Renowned New York-based futurist Faith Popcorn was in South Africa recently when she also spoke to FORBES AFRICA about the trends that will shape the future. Here are some of her mind-boggling predictions.



She is the TREND-SPOTTER who famously coined the word
‘cocooning’ in 1981, and got most of her predictions right. Faith Popcorn was
in South Africa in November at a Virgin Atlantic and Investec event titled
‘Business Is An Adventure’. As the founder &amp; CEO of Faith Popcorn’s
BrainReserve, a future-focused trend consultancy, she applies her foresight to
reposition established brands and create the products and services of tomorrow.
The best-selling author lives in Manhattan and Wainscott, New York, with her
two Chinese daughters. We ask her to tell us more:



What are the Top 5 trends for the future?



Being Alive: We are a wellness-obsessed culture – it’s our way of feeling in control in an out-of-control world. The era of the ‘quantified self’ means we can parse our biometric data to find out exactly what will optimize our health, and emotional and spiritual wellness are becoming critical. Tech and AI – ‘embeddables’, ‘swallowables’ and AI – will anticipate our needs and help us achieve optimal health. A little chip will sense, ‘oh, bad mood coming… let me dose you with CBD or change your brainwaves to get rid of that’.”



Save Our Society and AtmosFear: This pairing of trends recognizes that our planet is in peril – beyond peril, it’s dying – and says we must do anything and everything to save it. Values are the ‘new value’. No person, brand or business can survive in the coming years without a commitment to heal our earth. If that means solving for fossil fuels or building an asparagus farm on Mars – just do it.



EVEolution: I thought this would have accelerated beyond where it is today, but in the years ahead, it will be absolutely primary. The biggest wealth transfer in history – over $20 trillion – will mostly benefit women. Women are earning more degrees than men at every educational level, are starting businesses at two times that of men and refusing to put up with oppression – look at #metoo and #timesup as the seeds of this. In the future, the discussion won’t be about parity and closing the gender gap. It will be about women superseding and leading men.



Vigilante consumer: If you thought the consumer was already at its peak demanding accountability and transparency, brace yourselves. Companies will have to divulge everything. Your consumer will demand to know about your inclusivity policies on staff; what your political values are; they will know your recycling and plant-friendly policies in full detail – and when you’re green-washing. Many conglomerates will flounder and fail due to this… and disruptors will be waiting to dive in and take their business.



What do the terms ‘gender fluidity’ and ‘gender-free’ mean to you?



Gender fluidity means the person, regardless of what gender
they were assigned at birth, feels that their identity fluctuates from the old,
binary norm. So maybe you are a man who one day feels feminine, wears earrings
and nail polish; another day, you feel macho and wear a suit. Or maybe you feel
somewhat feminine all the time… but you do not adhere to the old-school gender
norms. This is not about sexual orientation, to whom you are attracted. It’s
about how you feel in your own skin, relating to the world. Gender-free is the
response to gender fluidity. It’s why P&amp;G removed the female Venus symbol
from menstrual products to be inclusive of trans-men. It’s why Mr. Smith makes
haircare for all; Jecca makes cosmetics for all; and the Phluid Project in New
York sells clothing for all. Doesn’t matter what your chromosomes say – express
yourself however you like. I think we need to stop thinking of the ‘male’ and
‘female’ product aisles and recognize a third, gender-free aisle will soon rise
and take their place.



How will robots evolve?



Right now, robots are fairly limited and clunky. They are not the intuitive, anticipatory, seamless partners, friends, advisors and care-givers they will be soon. Their form will become miniaturized and ultra-mobile, with articulated limbs that can complete all kinds of chores. Thanks to AI and what i call Emo-Surveillance (they will read our expressions and body-language cues), they will be able to comprehend our moods and respond before we articulate our needs. IoT and biometric data will let them know if we are stressed, sad or sleepy, and they will be there with a kind word, an elixir, a pep talk, a nap programmed with a fabulous, uplifting dream. They will become the curator of our best futures.

Faith 300DPI credit to Victor Jeffreys III

‘Robots Will Curate Our Best Futures’

In 1998, Sex And The City, the American soapie on four women living and bonding in the heart of Manhattan, hit our TV screens and grabbed eyeballs across the world. It was critically acclaimed and focused on relationships, sex and femininity. One aspect endured through the series: their sartorial sense.
The women, in their mid-30s, showcased high fashion and set style trends during the show’s epic six-year run. While women across the world sat glued to their TV sets, a young girl in Accra, Ghana, too watched in awe, forming impressions that would one day help her script her own story.
That young girl, Aisha Obuobi, is today the founder and Creative Director of Christie Brown, a luxury fashion brand born of her love for juxtaposing African textiles and wax prints with high fashion.
Her audience – much like the TV soap she loved – is the young professional woman. The brand was named after her grandmother, who had been a seamstress all her life.
Growing up, Obuobi dreamt of becoming a lawyer. Her parents both had a background in journalism, so they raised Obuobi and her brother in a liberal environment where they were encouraged to be creative and pursue their passions.
It was the bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria, however, that drove her to pursue a career in fashion.
“I realized there was a pulse in the city and everybody was wearing African prints. I asked myself ‘why do we not have this trend in Ghana’?” says Obuobi.
At the time, wax prints as a fashion statement was foreign to Ghana. Having grown up around it, Obuobi realized people were not wearing it in interesting enough ways.
Her eureka moment happened when watching her favorite show Sex In The City. She imagined the actresses sporting high fashion infused with the rich textural wax prints from Africa.
Since its inception, the brand has evolved to incorporate modern styles and trends yet maintaining the trademark African design. With no prior knowledge of sewing or dressmaking, Obuobi drew on the only skill she was half good at – sketching, and set out to launch her brand.
She initially went to local dressmakers with her sketches and commissioned them to bring her ideas to life. It was challenging as there was a shortage of skills and she struggled to get quality output. After using up all her savings ($1,500), a couple of trials and hundreds of man-hours sewing and editing, she was ready for the brand’s launch.
“When I started out, I didn’t even have a sewing machine and so I had to borrow a machine and sew in the dark sometimes with a torch due to lack of electricity at my grandmum’s house,” recalls Obuobi.
Christie Brown was going to be a high-end luxury brand targeting the young upwardly-mobile woman not younger than 25, who was very mature and confident and aspirational with a sense of elegance and class.
Based on this audience, she organized a fashion show and Christie Brown was born.
The brand was an immediate hit. For the first time in Ghana, a new brand emerged that combined modern fashion with traditional prints.
The next step was streamlining the manufacturing process. Obuobi decided to enrol in fashion school to study the anatomy of a garment. Her big break came while still in fashion school. She was selected to debut her brand at the first-ever Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in South Africa. It was her first showing on an international stage.
She was adjudged ‘emerging designer of the year’, and  has since showcased her brand on numerous platforms including the famous European fashion weeks. International stars like Alicia Keys have endorsed her brand. The brand was selected the official designer for singing sensation Beyoncé on her Mrs Carter tour in the United States and across the world.
Obuobi has been featured on CNN and BBC for her achievements in the fashion industry. With the level of success Christie Brown is already experiencing and her international acclaim, it would be easy to assume Christie Brown would relocate to international markets. However, Obuobi is in no hurry to move her brand abroad.
“I am so determined to build this brand for the continent, I want to be part of the brand that shapes the fashion scene on the continent,” she says emphatically.
The brand is now is now in its sixth year. Obuobi recently launched her ready-to-wear range in a new African-inspired store in the heart of Oxford Street, an exclusive shopping district in Accra. Christie Brown is now looking to expand its e-commerce offering. The online world awaits.

Tag: Trends

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