THE_BLACK_BOX | TRENDS SHAPING FASHION & INNOVATION | H1_2018 (LITE)

TRENDS SHAPING FASHION & INNOVATION | H1_2018
THE_BLACK_BOX
LITE VERSION

WELCOME TO THE BLACK BOX_
After more than 6 months exploring fashion innovation, through crafting content, exchanging with
industry insiders, developing our network of experts and taking part to key conferences globally,
we are launching our trends review,
the Black Box :
A trend report focusing on the key innovations applicable to the Fashion and
Luxury industries. The following trends reflect our observations and predictions
that will have the most impact in the coming months (based on our clients’
demand and our experiences in our daily professional and personal lives).

GET YOUR HANDS ON
THE FULL REPORT!
OVERVIEW
PRESENTATION
The Black Box serves as a vessel to help individuals, startups
and companies interested in the Fashion Innovation landscape,
to better navigate this complex yet fascinating era of
tremendous changes.
As the movement has been gaining steam, the need remains to
underline that the key shake-ups unlocking the possible futures
of fashion and technology nowadays go way beyond game
changing products and business models. As shown in this
prospective trends report, to foster a brighter and more
sustainable future, industries now need to undertake major
transformation that go past the potential economic success of
hit-product releases; through what we believe are purpose-led
approaches, meaningful initiatives and one of a kind
experiences, throughout their respective value-chains and
overall products lifecycles, for the greater good. We hope you’ll
enjoy discovering these findings, resulting of our exploratory
process and Intelligence core business that we consider a
crucial part of our efforts to frame the conversation about
what’s next.
The 50+ page full version of this trends review includes :
➡ The Meta Themes that encapsulate the major trends spotted
in the first Half of this year
➡ An in-depth synopsis showcasing why these trends matters
and the key insights that gives them consistency
➡ A selection of the best cases illustrating each trends
application through diverse takes on experiences and
approaches by brands in the Fashion & Technology fields and
organizations
➡ Our dedicated suggestions to help you adopt these trends
and stay ahead of the curve
➡ A special perk, in the form of a Bonus Key Trend embodying
the current zeitgeist, as a dedicated reward for supporting
our current efforts
Request the full version via mail here!

0.INTRO
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. The Human Element
II. Limitless Creativity
III. Open Innovation
IV. The Scale Enigma
V. .NET Reboot
VI. Knocking-out Knockoffs
VII. Taming Big Data
VIII. AR goes Mainstream

I.
THE HUMAN ELEMENT
Discovering what retailers, brands and non-profits can put in place to ensure
a positive impact on each and every human being in the Luxury & Fashion
global supply chain ; which is ultimately dictated by the consumer.

I.THE
HUMAN ELEMENT
As the toughest problem to date globally, in the luxury fashion market and beyond, making business in a
more sustainable and ethical way equates to an assault course. While big companies try to sort out their
internationalized supply chains and improve their practices, start ups, SMBs and independent workers are
currently struggling to provide contractors and consumers with the right information about their ethical
efforts, all the while convincing them that sustainability is sexy.
Proving that ethically sourced, produced and sold garments are an actual luxury is no small task,
especially when considering the immediate chain of thoughts that accompany the buzzword, and the many
different categories it comprehends.
"10 years ago, ethical fashion didn’t exist as a term. Now we’re working on these
subjects with big companies such as Target and Amazon."
Rebecca Van Bergen, Nest
6

II.
LIMITLESS
CREATIVITY
Pairing the Human Brain (organic algorithm) to Artificial Intelligence
(non-organic algorithm), with AI as a tool, to unlock a never before
seen creative potential.

II. LIMITLESS
CREATIVITY
For centuries, Humanity harnessed technologies to overcome its many limitations, which enabled it to
accomplish things humanly unthinkable before. Nowadays, at the very beginning of another revolution
(that we believe at Futur404 could be dubbed ‘The New Renaissance’) ; Artificial Intelligence is, with
no doubts, poised to disrupt everything.
At the dawn of the 4th industrial revolution, with such an unprecedented technology such as AI leading
it, no industry is safe from the radical changes to come: not even the creative area. The challenge now,
remains to discover how we can future-proof human creativity and avoid any dystopian scenarios.
A.I. + HUMAN
=
LIMITLESS CREATIVITY
12

III.
OPEN INNOVATION
"No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else”
Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy

