Latest news with #Collage
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Collage Unveils Groundbreaking Gen Alpha Insights to Decode the Future of Influence and Purchase Behavior
Bethesda, MD, May 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Collage, the leader in cultural intelligence, today released a first-of-its-kind research, unlocking what drives Gen Alpha – their values, behaviors, and digital fluency. Representing the future of consumer behavior and household influence, Gen Alpha is the youngest, most diverse, and most digitally connected generation in U.S. history. Collage's new research delivers the deepest cultural insights available on this generation, grounded in proprietary data, in-culture expertise, and more than a decade of experience helping brands create their competitive advantage. Born after 2013, Gen Alpha may be young, but their influence is already reshaping key consumer categories, including food, personal care, fashion, media, and entertainment. As true digital natives, they are growing up in an era marked by cultural fluidity, identity exploration, and rapidly evolving content consumption. To remain relevant and drive long-term growth, brands must begin building authentic connections with Gen Alpha today. Over 44 million strong, and growing, Gen Alpha already influences household spend and brand choices in food, fashion, and personal care purchases today: 73% of parents of this generation say their kids are the first ones to tell them about new or popular things. 'Winning with Gen Alpha requires more than demographic snapshots,' said David Wellisch, CEO of Collage. 'It demands deep, culturally grounded insight into how they think, what shapes their preferences, and how they're already influencing the marketplace. This is where Collage offers an unmatched advantage.' With Collage's Gen Alpha insights, brands can uncover powerful opportunities to drive both immediate impact and long-term loyalty. The research reveals Gen Alpha's content preferences, media consumption patterns, shopping behaviors, and cultural influences - all offering marketers a clear path to grow share in categories where these young consumers already play a role in household decisions. It also surfaces unmet needs, values, and trend signals that will define Gen Alpha's purchasing behavior in the years ahead. In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, Collage helps brands identify the platforms Gen Alpha engages with most, enabling smarter media investments and more effective messaging. Ultimately, this intelligence empowers brands to future-proof their portfolios by building early trust with a generation that is already shaping cultural norms and consumer expectations. Collage's Gen Alpha research is now available on its Insights Hub, giving brands immediate access to culturally grounded data and activation-ready insights. Audience Profiles for Parents of Gen Alpha are also available in Collage's app, helping brands target the buyers most efficiently. In collaboration with Insights Association, on June 10, Collage will present a webinar, "New Gen Alpha Trends: Tap Into the Drivers for Media, Entertainment, and Personal Care." The presentation will highlight new research on offering marketers practical guidance on engaging Gen Alpha and unlocking brand growth through culturally fluent strategy. About Collage Collage is the only cultural intelligence engine that fuses consumer, industry, and brand data to provide brands with insights on the why behind consumers' behaviors – so they can act quickly to fuel growth. The company's data science engine provides unrivaled depth of cultural insight from 26 billion primary data points. With access to head-to-head brand, category, and industry competitive assessments plus original, consumer-driven studies and weekly additions, the world's leading brands rely on Collage to get a deep understanding of how to drive brand love and business growth by tapping into culture. The curated, always-on, easy-to-use digital access is flexible and cost-efficient for your business needs. Founded in 2009, culture has always been at the company's core. Collage is a National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) certified minority-owned small business. CONTACT: Quintin Simmons Collage Group qsimmons@ in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
4 Ways Retailers Are Preying on Your Tariff Anxieties and Making You Spend More
Americans have gone on a money-spending spree this spring — and not because they feel rich. Quite the opposite, with the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index falling nearly 30% since January. Already, 72% of consumers have changed their shopping habits per a Collage study, with many stockpiling goods and even 'doom spending.' And retailers have played an active role in stoking those tariff anxieties — below are some examples of how. Trending Now: For You: The most obvious way that retailers have spurred more spending is simply saying 'Price hikes are coming.' Quynh Mai, founder of retailer PR agency Qulture, explained how effective the strategy has been. 'Retailers from Walmart to Amazon have already warned their customers about rising prices and the media has been showing pictures of empty shelves. Customers, who remember scrambling for toilet paper, get the subliminal message and are pre-shopping before prices skyrocket, especially on high-ticket items like iPhones.' Read Next: A sneakier tactic involves retailers hiking prices now, before tariffs have hit their wholesale costs and then announcing discounts and sales. 