Pearlfisher is definitely an agency with one foot in the future. With the world changing at increasingly high speed it is essential to stay one step ahead; being ahead of the curve and being able to predict the next big cultural shift is vital for survival in tomorrow’s creative industry. Good Design was invited along to the recent Pearlfisher Futures: Body event at their London studio to check out exactly that, the next big cultural shifts in health and lifestyle.

Health, looks, food and lifestyle have never been at such a premium or so high on society’s agenda. But consumers are in something of a volatile state: on the one hand confused by choice and mixed messages but with a new-found personal empowerment on the other. Never before has the cause and effect of a cultural shift been so tangible. As such, consumers will be looking increasingly for direct and effective connections made by trusted sources, brands and thought leaders.

It was a highly refreshing talk, delivered by Pearlfisher Futures Director Sophie Maxwell. Not only did it illuminate some extremely interesting future thinking and cultural insight, but it also showed how they could be put into practice and brought to life through four exciting prototype brands – Frame, Kith, Primate and Root.

FRAME.
SHIFT: DICTATORIAL TO FREE

THE CHANGE:Today we are moving away from stereotypes, merging the boundaries of our race, gender, sexuality, age. Our body image has become a performance. We are a ‘collage’ of different cultural aesthetics and influences. In the past we conformed to culture. In the future our constantly evolving
individual expression will challenge, change, create it.

CONCEPT: Frame has the ability to play the ultimate role in our self-expression – harnessing the vast online world of inspiration, then matching a unique facial profile and acting as an on-hand make up artist to ensure that any look is completed with perfect personal precision. Technology that is already in
existence brought together to create one streamlined process. Frame. Ultimate self expression.

KITH
SHIFT: DEPRECIATING TO APPRECIATING

THE CHANGE: We live in an age of extremes. Creating messages that pervade and pressure every aspect of our lifestyles. Our achievements, age, beauty, health, wealth, weight. The pressure to have ‘been there, done that’. In the future we will challenge archetypes and generalisation, as distinction between young and old becomes increasingly irrelevant. We will once again view ageing’s transformational power with aspiration and appreciation, through new expressions.

CONCEPT: A celebration of the wisdom, self assurance and desire for fresh expression that comes with a new stage of life, Kith is a designers’ guild from Ikea open only to the most experienced of designers. It is a hub of seasoned creativity where things are designed freely and to the creator’s personal taste,
for the homes of those who now have the time and inclination to sprawl, adapt or simply act on a whim.

PRIMATE.
SHIFT: PERFECT TO OPTIMAL

THE CHANGE: Our health has never had more of a premium. We have never been so educated or aware. There has been a fundamental shift in the way we perceive our health, establishing the need for it to be treated as a lifestyle. Though we all have individual starting points for our health, we are coming to
the realisation that in the future there will be little we cannot achieve.

CONCEPT: We are all capable of greatness but to get there we need to change the way we nourish our bodies. Primate gives us the tools to check in on our bodies daily, to perfectly tailor every start to the day and to boost our characters with specific nutrients that help us to be whoever we want to be.

ROOT
SHIFT: DETACHMENT TO UNISON

THE CHANGE: We are unique, distinctive, and inimitable. Inside of beauty, beyond self-expression, aside from age, the happiness we seek today will only come from achieving a deeper harmony, amplifying the need for a complete and integrated approach to wellness. In the future we will seek a symbiotic relationship between mind and body. To truly know ourselves and live more complete lives on every level.

CONCEPT: In these intense, constantly connected times we need new skills that will help us not only look after our our bodies but manage our busy
minds. Root is a practical philosophy, a tangible symbol and a collection of truly purposeful products that enable us to use our bodies to keep our minds under
control and always grounded, whatever our lives ask of us.