Together with
Unlucky number six. Happy Friday, Future Party people. If you’re looking for something to do this holiday weekend, we recommend bingeing the latest season of Black Mirror. The sixth installment of the dystopian sci-fi drama dropped yesterday on Netflix… and we’re a little terrified of how many concepts will eventually become real stories we write about in this newsletter.
In other news… Ticketing platforms reveal junk fees, Google teases a new virtual try-on feature, and the fashion industry misses its sustainability goals.
Top Trends
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ENTERTAINMENT
The ticketing industry pushes customer costs to the front
The Future. At the White House yesterday, several major ticketing companies announced that they’d start to show the “all-in” price for tickets in the US, hoping to curb outrage over surprise, last-minute fees. While this won’t solve every issue in the ticketing industry (monopolies, predator resellers, scams), it may help Americans accurately budget for the next concert they want to attend.
All killer, no filler
After criticism reached the White House over ticketing “junk fees,” ticket sellers are changing their tune.
Ticketing companies such as Live Nation (which owns Ticketmaster), SeatGeek, and xBk have agreed to allow US customers to see the full price of their tickets up front.
That allows customers not to be shocked by last-minute service fees and other expenses that shoot up the ticket price just as they’re about to check out.
The features will roll out in the next few months (Ticketmaster’s hits in September).
The declaration follows on the heels of President Biden’s promise to help curb out-of-control junk fees — not just in entertainment, but also in hospitality, airlines, sporting, and subscriptions.
But it’s important to note that no one is actually getting rid of these fees; they’re just being transparent about them. And the fees only apply to those put on by the venue, not the artist or promoter. So, if TSwift or Springsteen decides to implement dynamic pricing to battle scalpers, those tickets may still skyrocket if demand is over the moon.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Google tailors a virtual try-on feature
The Future. Google is getting into the virtual try-on fray with a feature that leverages generative AI to see how a garment would look on various diverse models. That’s quite different from most virtual try-on tools, which try to use AR or body scanning to help customers see a garment on them. But Google’s tool may give users a better sense of the real-world fit… and help curb costly returns.
Generative fit
Google hopes to make virtual try-on tech a little more of a natural fit with its new search feature.
When available, users can click a “try on” label to select among 40 models of various sizes, body shapes, skin tones, and ethnicities (women only, but men soon) to see a particular garment.
Generative AI, using a technique called diffusion, then blends the model and the article of clothing.
That allows the users to see how the garment will “drape, fold, cling, stretch and form wrinkles and shadows” on the model.
The feature could be a boon for both Google and clothing brands — Google is on a warpath to make its classic search feature unique and relevant amid the rise of AI chatbots like ChatGPT. Meanwhile, brands routinely rely on Google Search to drive sales. Call it the SEO clothing rack.
The feature won’t cost any extra for brands — they just need to send in the same model/clothing photo they would for ecommerce listings. Google will do the rest. H&M, Anthropologie, Everlane, and Loft are already on board… and you can expect many more to follow soon.
TOGETHER WITH PUNCHBOWL
To all the dads…
You’ve given us dad jokes, dad bods, reminders to check our oil, and tips to grill the perfect steak. Some of you step in for people who don’t have dads, while others have waited patiently to pick us up from TSwift concerts.
This Father’s Day, let your dads know what you appreciate about them. And if you need an easy, thoughtful way to recognize all the dads in your life, try Punchbowl. They’ve got hundreds of free digital Father’s Day cards you can personalize and send in minutes.
Add a gift card from brands like Amazon, The Home Depot, Starbucks, Target, and DoorDash for a special surprise, or include a heartfelt video message.
Dads are the best. Get their cards started for free!
FASHION
Wasted // Illustration by Kate Walker
Circular fashion is still not in fashion
The Future. Kearney’s third annual “Circular Fashion Index” found that the fashion industry is way behind on its sustainability goals, especially around “circularity” — when “a garment is repeatedly reused, repaired and recycled before it's discarded.” That’s bad news for an industry that produces many of the world’s emissions. While transitioning to a more circular-fashion trend may be difficult, new brands, like Angelina Jolie’s Atelier, may be designing a way to push it forward.
Vicious cycle
Consulting firm Kearney found that the fashion industry’s big hype around the four-year-old Fashion Pact may have just been a lot of hot air.
Out of 200 major brands, only 7% regularly use recycled materials, with some upcycle standouts being Patagonia, Levi's, The North Face, Madewell, Lululemon, and Gucci.
By and large, most brands are still focused on pumping out new products, using virgin materials, and not educating consumers about discarding used items.
Additionally, the infrastructure for recycling or getting rid of clothes is still “underdeveloped,” especially when it relates to fast fashion.
But Kearney also puts blame on consumers, knocking them for “not exploring donation, recycling, repair options.” Only about 15% of clothes and other textiles in the US are reused or recycled.
All of that adds up to a lot of clothes getting mass dumped in places like Ghana (which the country really isn’t happy about) and stitching a big pile of pollution. So much for those sustainability consultants…
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Media, Music, & Entertainment
Netflix launched a pop-up restaurant in LA called “Netflix Bites” that puts dishes from chefs featured on its many shows on the menu. Read more → thr
NBCUniversal’s Peacock has swooped in to take naming rights to the LA Live Complex, meaning you’ll soon be getting dinner at Peacock Place, not Xbox Plaza. Read more → deadline
Ryan Reynolds is wrapping up his brand redesign of Fubo by reading bedtime stories on the streamer’s new Maximum Effort FAST channel. Read more → thr
Fashion & E-Commerce
LVMH is putting the finishing touches on a $161.31 million sponsorship deal for the 2024 Paris Olympics — a potential succession test for Bernard Arnault’s eldest son, Antoine. Read more → hypebeast
Pharrell has tapped none other than Rihanna for his first Louis Vuitton campaign as Men’s Creative Director. Read more → complex
The retail industry is shocked to find US sales were up last month, despite financial strains. Read more → businessoffashion
Tech, Web3, & AI
IBM reported that a quantum computer came up with a better solution for a physics problem than its (probably not so) conventional supercomputer — a first for the company. Read more → nyt
Nurses and AI are going head-to-head on how to treat a patient suffering a health crisis. Read more → wsj
Wargraphs, the one-person startup behind the League of Legends stat-tracking tool Porofessor (and has no outside funding), was acquired by Swedish MOBA Networks for $54 million. Read more → techcrunch
Creator Economy
Twitch is turning on its “Partner Plus” program to qualified streamers who have at least 350 paid subscribers, giving them a 70% cut of the subscription revenue. Read more → variety
According to a new study from Reuters Institute, 20% of 18-to-24-year-olds use TikTok as a news source — 5% more than last year. Read more → tubefilter
A Belgian TikToker named David Baerten faked his own death and then crashed his funeral in a helicopter… all to bring his “fractured” family closer together. Read more → complex
Future Forecast
The Average Joe might be what you call your dad, but it’s what we call the way to become a better investor. Read it now for market trends & insights that are simple, concise, and impactful.
London’s new way to watch what you eat.
Did y’all know Rain Phoenix has a record label? Ane Diaz’s new release on Phoenix’s LaunchLeft is Venezuelan folk greatness.
A rich, Web3 exploration of posthumanism through the lens of Afro-Caribbean futurity.
This giveaway for a three-day trip to Riviera Maya.
Learn about Juneteenth and celebrate it.
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