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Louise Marsland’s (@Louise_Marsland) pick of new product, packaging and design launches.

Sustainable packaging trends, Lancôme gets animated with designer Alber Elbaz and CID goes to the wall for Wiesenhof, while we discover some eco-friendly kids toys.

Designer Lancôme

Lancôme has announced a daring collaboration with fashion designer Alber Elbaz for the design of its new product range being unveiled this year.

A short animated clip was posted on YouTube to announce the collaboration.

“Alber Elbaz is, without a doubt, one of the world’s most influential fashion designers. But beyond that, he is also the most talented. His sense of luxury, his vision of femininity and that hint of audacity, resonate perfectly with the new values of the Maison Lancôme,” explained Youcef S. Nabi, Lancôme President.

The “deeply audacious” Lancôme Alber Elbaz collection will be unveiled worldwide on June 15 and arrive September 16 in South Africa.

Smell the coffee

Clarion Innovation & Design (CID), the design and innovation division of The Clarion Group, recently completed a design and branding project for Wiesenhof Coffees.

CID was briefed to design interior wall branding for the new Wiesenhof Coffee Bar at Cape Gate Makro, working within existing brand guidelines and visual language, whilst giving the restaurant branding a Cape flavour.

Sustainable packaging

Sustainability is manifesting in how brands are communicating and positioning themselves today, most noticeably through packaging.

Added Value’s cultural insight and semiotics specialist, Dr Inka Crosswaite, has identified new trends emerging in sustainable packaging: there’s the rise of digital, the power of pouches, labelling for recovery, utilising new materials, downsizing product packaging in terms of formats and materials as well as concentrates, packaging on demand, the return of paper, reusable and refillable packs, recyclable packs made from recycled materials, and biodegradable or compostable packs.

“One of the areas where brands can improve their sustainability credentials is packaging. So much so that the Sustainable Packaging Coalition has published a concise definition of what it expects from brands claiming to be packaged in sustainable packing.”

Smart product pick of the week

Smarticle, a recently launched online toyshop, offers a boutique range of educational products hand-picked as the best examples of green design.

They believe that toys should be natural, safe, eco-friendly, non-violent and sourced from manufacturers who provide safe and nurturing environments for their employees.

The range of selected toys on offer from Smarticle caters from tiny tots to 10-year-olds. The range includes arts and crafts goodies, games and puzzles, toys for active play and outdoor fun and building sets and blocks.

Offering fair, competitive pricing, Smarticle’s unique range of educational products are sourced from around the world, chosen for their excellence in green design.

– Shelf Life by Louise Marsland is a weekly column on MarkLives. Tweet new product, packaging and design launches to @louise_marsland.

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Louise Marsland has written about the FMCG, media, marketing and advertising industry for 18 years of her 25 year media career as a former Editor of magazines AdVantage, Marketing Mix and Progressive Retailing; as well as websites Bizcommunity.com and FMCGFiles. She currently edits the weekly Wednesday Media & Marketing Page for The New Age newspaper; and is the co-founder and Publishing Editor of SA’s newly launched industry trendwatching portal, TREND. at www.trendlives.info, in partnership with MarkLives.com.

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