Featuring around 1,000 brands and 1,800 collections, Berlin’s Premium Exhibitions has become a good venue to collect branding inspiration from international lifestyle brands. Along with Seek, Bright, Panorama, Show and Order – the other shows organized by the same entity – Berlin showcases the best international labels, just like in the good old days of Bread and Butter.
This summer we were surprised to see some four trends inspiring sophisticated contemporary lifestyle brands (but don’t miss the full reportage in the gallery below):
1) Charactermania.
We never saw so many Mickeys, Batmans, Donalds, Dragonballs, and Wonder Women together, joyfully interpreted by leading brands, with a touch for luxury positioning and subtle, high-quality look & feel.
2) Emojimania.
Until the true IP proprietor of Whatsapp icons comes out (Apple is the rumor) and sets out a licensing strategy, free and uncontrolled usage of emoji is sure be an issue across different categories. See some of the most visible cases in our gallery.
3) Hectic for ethic.
Another show in Berlin, the Ethical Fashion Show is devoted to sustainable and eco-friendly brands that continue to gain attention. But many other advanced global brands are working on ethical stories as well, for example Toms, Blauer, Ecoalf and Monkey Genes
4) Smart brand extension.
You’ve seen it all, of course. But standouts were Nixon’s smartwatch, Happy Socks’ upgrade and Brick Lane Bikes’ licensed apparel range.
Click here for the full gallery