sprung from a podcast of the same name and occupies the atmospheric Bargehouse at the Oxo Tower. On until September 23, across five floors, it houses over 40 brands, des...

In episode two of our series of mini-episodes reporting from the London Design Festival, an annual event that takes over the UK capital every September, we visit some of the exhibitions on show in the west side of town at Brompton Design District . Curator of the area, design writer and consultant Jane Withers, explains the theme, Conviviality – The Art of Living Together, and shares some of her h...

As the London Design Festival kicks off, we take Create Tomorrow on the road for a series of mini-episodes reporting on the various events, installations and exhibitions that pop up across the UK capital every September. Tune in to hear our host Bethan Ryder, Editorial Director at WGSN, catch up with some of the curators, designers and studios contributing to this colourful and inspiring event. Th...

Does AI pose an existential threat to designers? In this episode of Create Tomorrow, Director of WGSN Consumer Tech Lisa Yong discusses how AI is impacting the creative design process, and what it might mean for the future of creativity. Joining Lisa are Reiko Morrison, WGSN’s Head of CMF, and Matt Zara, WGSN Consumer Tech Strategist. The team cover the many facets of generative AI, from ignorance...

How can microorganisms such as algae, fungi and slime mould be used to create a better future? In this episode of Create Tomorrow WGSN Editorial Director Bethan Ryder examines the future of biodesign. Her guests are Marco Poletto and Claudia Pasquero, architects, academics and co-founders of ecoLogicStudio, who talk about how we might create a better future by learning from non-human species and m...

Is the low or no alcohol movement a passing fad or a new lifestyle choice that’s here to stay? WGSN discussed a more mindful approach to drinking alcohol back in November 2022. In this episode, we delve further into the low and no alcohol drinking movement, discover why it’s popular with Gen Z and discuss its global expansion. Plus we offer a taster of the interesting and diverse ingredients being...

At WGSN, our mission is to stay ahead of the curve for our clients. In this episode of Create Tomorrow, we explore the coastal cities making strides in retail, hospitality and culture. Our City by City team share insights on must-visit destinations in Asia, South America and Europe for fresh and inspirational experiences – all featured in our latest Coastal Guide. Globetrotting across continents,...

Could wood be the key to building more sustainable cities? In this episode of Create Tomorrow, architect Andrew Waugh and WGSN’s Editorial Director Bethan Ryder explore the power of engineered timber and how it might help us to build a better future for people and the planet. Andrew Waugh is co-founder with Anthony Thistleton of British architecture practice Waugh Thistleton, which has completed a...

Jeans and a T-shirt? Cowboy boots or wellies? When it comes to festival wear are you more practical or performative? In this episode of Create Tomorrow, we find out what fashion trends are dominating the current and future landscape of festival fashion. WGSN has been tracking festival fashion across the globe for years now, delivering unique insights on emerging styles and aesthetics, product tren...

In this episode, Bethan Ryder, Editorial Director at WGSN is joined by guests Simon Mitchell, co-founder of architectural studio Sybarite, and Laura Saunter, Senior Strategist at WGSN. Together, Bethan and guests explore the landscape of luxury retail, from the return of the mega flagship in the post-pandemic era to how luxury brands are meeting the needs of the most discerning consumers by delive...

Welcome back to Create Tomorrow. On this week’s episode Claire Lancaster, WGSN head of Food & Drink and Katherine Schub, Forecaster and Strategist on our Food and Drink team join Bethan to discuss snacking culture. Consumers are snacking more than ever, whether for comfort, for their health or for convenience. In this episode, host director of Editorial at WGSN and her expert guests explore co...

Vollebak is a British fashion brand focusing on designing clothes that will see us through extreme environments, war and space exploration. Co-founder of the clothing company Steve Tidball joins host editorial director Bethan Ryder and WGSN head of activewear Yvonne Kostiak to discuss the future of clothing for the next century, innovations in the activewear market and why Vollebak doesn’t produce...

This is the concluding episode of our Milan Design Week Special series in which we’ve explored some of the key trends and brought you insights and interviews from the 2023 edition, which takes place across the city and also at Fiera Milano exhibition centre located just outside the city. Bethan Ryder, WGSN Executive Editorial Director is joined by Director of Interiors Lisa White and Head of Inter...

This is the third in our series of episodes in which we bring you some of the key trends, insights and interviews from Milan Design Week 2023. The annual Milan Design Week is considered the world’s biggest event dedicated to design which takes place at Fiera Milano exhibition centre located just outside the city, plus across the city as Fuorisalone in showrooms, palazzos and other venues. Bethan R...

This is the second in our series of episodes in which we bring you some of the key trends, insights and interviews from Milan Design Week 2023. The annual Milan Design Week is considered the world’s biggest event dedicated to design which takes place at Fiera Milano exhibition centre located just outside the city, plus across the city as Fuorisalone in showrooms, palazzos and other venues. Bethan...

Over the next four episodes our Interiors experts will be bringing you key trends, insights and interviews from this year’s Milan Design Week. Subscribers can find a suite of six trend analysis reports covering all the trends you need to know from this year’s event, in this short series of podcasts we’ll cover four of those trends.  The annual Milan Design Week is considered the world’s biggest ev...

Redefining masculinity, men’s make-up has grown in popularity, driven by celebrity pioneers like Pharrell Williams and Brad Pitt launching brands and K-pop idols openly wearing and experimenting with make-up. In this episode Sienna Piccioni, Head of WGSN Beauty, Senior Strategist on Fashion, Nick Paget and Jaeyeon Park, Youth Fashion Strategist based in Seoul, South Korea share the need-to-know br...

Biotechnology company Modern Synthesis have developed a biomaterial from bacterial fermentation that can be used to create a low-carbon alternative to traditional clothing fabrics. Modern Synthesis founder Jen Keane explains her process to this week’s host Helen Palmer, head of materials at WGSN and Lucila Saldana, Footwear & Accessories Editor at WGSN.The biomaterial was developed in the comp...

This week WGSN Director of Insight Joe McDonnell in conversation with Cassandra Napoli, Senior Strategist, and Brielle Saggese, Insight Strategist, they discuss this year’s SXSW festival. For those unfamiliar with SXSW, it’s an annual festival in Austin, Texas that brings together creatives, innovators, and entrepreneurs from around the world to share ideas, showcase their work, and connect with o...

The virtual influencer market is booming. In fact, virtual influencers are set to yield three times more engagement than human influencers. They’re ushering in a whole new world of sponsorship potential and dynamic multi-platform entertainment possibilities for brands to be a part of over the next decade, as these characters and the technology supporting them mature. It’s anticipated that they wil...

In January WGSN walked the halls of Maison & Objet in Paris, one of the most important trade shows in the world for home interiors and products. We analysed the product design trends from bouclé to paper maché, sustainability to scentscaping. Today we kick off by discussing the central theme of the show this year, which was all about Care, whether that means people or the environment,  in...

This week our host Bethan Ryder is joined by WGSN’s head of Colour Urangoo Samba and Caroline Guilbert, Creative Content Lead at Coloro to discuss this year's colour of the year, Digital Lavender. Tune in to find out why are we seeing it everywhere, from consumer tech and fashion to the colour palettes in TV dramas?  Every year WGSN produces colour forecasts for our clients in collaboration w...

As we roll into 2023, we decided to discuss one of our most popular reports with the team that put it together; WGSN's "Cities to Watch 2023". The cities we highlight are always creative hubs, but they also tend to reflect some of the bigger consumer trends we’re seeing around the world, and so this year’s choices are perhaps less obvious than usual and truly testament to the rise of digital nomad...