Who is modest fashion for? Where is it mainstreaming and how is it changing our fashion landscape? In this episode of Lives of Tomorrow, we debunk the myths associated with modest fashion, tracing its history right through to the latest trends. WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi speaks with Linda Anggrea, CEO of ButtonScarves, a premium Indonesian fashion and lifestyle brand specialising in headscarves and modest wear for modern women. Passionate about style, Linda shares her strategies in mainstreaming expressive modest wear and lets us in on her upcoming collections and ongoing Disney collaboration.

India’s middle class is the class of the moment. In this episode, we find out more about how the rising salaries of the middle class in India will impact businesses in the region. Senior Insight Strategist for APAC Rohini Wahi shares her expertise in retail, marketing, and lifestyle based on consumer behaviour in Asia. WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi finds out from Rohini why the income pyramid has inverted and how the middle class in India will be the largest group by 2030.People in India have shifted away from predominantly looking to the West for fashion, food, and home trends. What do the people driving this shift care about then? Rohini sheds light on what this growing economic demographic wants and how brands should appeal to this market. We explore how investment from global tech firms Google and Amazon, the government’s ease of business policies, and the digitisation of India is accelerating the rise of the Indian middle class.

With children growing up online and much faster than previous generations, what does this mean and how will it impact our lives of tomorrow? How important are generational markers like ‘Millennials’ or ‘Boomers’ and do they mean much to you? Accelerated tech and trend cycles are confusing our view of traditional generational groups at an unprecedented rate. In this episode of Lives of Tomorrow, WGSN Insight Senior Strategist Cassandra Napoli reviews future generations with our CEO Carla Buzasi and explores why accelerated digital media age us quicker than ever. From being 13 today to being 13 for a millennial, Cassandra uses social media including Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok as a lens to highlight the digital differences between the generations. They’ll be investigating the changing boundaries between childhood and adulthood which are blurring identities. Listen in on how the internet has evolved and how this impacts how we navigate the digital world.

The right music makes the food taste better in a restaurant. And the color of the glass influences how good you think the wine tastes. Our senses, smell, and touch, for example, are key in the evolution of marketing products. In this episode, WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi hears about the future of marketing with Scott King, director of multisensory branding and marketing specialist at Full Fathom.Scott talks about experiences working with companies such as Samsung, Bentley, and Coca-Cola, gives real examples of multisensory marketing, and discusses how he navigates the fear of public speaking.Lives of Tomorrow is a fortnightly podcast about macro societal shifts, exploring what they mean for all of us and how they will affect our Lives of Tomorrow.

In this episode, WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi teams up with Jon Takao, Content Director of our freshly launched Sports & Outdoor. This new platform expands our apparel and footwear under our Active category and drives into more granular forecasts on equipment and gear for bikes, outdoor, snow, water, and fitness. Listen to learn about WGSN’s latest Sports & Outdoor and hear Jon’s journey to heading up our specialist trend forecasting tool.

Sinéad Burke, CEO and founder of Tilting The Lens, an accessibility consultancy firm joins WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi to discuss the future of inclusivity in fashion. Sinéad describes herself as a little person, she is 3”5 and has achondroplasia. Since her teens, she’s been on a mission to work towards change and inclusivity for disabled people. Sinead is an author and disability activist who entered the fashion industry to promote inclusivity.Carla finds out from Sinead just how inclusive fashion is, what is being done, and how fashion brands can plan for the future with a focus on accessibility and inclusivity.Sinéad talks about the need for accessible design in public spaces and the importance of involving disabled people in creating educational content that can be used throughout the fashion world. We hear examples of assistive technologies and projects aimed at improving accessibility in luxury fashion stores in this discussion.Plus expect to hear the story of Sinéad being featured on the cover of British Vogue and working with Edward Enninful.

Hello and welcome to the fortnightly podcast about macro societal shifts, exploring what they mean for all of us and how they will affect our Lives of Tomorrow.In this episode, we take a deep dive into the Direct-to-Avatar (D2A) economy. At WGSN we define D2A as a new retail model, similar to direct-to-consumer, that allows brands to sidestep supply chains and sell clothes that don't exist IRLWGSN CEO and host Carla Buzasi speaks to Samantha G Wolfe, founder of PitchFWD – a consulting firm that helps navigate the world of new and emerging technologies – about how we will use avatars to do most of our shopping, and how brands will have to find ways to interact with our avatars to capitalise on this opportunity.Imagine buying on-trend outfits, unique accessories, and even exclusive experiences for your virtual avatars, all without stepping into a physical store or dealing with traditional supply chains. We explore this consumer trend and the emerging technology involved.

What are the most important things for brands to consider when looking into the future?In this episode, we share WGNS’s insights into all the things you should roll out to ensure your business is future-proof.Cultural Strategist and Foresight Lead at WGSN Martina Rocca tells WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi some of the key ways companies can prepare for unexpected risks and identify growth opportunities before competitors on this episode of Lives of Tomorrow.Martina explains how WGSN works with foresight and how companies can use the information to future-proof themselves.

