Issue #094

Welcome to your weekly dose of TooXToo, this week featuring La Dolce Vita 2023, Arsenal: No more Red, Hyundai’s “mobility of things”, and Dior’s 3D pop-up…

La Dolce Vita 2023

La Dolce Vita: a train that will exhibit a greener approach to luxury travel, and a slower lifestyle. In 2023, the new Orient Express train will debut in Italy, and will include 12 deluxe cabins, 18 suites, a restaurant and lounge bar.

The train has been designed by architectural firm Dimorestudio; its interiors want to appreciate the ‘craftsmanship, design and creativity of the 1960s and 1970s’. La Dolce Vita will primarily focus on discovering the sights of Italy alone. On the multiple routes available, guests will be able to “experience the first truffles and wine of the season” whilst observing the “peaks of the Alps in Cortina”. The routes have been called an ‘ode to slow travel and Italian lifestyle’ – allowing guests to unwind, and appreciate a slower pace of travel.

Overall, the routes taken by La Dolce Vita will cover 16,000km (9,942miles) of railway lines, passing through 131 different cities. The service hopes to demonstrate a greener approach to luxury travel- attracting mindful passengers “as a safe and eco-sustainable way of moving that protects the environment”

Commenting on the concept inspiring La Dolce Vita, Stephen Alden, CEO of Raffles and Orient Express, Accor, stated: “It is thrilling to be bringing the refined nomadic spirit of Orient Express back to life for a new generation of travellers”. 

Though not available to travel on until next year, this train is worth thinking about as we expect to see a growth in a greener approach to travel, as well as a slower way of life. ‘Slow Travel’ is an extension of the slow food movement well recognised in Italy. It is premised off the belief that there is a need to counteract the ‘fast’ ways of living indicative of a globalised world, by returning to simpler ways of living. Travel that is more mindful is already gaining traction, and La Dolce vita is an exciting concept stemming from this trend.

Arsenal: No more red

2021 observed knife crime as the leading cause of teenage murders in London on record. Between June 2020 and June 2021 over 10,000 knife crime offences took place in London. Responding to this staggering statistic, football Club Arsenal launched a new campaign ‘No More Red’, which is aimed at addressing the issues around youth violence and knife crime.

Arsenal FC have collaborated with Adidas to launch their unique, entirely white kit. Marking the launch of the kit, the team wore their new kit during the Emirates FA cup tie against Nottingham Forest on Sunday 9^th January. What is also unique about the all-white kit is that it will not be commercially available to buy. Instead, it will be awarded to those in the community deemed to be having a positive impact.

The team announced that following this launch, the shirts will become Arsenal’s “symbol of positivity in the community, given to individuals and organisations who are giving back to the community and creating a positive environment for young people”. 

Sport can change lives and Arsenal, amongst other organisations recognise this which is clear with their commitment to supporting better outcomes for younger people. A key takeaway from this campaign is the value found in community, it is collaboration that facilitates conversation, making change possible. ‘No More Red’ is an impressive step from an organisation with power that hopes to force discussions surrounding violence to counter knife crime in the future.

Hyundai’s “mobility of things”

This month, Hyundai has announced their new, forward-thinking concept: the ‘mobility of things’, which would transform a pre-existing inanimate object or ‘thing’ into a robot. This innovation will powerfully allow consumers to reconfigure space… on demand.

 

 

This concept is an extension on their ‘internet of things’ which they unveiled last decade, which centred around allowing objects to send information between each other. The ‘mobility of things’ will now enable objects to move through human operation or autonomously. Hyundai envisions their concept as being useful for a variation of spaces- from retail, to living and working environments.

Dong Jin, Hyundai vice-president and head of robotics lab commented: "In the world to come, you won't move your things — they will move around you".

At the Consumer electronics show last week, Hyundai unveiled several of their models demonstrating their concept. One of many included their ‘personal mobility pods’ that would link up to a public transport system. The idea is that the pods join onto a larger "mother shuttle" for most of the journey they take- but then would detach and travel either end to transport the traveller to their door, via joystick operation, or autonomously.

A second example that was showcased during their presentation was the ‘Spot Robot dog’ – that can assist blind people as well as acting as an attendant visiting a patient in hospital.

Hyundai are not the only automotive brand entering and investing in the realm of robotics and we expect to see more and more brands following this approach to improve access to mobility.

Dior’s 3D pop-up

Dior launched their 3D concept store in October 2021 that will remain open until the 22^nd March, 2022. It is one-of-a-kind however, because it has- thanks to Italian manufacturer WASP, been constructed using 3D printing.

The pop-up can be found on the Jumeirah beach in Dubai and is split into two modules. The material used to print the structures are all-natural and include sand, husk, and straw. Importantly, it’s outer walls are decorated with Dior’s iconic motif clearly reflecting the brand’s identity.

The process of printing the structure’s parts took 120 hours and was a greener alternative to traditional techniques. This is because advanced digital construction methods allow 3D printing to take place with minimal waste- subsequently minimising ecological impacts.

Dior is well known for high-quality products and beautiful style, and collaborating with this Italian manufacture to create their new pop up has curated a Dior shopping experience like no other, and has accelerated their green credentials in the process.

WASP hope to emphasise the benefits of using this technology in the construction industry, to tackle construction, waste and overall impact more mindfully.