105 episodes

WGSN is the world's leading consumer trend forecaster.

In this podcast we discuss the changing world and how industries will need to adapt. Each episode focuses on a single market, topic or trend as we unpack what businesses and individuals need to do to navigate the fast-changing world around us.

Our expert trend forecasting combined with data science help you understand consumer behaviour and lifestyles, create products with confidence and trade at the right time.

WGSN is an Ascential company.

Create Tomorrow, The WGSN Podcast WGSN

    • Arts
    • 5.0 • 46 Ratings

WGSN is the world's leading consumer trend forecaster.

In this podcast we discuss the changing world and how industries will need to adapt. Each episode focuses on a single market, topic or trend as we unpack what businesses and individuals need to do to navigate the fast-changing world around us.

Our expert trend forecasting combined with data science help you understand consumer behaviour and lifestyles, create products with confidence and trade at the right time.

WGSN is an Ascential company.

    104. WGSN Live From SXSW

    104. WGSN Live From SXSW

    Hello and welcome to the fortnightly Create Tomorrow podcast bringing you the latest innovations impacting the future of design and product.

    In this episode of WGSN’s Create Tomorrow podcast, we report from this year’s SXSW festival, the annual event in Austin, Texas which brings together tech, film, music, education, and culture – it’s always buzzing with new ideas and concepts. As leaders in trend forecasting, we travel the globe, researching new concepts and trends to inform our work, and SXSW is one of our calendar highlights.

    Tune in to hear from our experts on the ground. Senior Strategist of Insight Cassandra Napoli quizzes colleagues Liz Tan, Strategist at WGSN Insight, and Carol Aquino, Head of Consumer Tech, about their SXSW discoveries. Hear how SXSW helps inform our work at WGSN and why it’s such an important event to attend.

    • 25 min
    103. Illuminating Nocturnal Living with Dutch Artist Daan Roosegaarde

    103. Illuminating Nocturnal Living with Dutch Artist Daan Roosegaarde

    How can the beauty of light help solve the climate crisis? What does it mean to see the stars at night? And what can we learn from fireflies? These are the questions answered by the enlightening artworks of Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde.

    Daan is the founder of the social design lab Studio Roosegaarde, most famous for Spark, organic sustainable fireworks inspired in part by his love of fireflies. Studio Roosegaarde’s immersive, large-scale artworks operate at the intersection of art, design, and engineering and are often poetic and mesmerising and always thought-provoking.

    WGSN’s executive editorial director Bethan Ryder and Director of Strategic Forecasting Lisa White talk to Daan about his passion for light, something that radiates from global projects, which address the climate crisis and ask how we can learn from nature to create a better tomorrow.

    • 25 min
    102. Collectible Figurines and Parasols with Passementerie - The Latest Decor Trends from Maison & Objet

    102. Collectible Figurines and Parasols with Passementerie - The Latest Decor Trends from Maison & Objet

    We’re constantly scouring the globe for the latest trends, and in this episode of Create Tomorrow we report back from Maison & Objet, the biannual interiors trade fair in Paris. One of the most important global events for the interior design industry. 

    Director of WGSN Interiors Gemma Riberti shares her fair highlights, from the colours she’s tracked to the unstoppable rise of the outdoor market. Plus exciting new sustainability materials, including a patent-pending innovation that transforms rice husks into precious objects of beauty.

    We find out why tactile neutrals, rustic ceramics, soft leather detailing and a focus on wood will dominate, and Gemma picks her favourite take-home piece from the fair.

    • 25 min
    101. Why Apricot Crush is WGSN’s Colour of 2024

    101. Why Apricot Crush is WGSN’s Colour of 2024

    Why is 2024 set for a warm glow? Tune in to hear how WGSN – in collaboration with sibling business Coloro – forecasts the colour of the year 18 months in advance and why this year’s shade is such a warming, gentle and versatile hue. 

    Exploring the inclusive, nourishing power of Apricot Crush with WGSN’s editorial director Bethan Ryder is Petra Lundgren, longtime colour trend forecaster for global fashion brand H&M, together with Urangoo Samba, head of colour at WGSN.

    So why are we crushing on an apricot shade, and how does it relate to digital lavender, which proved such a hit last year (Episode 69)?

    Petra talks about wellness and digital influences on colour selections, the emotive quality of colour and how WGSN helps her set a more sustainable colour agenda at H&M. While Urangoo explains the role AI plays in WGSN’s tracking of colours on the fashion catwalks globally and what the key drivers are that influence consumers’ colour choices.

    Plus, why the similarity between WGSN’s Apricot Crush and Pantone’s Peachy Fuzz is a positive sign of creative consensus in a polarised world.

    • 21 min
    100. Olympic Breakdancing, Election Fever and Collective Effervescence – WGSN’s 2024 preview

    100. Olympic Breakdancing, Election Fever and Collective Effervescence – WGSN’s 2024 preview

    Very much near-forecasting, in this episode we preview the year ahead, considering how the key events from politics, sports and entertainment will impact consumers and brands.

    WGSN’s editorial director Bethan Ryder speaks to Joe McDonnell, director of Insight, as he discusses 2024’s major events in relation to consumer behaviour. Discover how elections affect consumer confidence. Why it's a year of sport and how that will continue to fuel the outdoor boom. Plus, why consumers in a cost-of-living crisis will still invest in fun.

    We’ll also review the major film releases planned for 2024. So with that in mind sit back, grab your popcorn, and enjoy.

    • 20 min
    99. Pack Your Totes – WGSN’s Top Three Cities to Watch in 2024

    99. Pack Your Totes – WGSN’s Top Three Cities to Watch in 2024

    In this episode, editorial director Bethan Ryder is joined by colleagues Raeesa Brey, Cassandra Gagnon, and Natacia Lim to reveal three of WGSN’s cities to watch in 2024.
    From coastal concrete jungles to hyper-connected tech hubs preserving traditional cultures, here’s our pick of the cities now rising to meet the changing demands of urban living.
    We forecast our clients' buzziest destinations for creativity and innovation in 2024, but also reflect on how the newness and excitement impact natives of the different cities.

    • 26 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
46 Ratings

46 Ratings

sweetharmony ,

Future trends by the experts

I always learn something fascinating about the future from this show !

Doofers ,

Inspiring Insights

Really informative listen across a broad range of topics that capture future insights in bitesized and digestible sessions. Keep it up

Bruce foresight ,

The greatest podcast on earth

The greatest podcast on earth

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