Hello and welcome to the fortnightly podcast about macro societal shifts, exploring what they mean for all of us and how they will affect our Lives of Tomorrow.What makes you happy? This episode focuses on the huge importance of this emotion for us all, now and in the future. WGSN forecasts a very real need and desire for people to feel joy, particularly when mental health is a rising concern among many demographics. WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi is joined by bestselling author Gretchen Rubin to discuss the future of consumer happiness and how brands can harness the power of joy.Gretchen’s work focuses on happiness and human nature, and she’s best known for her book The Happiness Project. But why are we looking for brands to make us happy and relax? Is this too much to ask?Carla and Gretchen discuss what we want and expect from brands, and whether they can actually make us happy. Tune in to hear about new concepts such as silent airports, plus the US retailers who are etching out hours in the morning to make the shopping experience more accessible for customers with sensory issues. Happy listening!

Hello and welcome to the fortnightly Lives of Tomorrow podcast about the macro societal shifts, exploring what they mean for all of us and how they will affect our Lives of Tomorrow.In this episode, WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi discusses the future of the creator economy with Mae Karwowski, CEO and founder of Obviously, a technology-led social influencer marketing agency based in New York, with operations in San Francisco and Paris.The creator economy has experienced huge growth in recent years, and it plays a pivotal role in shaping consumer behaviour. Carla finds out about the proprietary technology which Obviously used to work with influencers and world-class brands such as Google, Amazon, and Converse. Mae shares her insights into setting strategy, executing campaigns, and the importance of building authentic partnerships across social platforms. They discuss how Mae’s Obviously blog focusing on what social media should be, acted as a springboard to launching her influencer agency in 2014, which last year was acquired by WPP. Tune in to find out about the future of the Creator Economy, hear tips about how brands should collaborate with creators, and how niche content and penetrating sub-communities is an effective way of reaching the most committed audiences.

Hello and welcome to the fortnightly Lives of Tomorrow podcast about the macro societal shifts, exploring what they mean for all of us and how they will affect our Lives of Tomorrow.In this episode, WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi discusses the future of fashion with Jane Shepherdson, the founder of clothing resale and rental company MyWardrobeHQ. Jane is well known for being the former brand director of global retailer TopShop where she pioneered many of the retail trends that remain today, not least the full shopping ‘experience’ – the London flagship offered in-store vintage and individual designer concessions, plus hair styling, a piercing salon and a cafe.A sustainability champion, Jane discusses the state of fashion, why we must recognise and appreciate the value of clothes, how she’s adopted the Rule of Five and why she set up her rental business MyWardrobe HQ.

Hello and welcome to the fortnightly Lives of Tomorrow podcast about the macro societal shifts, exploring what they mean for all of us and how they will affect our Lives of Tomorrow.In this episode, we discuss the rise of the kidult. At WGSN, ‘kidults’ are simply put, adults that shop like children. Adults around the world are escaping the polycrisis and finding comfort in buying toys and rekindling experiences from their childhoods through play.We’ve been closely tracking this trend and today we hear from Genevieve Cruz, LEGO Group’s Head of Product – Senior Director within Adults Global Marketing to find out how the brand is engaging AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO) and pioneering and leaning into this trend.Gen explains how LEGO strategises to capitalise on this consumer shift, how playdates are revolutionising the LEGO world, and about the different sub-communities shaping the future of how we play with LEGO.Tune in to hear why more adults are turning to LEGO as a pastime, the future of the kidult trend, and how building blocks are a unifying antidote to doom-scrolling.

Hello and welcome to the fortnightly Lives of Tomorrow podcast about the macro societal shifts, exploring what they mean for all of us and how they will affect our Lives of Tomorrow.We are forecasting Glimmers for 2026. If you don’t know what they are, consider them the inspiring, positive antidote to triggers. Glimmers describe micro-moments of joy, and psychotherapist Deb Dana joins WGSN’s CEO Carla Buzasi to discuss this emerging customer sentiment, an evolution of awe that we forecast for 2024.Deb Dana defines glimmers as ‘small moments of positivity that can combat negative emotions’. In 2026 we will see glimmers become a prized coping tool. Find out why glimmers coexist with suffering and how opening yourself up to these simple moments of joy can help you move forward and lead you to seek out more. Tune in to hear Carla and Deb discuss polyvagal theory, how glimmers can crop up in the most mundane, everyday places, and how important it is to share the joy.