III. OPEN
INNOVATION
For decades, Moore’s Law has served as a barometer, even as a compass, in the semiconductor industry to
guide long-term planning and set targets for research and development. While this has become one of the
basic principles for innovation at a global scale, allowing to predict the exponential growth of
innovation in an accurate way, Moore’s Law doesn't suffice when it comes to solving complex problems and
developing forward-thinking ideas.
Indeed, creating labs and leveraging in-house talents might be a start, but has serious limits. To
embrace innovation as a whole, organizations have a unique opportunity to rely on crowds to solve very
specific problems, thus, embracing a more open process and democratizing their definition of talent.
18
"Innovation sounds like fancy labs but is more collaborative, and you need to realize
the smartest brains might not work at your company."
Amy Pascale, The Lego Group

IV.
THE SCALE RIDDLE
While bioengineering might change fashion forever, the hardest part remains
making it at a bigger, wider scale to really make it happen.

IV.THE SCALE
RIDDLE
More and more disruptive companies and laboratories are currently creating alternatives to traditional
materials, or innovating to create sustainable luxurious fabrics, undistinguishable from their real,
traditional commodities.
However, the underlying technology to make all of this happen is demanding, slow and expansive in the
initial phase. Even worse, bringing the innovation to life requires a lot of test and learn, and
therefore, a lot of time, while the need for these new materials is urgent. In such evolutionary
process, finding how to make things at a greater scale is the most puzzling part.
24
"By 2030, the UN expects the middle class to be made of 3 billion people. The system,
as it is now, won’t be able to sustain such needs."
Erik Bang, H&M Foundation

V.
.NET REBOOT
Bringing back the original version of the Internet, to focus on building a
decentralized, safer and more open version of it.

V. .NET
REBOOT
Many people don’t get how data is used in a wrong and abusive way nowadays, basically to monitor them,
sometimes with appalling long-term consequences. Yet, the recent social media and data turmoils (if you
read the name Cambridge Analytica for the very first time, it’s too late…) have raised awareness, easily
showing that the current Internet standard isn’t sustainable anymore.
With intense privacy and surveillance issues in mind, the idea of a new version of the Internet is
starting to make its way. Beyond the #DeleteFacebook movement, people are now looking for the reset
button, in an effort to start it all anew.
30
"Privacy should work like Human Rights around the world, or even seatbelts."
Andrei Sambra, QWANT

VI.
KNOCKING OUT
KNOCKOFFS
With counterfeited goods’ uninterrupted growth, brands are working on
different means to curb the phenomenon, both conventional and unconventional.

VI. KNOCKING OUT
KNOCKOFFS
How can Fashion and Luxury brands fight the relentless fake goods market, while countering Fast Fashion
copycat habits at the same time? The industry is presently under clear and agressive assault, facing a
movement partly driven by the return of the logo-mania trend (as opposed to these last year favored
minimalism and subtleness), and a new form of normalization of the knock-off culture.
Yet, the impact of counterfeited items go beyond the sole economic aspects of it, plaguing commerce in
many ways (sale of fakes, fake products returned…). Indeed, counterfeiting is far from being a
victimless crime, coming along with dire consequences that equate to modern-day slavery.
36
An Assessment Applicable To Other Goods Such As Food, Wine, Tobacco, Electronics And Also Fashion & Luxury.
FRAUDULENT DRUGS GLOBALLY ACCOUNT FOR UP TO
1 MILLION DEATHS PER YEAR*
* SOURCE : WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

VII.
TAMING
BIG DATA
How the reliance of brands and retailers on big data has nefarious effects on
products and brand singularity, to the point that it can be seen in plain sight.

VII.TAMING
BIG DATA
Customer loyalty has always been something hard to achieve and it requires a lot of effort to convince
consumers to stick with a specific brand. At times when people are more volatile than ever,
organizations have a resource at their disposal that enables them to accomplish incredible things: Data.
Nevertheless, while the scope of possibilities it brings may sound incredible, and considering that some
of these brands and retailers already know a lot about their consumers, the way data is relied on
nowadays tends to standardize the global offering, impeding the daily work of Fashion designers.
42
"The market is saturating with similar products. Why do people have to buy from you or
your competitors when there’s nothing special anymore?!"
Gretchen Jones, founder of gJ, Design Coach + Sustainability Ambassador + Public Speaker

VIII.
AR
GOES MAINSTREAM
The experiential technology is ripe for take off, with more and more companies
coming out with their very singular take on it.

