Key Takeaways

• Twisting Tradition – Adopt a punk attitude, twisting tradition by offering new perspectives on the traditional Holiday aesthetics
• Supersaturated Storytelling – Use immersive, artistically inspired storytelling to forge emotional connections with your audiences
• Recovery Mode – Integrate calm, meditative spaces where customers can reflect and recharge
• Next-Gen Authenticity – Connect with Gen Z’s conscious values through truly sustainable spaces which show, rather than tell
• Escapist Fantasy – Create escapist fantasies that evoke unexpected, far-flung destinations

Twisting Tradition

Gen Z is experiencing festive fatigue, bored by the regular design codes of the holidays (think Christmas trees, gilded surfaces and tinsel) which don’t reflect this disruptive, inclusive and future-facing generation.

In response, heritage and youth brands are collaborating to offer new perspectives on the ‘traditional Holidays’. These unexpected, sometimes chaotic brand combinations often stand at odds with each other aesthetically and culturally, resulting in a joyful and punk-like rejection of tradition, guaranteed to cut through the noise.

British ceramics brand Wedgwood is known for creating the finest pottery since the 18th Century. To increase visibility with a new, younger audience, they teamed up with Palace Skateboards, the irreverent London-based streetwear brand. United by their shared love of British wit, touch-in-cheek humour and eccentricity – these seemingly chalk-and-cheese brands collaborated on a limited collection of plates, cups, saucers, and even a skateboard, which aim to bridge generational divides and subvert tradition.

Supersaturated Storytelling

Cutting through the noise during the holiday season is a bigger challenge than ever, with each brand pulling out all the stops to capture the attention of shoppers.

To truly inspire, and create longer-lasting memories which will outlive the frenzy, brands are looking to imaginative experiences that celebrate pure storytelling.

These spaces are infused with creativity to underscore a brand’s authenticity to the fullest. Supersaturating pop-up events and installations with colour, sound and texture can transport people away from their physical and emotional realities, inviting them to fully immerse themselves in the brand’s story.

For diptyque’s Marylebone pop-up store, we invited shoppers to literally step into the warmth of the festive season. Inspired by their gifting campaign ‘The Dancing Flame’, we created an immersive, red velvet wonderland which evoked the fluid, organic movement of fire.

By creating a type of ‘mono-space’ in an all-encompassing red, we were able to enhance the feeling of being enveloped in the experience and saturate the visitor’s attention with the brand’s message.

Recovery Mode

Amidst the frenzy of Christmas, some are entering their “quiet era”, searching for meditative spaces where they can reflect and recharge.

Brands should look to create spaces which offer moments of respite from the crowds, inviting their customers to grab a coffee, learn something new, unwind and feel comfortable in their space. See it as a chance to slow down and have a rare, in-depth conversation with your customers.

Following a series of successful pop-ups, ‘optimistic’ streetwear brand Madhappy opened their first flagship space in West Hollywood with a message to their community: treat our space like your living room.

Complete with an embedded conversation pit, an open-air courtyard and a café – the brand calls these their “intimate gathering spaces” – creating valuable opportunities to connect with their customers on a deeper, more authentic level.

Net-Gen Authenticity

As shoppers become more aware of the effects of overconsumption on our planet, we’re seeing a more distinct shift towards conscious consumerism. Gen Z crave experiences that are meaningful, sustainable and enriching, still allowing them to tap into the joy of physical shopping, but guilt-free.

Brands such as North Face have increased in popularity amongst younger audiences in recent years – one way they’ve risen to meet consumer demands for more sustainable and circular practices is through introducing North Face Renewed, an initiative that diverts used and damaged gear dropped into their in-store Take Back bins, items in need of repair and gear that is returned with damage, all at a lower price point.

Another space which fused Gen Z attitude with truly sustainable innovation successfully was Coachtopia’s launch at Selfridges London. Authentically connecting with Gen Z’s conscious values through a collection of circular clothing and accessories, Coach collaborated with activists, designers, makers and creatives from within the community on their initiatives.

Built as a platform for change, Coachtopia is bringing Gen Z to the table. By putting them at the forefront of the process, they are not preaching to an audience to be more sustainable, but echoing the values of their community and demonstrating their commitment through product and spatial design.

Escapist Fantasy

‘Tis the season to embrace escapism, myth and fantasy.

According to Wunderman Thompson’s Age of Reenchantment Report, 89% of people say awe-inspiring experiences make them feel good. In 2024 shoppers are craving a break from the mundane, with the expectation that spaces should be filled with wonder, surprise and a sense of adventure. Think escapist fantasies with aesthetics evocative of unexpected and far-flung destinations.

We’ve already seen this trend come to life with Hermes’ Brides de Galaxy exhibition, which transported a select number of guests to a “vividly coloured, sand-strewn set evocative of a far-off desert landscape, complete with trippy dunes”.

Last December, Liberty invited shoppers on an intrepid journey under the stars, taking in the beauty of the Northern Lights.

Playing on the themes of escapism, exploration and discovery – key pillars of the Liberty brand – we produced a series of window displays depicting outdoor scenes of camping in a ‘World of Wonder.’ The windows create a sense of adventure that draws customers into the store, where they find a giant-sized globe, marking the destination of their journey.

Get in touch today to find out how our team can help you craft creative strategies that cut through, engage audiences through inspiring design and build experiences that drive growth.