Creating Tomorrow: I need a new plan (and so do you)

Learning to plan in an uncertain world

I have finally worked out why I’m finding the new world we live in so hard. I am incredibly lucky to live somewhere with a garden, and the people I hold dearest are, so far, healthy and safe, so I have no cause to complain whatsoever, and yet I have been finding this lockdown incredibly difficult to navigate.

But I’ve worked out why. I am a planner. There’s a reason the world of trend forecasting suits me so well; I am always thinking about what comes next. For WGSN, absolutely: what platforms should we launch in the coming years, what reports we will publish, which countries and industries need our analysis, which events should we attend?

But in my personal life, too. My favourite evenings are spent drinking wine with my husband, calendar in hand, mapping out weeks for holidays, or long weekends for festivals. I pore over travel magazines and I’m signed up to every foodie newsletter going. All of that, of course, has gone out the window. What are we supposed to talk about now over a drink and home-cooked dinner?!

My guess is you’re the same. Your job demands that you look to the future. You work in a creative industry, which expects the new, the different, the innovative.

So, here’s what we need to do: imagine a different future. Plan for multiple scenarios. Design for a new kind of consumer. And that in its own way is just as exciting, if not more so.

We held our biannual Trends Days this week, where traditionally all the WGSN experts, from fashion, beauty, technology, interiors, retail, marketing and more, come together to debate and agree the key trends and messages for the coming years. It was different this time, not least because it took place on the screens of our computers, but there was also a different kind of optimism.

We are reimagining what consumers will want, what brands can and should create, and how we will live in a post-Covid-19 world.

It’s time to plan for a new future.

 

Best,
Carla

Managing Director, WGSN

 

PS I wrote last week that in times of crisis, creativity will flourish and I believe in that wholeheartedly. I would love to shine the light on brilliant examples of this, both in this email and also on our social media channels, so please send me your best. You can find me on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

For the latest trends, follow WGSN on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

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