The trends reveal the future direction for business strategy, product and experience design for the fashion, beauty, lifestyle, interiors, food and drink industries.
LONDON, 23 November, 2020 – WGSN, the global authority on trend forecasting, today releases the 10 key trends in consumer behaviour and product development for 2021 and beyond. The trends reveal the future direction for business strategy, product and experience design for the fashion, beauty, lifestyle, interiors, food and drink industries. Research from WGSN has shown that the rapid changes fueled by Covid-19 have affected what people will prioritise, appreciate and truly value over the next year and beyond.
“We use a consumer-first approach to forecast our key trends,” says WGSN’s Executive Editorial Director, Bethan Ryder. “Leveraging our global expertise powered by data, we identify consumers’ needs and desires, assisting brands to create innovative new products with global potential. These 2021 trends are symptomatic of broader societal shifts – most significantly tech-celleration and an urgent need for more sustainable solutions.”
The key trends for 2021 are:
- Chickenless Eggs: new egg substitutes replicating the look, taste and versatility of real eggs but made from ingredients like mung beans, soya, and chickpeas are set to become one of the fastest-growing plant-based alternatives.
- A.I. Aqua: the tech-inspired Colour of 2021, forecasted in 2019 in partnership with WGSN’s sister company Coloro, will resonate with consumers in a digital age. Look out for it across fashion, interiors and tech products.
- Genuinfluencers: influencers will increasingly be employed to spread truth to their followers within an ecosystem crippled with misinformation. This new type of serious storytelling will feel less like advertising and more peer-to-peer driven, with a focus on lessons learned over likes.
- Jeck Masks: driven by increased time spent chin-down on devices, jeck (the jaw and neck area) ‘tweakments’ will increasingly gain the attention of consumers and specialists alike, leading to products that deliver salon-grade results.
- Digisexuality: Forging real romantic relationships with tech will become more normalised as a result of our increasingly digital world – accelerated by the pandemic, as people have relied more on tech for love, intimacy and support.
- Mycelium: mushrooms are already a key ingredient in beauty products, now mycelium – the vegetative part of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae – is being transformed into leather alternatives in fashion, too.
- The Circular Runner: the development of a zero-waste, sustainable running shoe is shaping up to be the activewear market’s very own ‘space race’ between the performance giants.
- Molecular Sips: science and tech are serving up breakthrough beverages made not from grains, grapes or beans, but rather meticulously composed molecules.
- From CBD to CBN: the interest in cannabinoids continues with new compounds coming to the fore in 2021. Enter CBN, with stronger sedative qualities that make it particularly relevant during a time of ‘Covid-somnia’ and anxiety.
- Robot Pets: as a way to combat loneliness and offset solo living, tech companions evolve, providing social connection and someone to welcome you home.
NOTES TO EDITORS
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ABOUT WGSN
WGSN is the global authority on consumer, lifestyle and product design trends, helping brands around the world create the right products at the right time for tomorrow’s consumer.
WGSN’s trusted forecasts power outstanding product design, enabling our customers to create a better future. Our services cover consumer insights, beauty, consumer tech, fashion, food and drink, and interiors forecasting, data analytics and expert advisory.
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