In this episode we discuss ageing. We are all living longer and this is creating consumer shifts, opportunities and imperatives for age-positive products and services. WGSN’s CEO Carla Buzasi welcomes fashion influencer Lyn Slater, aka the accidental icon to talk about life after influencing, the narrative around ageing, the lack of women over 50 represented in advertising and the challenges of being yourself as your body begins to change. This former professor of social work, now retired fashion influencer, writes about this and more in her new book ‘How To Be Old: Lessons in Living Boldly from the Accidental Icon‘. The conversation meanders from reflections on the world of fashion bloggers and influencers to the advantages of multigenerational living and why ageing closer to death, encourages Slater to embrace living life in the moment and to its fullest. Hopeful about the future of ageing, Slater is keen that more older women should be “blowing it up and inviting young women to ask us those hard questions” – tune into this episode to hear just that.At WGSN we’ve been tracking the rise of age compression since 2015 and are forecasting the dismantling of age-related stereotypes for 2026, as we all embrace a more inter-generational world – you can sign up to read more about this here.

In this episode of Lives of Tomorrow – WGSN’s podcast about how we will live our lives in the future – we discuss nocturnal living.Director of Strategic Forecasting at WGSN, Lisa White, joins Carla Buzasi, CEO of WGSN, to talk about why daytime activities in many regions of the world are shifting to happen at night. Scorching temperatures are pushing people in the world’s hottest regions to live more of their lives in the cool of darkness, which is impacting when they shop, work, rest, and spend most of their day-to-day routine. OpenTable in the US noted rises of up to 24% in late-night dining in 2023. The shifting schedules of consumers are pushing cities to reimagine their after-dark economies, with shopping, entertainment, leisure, and tourism pushed into nighttime hours.Lisa White shares insight into how brands can tap into this lifestyle shift, plus gives examples of nocturnal living, the data behind this trend, and her predictions for the future – including constellation leggings and thermoregulated pyjamas.

WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi talks about the future of sex, sex tech investment, and how porn is impacting young people with guest Cindy Gallop.Former advertising executive Cindy is the founder of Make Love Not Porn, a user-generated video-sharing platform. A sex-tech pioneer, she aims to build a community to promote positive sexual values through user-generated content, in response to the ubiquity of hardcore porn and the harmful myths it generates.In this episode Carla and Cindy discuss social attitudes towards sex and porn, the future of the adult entertainment industry, and how Cindy plans to utilise AI to help build an algorithm for consent. The two CEOs also talk about why so few female entrepreneurs in the sex tech industry were able to secure Venture Capital funding in 2023 and why this needs to change.

How can luxury brands build a more sustainable future? What does luxury mean in a climate crisis?In this episode of Lives of Tomorrow, WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi discusses the future of luxury exploring ways brands can uphold their social and environmental responsibilities.Joining Carla to explore the evolution of the luxury market is Diana Verde Nieto, co-founder of Positive Luxury, a sustainability organisation that supports luxury brands in adapting and transitioning to a sustainable future.Diana is the author of Reimagining Luxury: Building a Sustainable Future for your Brand. She holds a degree in Global Leadership & Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School and has been trained by former USA Vice President, Al Gore at the Alliance of Climate Protection, and was subsequently honoured by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. Carla and Diana discuss how luxury is a dance between modernity and heritage, what luxury brands can do to build a better tomorrow, how ‘thinking the unthinkable’ can keep a business agile and guarantee success, and how five consumer demographics interact with luxury – from Boomers right down to Alphas – are impacting the industry.

In this episode of Lives of Tomorrow, WGSN CEO Carla Buzasi speaks to Apple Fitness+ Trainer Cory Wharton-Malcolm about running.We’ve been tracking the boom in outdoor lifestyles since 2015, and in this episode we throw the spotlight on arguably the most accessible form of exercise. We discuss the future of running, the importance of different running communities, plus how Cory motivates people globally to push themselves. Author of new book All You Need Is Rhythm and Grit, Cory works with Nike and Apple Fitness. Head out for a run and tune in to hear the renowned running guru talk about the need for speed, essential running tips and how brands can engage and sustain meaningful relationships with different running groups.

Will the robots take over? How will brands tackle sustainability? And what will become our favourite tipple in 2024? Tune in to get the answers as we discover just some of the trends WGSN is forecasting for the coming year. Join Carla Buzasi, CEO of WGSN and the host of this end-of-the-year episode with her fellow WGSN guests Andrea Bell, VP of Consumer Insights, and Lisa White, Director of Strategic Forecasting and Creative Direction. And if you’re listening to this from the comfort of a heated blanket on your chair... find out how we called it in 2022. Happy 2024 to you all!

Normally Carla Buzasi the CEO of WGSN asks the questions in the Lives of Tomorrow podcasts. But in this special end of the year episode we turn things around and put Carla in the hot seat and ask her the questions she normally asks her guests. So listen in and find out what makes her tick, what drives her in her role as CEO of WGSN and what she thinks the future of trend forecasting looks like. The host of this special episode is Akeem Nicol who normally works as Carla’s podcast producer.