VIII.
Mainly popularized by Snapchat & Pokemon Go (Niantic Labs), Augmented Reality has become integral part
of the modern media and technology landscape these days. As an incredible mean to seduce the masses,
especially the younger generations, many brands across industries are seizing the opportunity to develop
one of a kind experiences.
While we’re still waiting to know if Snap’s Spectacles V2, that hit the market at the end of April, will
be a huge success or a massive failure, companies are joining the party in their very own, and sometimes
surprisingly relevant manner.
48
"Snap Inc. calls itself a camera company, but beyond software, that wasn’t really true until
now. It could be a half-decade before we have AR goggles for the masses, and Snap can’t
wait around for that. V2 is a solid step forward, and Randall says Snap is committed to a
long road of hardware releases."
Josh Constine, Editor-At-Large for TechCrunch
AR GOES
MAINSTREAM

TRENDS SHAPING FASHION & INNOVATION | H1_2018TRENDS SHAPING FASHION & INNOVATION | H1_2018

GET YOUR HANDS ON
THE FULL REPORT!
The Black Box serves as a vessel to help individuals, startups
and companies interested in the Fashion Innovation landscape,
to better navigate this complex yet fascinating era of
tremendous changes.
As the movement has been gaining steam, the need remains to
underline that the key shake-ups unlocking the possible futures
of fashion and technology nowadays go way beyond game
changing products and business models. As shown in this
prospective trends report, to foster a brighter and more
sustainable future, industries now need to undertake major
transformation that go past the potential economic success of
hit-product releases; through what we believe are purpose-led
approaches, meaningful initiatives and one of a kind
experiences, throughout their respective value-chains and
overall products lifecycles, for the greater good. We hope you’ll
enjoy discovering these findings, resulting of our exploratory
process and Intelligence core business that we consider a
crucial part of our efforts to frame the conversation about
what’s next.
The 50+ page full version of this trends review includes :
➡ The Meta Themes that encapsulate the major trends spotted
in the first Half of this year
➡ An in-depth synopsis showcasing why these trends matters
and the key insights that gives them consistency
➡ A selection of the best cases illustrating each trends
application through diverse takes on experiences and
approaches by brands in the Fashion & Technology fields and
organizations
➡ Our dedicated suggestions to help you adopt these trends
and stay ahead of the curve
➡ A special perk, in the form of a Bonus Key Trend embodying
the current zeitgeist, as a dedicated reward for supporting
our current efforts
Request the full version via mail here!

about us
A think tank
dedicated to the
exploration of
possible futures of
fashion and their
implications for
tomorrow’s
societies.
59

credits
Page 1 : Pure pigment on aluminium by Jason Martin
Page 2 : Photo by Space X
Page 3 : Image by Jaymantri
Page 5 & 6 : Art-piece by Michael Moccia
Page 7 & 8 : Image from The Next Rembrandt by ING & Microsoft
Page 9 & 10 : Image by Nikolai Ulltang 
Page 11 & 12 : Photograph by Modern Meaddow
Page 13 & 14 : Image by Negative Space
Page 15 & 16 : Photograph from Vêtements « Official Fake » Collection release
Page 17 & 18 : Image by Pixabay
Page 19 & 20 : Snapchat Spectacles V2 official release picture
Page 21 : Image by wallpaperstock.net

All rights reserved. Futur404, its logo, and Not Found_Yet are trademarks of Futur404. This document is
produced by consultants at Futur404 as general guidance. It is not intended to provide specific advice
on your circumstances. If you require advice or further details on any matters referred to, please
contact a Futur404 representative. This document makes descriptive reference to trademarks that may be
owned by others. The use of such trademarks herein is not an assertion of ownership of such trademarks
by Futur404 and is not intended to represent or imply the existence of an association between Futur404
and the lawful owners of such trademarks.
THE_BLACK_BOX
copyright ©

merci_
allan@futur404.com
noemie@futur404.com
https://futur404.com
@futur404

THE_BLACK_BOX | TRENDS SHAPING FASHION & INNOVATION | H1_2018 (LITE)

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Dernier

Dernier (20)

En vedette

En vedette (20)

THE_BLACK_BOX | TRENDS SHAPING FASHION & INNOVATION | H1_2018 (LITE)