The burning question of the moment

When we set out to build Alma, we asked ourselves a lot of questions. Can a physical space inspire creativity? Can it foster collaboration? Can a place cater to the blurring lines of work and play? To boil it down – How do we work better together?

I don’t know of any organization where the single biggest asset is not the people. What business leader is not thinking about attracting and retaining talent? How many billions of dollars are spent every year to make us more productive? Think of all the apps, workshops, articles, and innovation labs that have been launched, attended, written and started with the promise of making us work better. 

We obviously don't have all the answers, but the journey that resulted in Alma sure was fun/crazy (you can read about it in this excellent article written by Terri Chen for Frame). Reading it got me thinking – maybe that's it! Maybe the way to work better is to define a burning question and then go on to explore the answer together.

Maybe you will end up redesigning your retail space or office. Or open a new one. Maybe the packaging needs to be updated, a new product or service created. Perhaps you reorganize, change incentive structures, or ways to communicate. Maybe you end up producing content that informs, entertains or uses media in a whole new way. It could give birth to new partnerships and whole new businesses. Ask the question and see what happens... 

Here are some other questions we have been thinking about lately. 

Can a piece of candy be an everyday luxury item?

Chocolate person or not, the new Mast is worth unwrapping (and saving the paper, too) – Vogue

By borrowing cues and behavior from the fashion industry, Mast Brothers launched seasonal collections, all uniquely designed or in collaboration with other tastemakers. 

Wholesale partners were carefully selected and hybrid factory-retail spaces opened in Brooklyn, London and Los Angeles where people could see the chocolate being made first hand. 

Read more about the Mast Brothers project here

Is there a better way to sell design?

Austere is one of the most innovative shops in LA and a gathering spot for the creative set – Architectural Digest

When Austere first opened its multilevel 5,000 square feet (465 m2) concept store in downtown Los Angeles, it was described as “a magazine you can walk through”. 

The curated retail shop, contract showroom and exhibition space aimed to build a new shopping experience. One where brick-and-mortar, online, content and retail blend together into one great customer experience. 

With the learnings gained, Austere is now launching its own collection of furniture. In a direct-to-consumer model that makes beautiful, quality design easy to buy and available to more people. 

More about Austere here

How do you create a new brand in the most scattered spirits category?

The Rum Society is the Bauhaus of Rum

Asked by The Absolut Company to apply order to chaos and make sense of one of the largest and most exciting spirits categories, we created and launched a new rum brand.

After tasting, blending and refining, we decided to name the company The Rum Society and to name the products for the number of trials it took before each product received the seal of approval. All made in traditional pot stills by the most talented Caribbean distillers, but each with a distinct character of its own, we are proud to introduce the first collection — batches No. 40, 62 and 65.

Check out The Rum Society here

Fredrik Carlstr?m