A few months ago I researched and wrote a feature on the organic beauty market in Europe. Great fun it was; unfortunately I had to stick to my 3000 word limit – I could have written twice as much! – but even so I think the article turned out well. Here it is. As always, please respect the copyright (ECM Magazine, April 2014, HPCi Media)!
DMY International Design Festival Berlin 2014: [Show Report]
And again Berlin’s Tempelhof airport hosted a very cool exhibition. The DMY International Design Festival 2014 presented an fantastic range of inventions, creative ideas and product concepts. The old airport space is a very effective frame for this type of event – huge industrial halls and lots of soaring space. The opening night of the DMY Festival, Wednesday 28th May 2014, was packed: food and drinks stalls, DJs, crowds of people everywhere; a great party atmosphere. And amazing design wherever you looked.
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Filed under Berlin, Design, Exhibitions, Show Reports
Mintel article: MyParfum
Here is my January Mintel article: Internet retailer MyParfum opens fragrance atelier in Berlin – personalised fragrance, bricks ‘n’ clicks, stationary vs. online retail. Please respect the copyright!
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Event: Berlin Design Week 2014 and DMY International Design Festival 2014
For the next week Berlin will be dominated by Design! Product design, functional design, social design, recycling and upcycling at venues across the city: from 26th May to 1st June 2014 it’s Berlin Design Week! From furniture and design stores to art galleries and museums, there are exhibitions, workshops and events everywhere in Berlin. And for an extra dose of design and creativity, there is the 12th DMY International Design Festival which takes place as part of the Design Week. Continue reading
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Filed under Exhibitions
Megatrend Neo Ecology: Social & community agriculture in and around Berlin
Eco-social agriculture was a major topic at the Next Organic 2014 trade show. As part of the Neo Ecology megatrend this type of community farming is booming at the moment. It is especially popular with city dwellers: you receive fresh organic food that is locally (i.e. sustainably) grown and you can also choose to get involved in the planting/harvesting process, reconnecting with nature etc., all without having to move to the countryside. In Berlin and Brandenburg (the county that surrounds Berlin) there are several interesting social farming enterprises. Continue reading
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Filed under Berlin, Industry News, Trade Shows, Trends
Next Organic 2014: [Show Report]
This Sunday I visited organic food fair Next Organic Berlin which took place in the buildings of old Tempelhof airport. Next Organic is very trend-driven show so if you want to see food/organic megatrends in action, this is the place to visit. The fair presented the latest in Raw Food, Vegan, and organic/sustainable food manufacturing as well as some very interesting regional and glocal (think global, act local:“glocal”) culinary concepts. Add to this a wide range of niche labels and small manufactories and a strong focus on local producers, and you have a very happening trade show indeed. Continue reading
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Filed under Berlin, Retail, Show Reports, Trade Shows, Trends
GlobalCultureBlog – new edition!
The latest blog-round on GlobalCultureBlog has just been published – health and fitness trends across the world….check it out!
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Retail notes from Riga (2/2): Favourite organic beauty stores!
When I’m travelling I always spend a lot of time checking out the different retail chains and perfumeries and, incidentally, spending a lot of money on interesting looking beauty products. All in the name of journalistic research, of course….!
For Riga I had a very long list of retailers that I wanted to visit, including outlets of Drogas, Kristiana, Stockmann and Douglas (the big chains in Latvia). However, the city also has some wonderful independent beauty stores…..and here are three of my favourites! Continue reading
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Filed under Industry News, Retail, Travel
Retail notes from Riga (1/2): Organic beauty from the Baltics
I am currently writing an article on the Baltic cosmetics markets so I just spent three days in the capital of Latvia, Riga – for research, for holidays and to revel in organic cosmetics, baked goods, Art Nouveau, birch trees and wooden houses. All of which Riga has in abundance.
I arrived back in Berlin yesterday with a suitcase full of organic beauty products, including products from Madara (Latvia), Joik (Estonia), Natura Siberica (Russia), Planeta Organica (Russia), Graenn (Latvia), Anna Liepa (Latvia), Gusto (Latvia) and Uoga Uoga, a niche brand from Lithuania. Continue reading
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Filed under Industry News, Retail, Travel
Film festival: “Korean Cinema Today” at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW)
Yesterday evening was the opening event of HKW’s latest film festival – Korean Cinema Today. From 24th April to 4th May 2014 Haus der Kulturen der Welt will show films from the Busan International Film Festival – we’re talking independent movies here, no Hollywood blockbusters!
This is the third Korean Cinema Today festival at HKW (the inaugural festival took place in 2012) and the organisers have lined up an interesting programme – shorts and feature films, classics and documentaries; on 26th April there is also a panel discussion about developments in the Korean film industry. Check out the programme here.
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Filed under Uncategorized
TRENDS. TRAVELS. AND BERLIN 