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Contemplative Brands
British department store Selfridges’ Quiet Space
– a silent, unbranded area for meditation and
contemplation – offered shoppers an opportunity
to focus on unspecified meditative thoughts,
giving added value to the store space from the
consumer’s point of view. Similarly, Lululemon
Athletica recently held its first Gospel of Sweat in
a New York church. More than 800 people flocked
to hear “sermons” focusing on inner peace and
interpersonal connection.
Thoughtful Academies
In the past few years, a number of thought-
provoking academies – such as The School of
Life, The Idler Academy and clothing brand
Howie’s Do lectures – have launched, indicating a
growing consumer desire for self-improvement,
self-worth and community spirit. The School of
Life recently expanded from its London site to host
temporary sites in Australia and Brazil. Its series
of seminars include topics ranging from How to
Realise Your Potential to How to Make Love Last.
Religion for Atheists – a book by Swiss-born
founder of the School of Life, Alain de Botton,
published in 2012 – explores how the secular
world can benefit by borrowing from religion.
De Botton calls for non-religious temples that
celebrate ethical beliefs such as forgiveness
and provide a space for reflection. This led to his
idea for a Temple of Perspective to be erected
in London’s financial district (an area devoid of
spirituality, according to De Botton). The UK’s
Guardian newspaper reports that De Botton has
raised considerable capital towards this end, and
construction could begin this year, subject to
council permission.
Places that embody calm, solitude and gratitude
are also popping up in the unlikeliest of locations:
•
The Kamppi Chapel of Silence – situated
near the entrance to the Kamppi shopping
mall in Helsinki – is an unobtrusive structure
that offers time out from the hustle
and bustle.
•
Airports across the US – including San
Francisco International Airport – now boast
stylish yoga rooms, enabling travellers to
decompress while in transit.
•
Israeli designer Arik Levy’s Rock Chamber
installation for the Bisazza Foundation
exhibition space in Vicenza, Italy, embodies
the idea of cocooning. “It’s not the escape
that is important, but the lack of private, calm
and relaxing spaces around us,” says Levy.
26
Redefine
Consumer Lifestyle
"It’s not the
escape that is
important, but the
lack of private,
calm and relaxing
spaces around us."
Arik Levy, Israeli designer
School of Life,
Melbourne
© David Michael