Volume 504
27/09/2024
Wool for the Win.
The end draws nearer and nearer. Will we go out in fire or ice? A zombie apocalypse might be low down on the list of ways humanity could meet its end, but it cannot be entirely ruled out.
Woolmark, inspired by TV show The Last of Us are letting you know that every synthetic clothing item you bought still exists in some form – haunting our planet. The key take away, if you want to ward off doomsday then start wearing wool, a biodegradable and far more sustainable fabric.
After the apocalypse, when an alien species eventually stumbles upon our long-abandoned planet, what will they find? A world buried beneath layers of plastic. They will find our fidget spinners, Tesco bags, mountains of Lego – strange remnants of our consumer culture. The only way they will know we had arms and legs will be from the tell-tell shape of our garments.
Bag from Hell.
If there’s one thing I wish was made out of biodegradable fabric is the new Hellman’s mayonnaise bag. Fancy a little mayo on your bag-uette? This bag comes with a special strap for your Hellman’s tub, and it’s equipped with a silver spoon for scooping. Combining fashion with function, this might be a mayo lover’s dream.
For me, this could be the strangest and most niche bag design I have seen. Without the mayonnaise tub strapped to the side, the bag itself is actually quite chic. I’m wondering what else would fit in the strap? A tub of Pringles? A can of beer? Maybe even a French baguette or a bottle of wine? I’m hoping to see people get creative with it, because let’s be real—there’s no way anyone loves mayo enough to carry it around at all times. Right?
Seeing Trouble.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? We aren’t really sure because we didn’t go to Specsavers…
At the airport many mistakes can be made. Like forgetting your passport or missing your flight. But nothing really comes close to getting a flight to an entirely different country. You can imagine the brief moment of panic caused by Specsaver’s ad which stated “welcome to Melbourne” upon landing in Sydney.
Good one Specsavers, the Aussies aren’t that gullible and those in dire need of your products probably couldn’t read your trickster billboard anyway. Want to give travellers a real scare? Try taking a page out of the UK playbook. Some passengers headed for London last year and ended up in Rwanda. You can blame that cruel trick on Rishi.
Desk Despair.
In his work-from-home uniform—business on top, loungewear on the bottom—Succession?star Brian Cox rolls out from behind his desk to remind us to move more. Who knew Logan Roy cared so much about his employees’ well-being?
Cox is here to tell us that sedation leads to sadness. Chained to our desks of despair, what will provide relief? For the employees at Asics, the solution is clear. They’ve introduced a groundbreaking policy that legally guarantees 15-minute movement breaks throughout the workday. Now that’s inspired.
Can we take it further? Forget the standing desk—let’s make walking desks a thing. Shove some treadmills underneath so we can type while we walk, or jog during Zoom calls. Ignore my panting guys I’m just trying to avoid depression, and happiness need not come at the cost of productivity.
Sleepfluencers.
The future of advertising is here, and we’re edging closer to becoming walking (or in this case, living) ads. Imagine a world where you can earn passive income just by going about your day—strutting around with a billboard strapped to your back.
Leading the charge towards this dystopian vision is Ikea. They have donated some interesting roller blinds to homeowners. They transform homes into a haven of minimalist design on the inside. However, from the outside, your windows become prime real estate for Ikea’s advertising, subtly yet unmistakably turning your home into a billboard.
They have given birth to a new type of influencer – the sleepfluencer. With this, the line between consumer and advertiser begins to blur, as personal spaces merge with promotional platforms. The distinction between what is private and what is public becomes hazy, and the commodification of even our most intimate environments feels inevitable.
After all, why settle for just consuming the brand, when you can also?become?the brand?
Spookland.
As soon as summer ends, spooky season comes in hard and fast. Brace yourselves because it’s time for the onslaught of tacky plastic pumpkins, chilly weather, and the inevitable pressure to dress up in a costume you probably didn’t want to wear.
Halloween’s traditional Celtic roots has been drastically overshadowed by the modern-day Americanised manifestation, complete with inflatable decorations and an overabundance of plastic skeletons.
Tourism Ireland’s new atmospheric ad shows us this holiday has deeper roots than the candy-driven frenzy we see today. Halloween, originally known in Ireland as?Samhain, is a time when the boundary between the living and the dead was believed to be thinnest. The festival was to honour ancestors and protect against wandering spirits. Ireland is the perfect place to get a creepy kick this October.