'For example, say a flooring company paid $1.50 a square foot and they normally sell for $2.50 a square foot,' explained Melanie Musson, finance expert with 'Then they increase pricing to $3.50 a square foot and offer you a 10% 'pre-tariff discount,' you're going to pay over $3 a square foot. The buyer feels like they got a deal, but they didn't.' Retailers have banged the tariff drum on earnings calls, loudly and repeatedly. In fact, FactSet reported that 91% of the S&P 500 companies who have reported first quarter earnings mentioned tariffs. They beat out artificial intelligence (AI) as the new corporate buzzword. By doing so, retailers lay the groundwork for future earnings misses while simultaneously fueling inflation fears and doom spending. Mai, who works with fashion retail brands, said many have grown aggressive in how they message tariff risks. 'Many brands, afraid of the future of their businesses, are pushing outrageous sales and speaking publicly about possibly closing their businesses, prompting a hoarding mentality amongst their customers.' Will tariffs send consumer prices through the roof? Maybe. In the meantime, retailers are doing some stockpiling of their own: profits. More From GOBankingRates 8 Dollar Tree Items Retirees Need To Buy Ahead of Summer 2025 How Far $750K Plus Social Security Goes in Retirement in Every US Region 4 Affordable Car Brands You Won't Regret Buying in 2025 This article originally appeared on 4 Ways Retailers Are Preying on Your Tariff Anxieties and Making You Spend More Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
4 Ways Retailers Are Preying on Your Tariff Anxieties and Making You Spend More
Americans have gone on a money-spending spree this spring — and not because they feel rich. Quite the opposite, with the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index falling nearly 30% since January. Already, 72% of consumers have changed their shopping habits per a Collage study, with many stockpiling goods and even 'doom spending.' And retailers have played an active role in stoking those tariff anxieties — below are some examples of how. Trending Now: For You: The most obvious way that retailers have spurred more spending is simply saying 'Price hikes are coming.' Quynh Mai, founder of retailer PR agency Qulture, explained how effective the strategy has been. 'Retailers from Walmart to Amazon have already warned their customers about rising prices and the media has been showing pictures of empty shelves. Customers, who remember scrambling for toilet paper, get the subliminal message and are pre-shopping before prices skyrocket, especially on high-ticket items like iPhones.' Read Next: A sneakier tactic involves retailers hiking prices now, before tariffs have hit their wholesale costs and then announcing discounts and sales. 'For example, say a flooring company paid $1.50 a square foot and they normally sell for $2.50 a square foot,' explained Melanie Musson, finance expert with 'Then they increase pricing to $3.50 a square foot and offer you a 10% 'pre-tariff discount,' you're going to pay over $3 a square foot. The buyer feels like they got a deal, but they didn't.' Retailers have banged the tariff drum on earnings calls, loudly and repeatedly. In fact, FactSet reported that 91% of the S&P 500 companies who have reported first quarter earnings mentioned tariffs. They beat out artificial intelligence (AI) as the new corporate buzzword. By doing so, retailers lay the groundwork for future earnings misses while simultaneously fueling inflation fears and doom spending. Mai, who works with fashion retail brands, said many have grown aggressive in how they message tariff risks. 'Many brands, afraid of the future of their businesses, are pushing outrageous sales and speaking publicly about possibly closing their businesses, prompting a hoarding mentality amongst their customers.' Will tariffs send consumer prices through the roof? Maybe. In the meantime, retailers are doing some stockpiling of their own: profits. More From GOBankingRates 8 Dollar Tree Items Retirees Need To Buy Ahead of Summer 2025 How Far $750K Plus Social Security Goes in Retirement in Every US Region 4 Affordable Car Brands You Won't Regret Buying in 2025 This article originally appeared on 4 Ways Retailers Are Preying on Your Tariff Anxieties and Making You Spend More Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Aperture Winery Unveils 'Collage,' A New Chapter In Sonoma Winemaking
Aperture Cellars Collage Aperture Cellars has never shied away from blending art and wine—but with Collage, its most ambitious release to date, the Sonoma winery founded by Jesse Katz is taking that philosophy to soaring new heights. Officially launched on May 3 with a vibrant celebration at the Aperture Estate, Collage is more than just a pair of wines. It's a statement—on craftsmanship, on terroir, and on the cultural power of creative expression. 'This is the next chapter,' says Katz. 'We've looked at over 300 different lots to create these two unique, proprietary wines. There are no boundaries to this project—only the goal of making the best wine possible from a single vintage.' Aperture Cellars Collage The new Collage collection includes two inaugural wines: the 2022 Proprietary White Wine ($375/3-pack) and the 2021 Proprietary Red Wine ($1,275/3-pack), both available beginning May 13 via These aren't simple blends—they're labor-intensive, high-concept creations that draw from over 200 acres across five distinct Sonoma AVAs, including estate vines planted as far back as 1912. From over 300 individual vineyard lots, Katz and his team selected only the finest barrels to create what he calls 'a sense of time'—a bottled snapshot of a singular vintage, refined by meticulous craftsmanship. 'There's no recipe to this,' Katz says. 'If I can't make something perfect from a vintage, we won't bottle it.' Aperture Collage The 2022 Proprietary White Wine, made entirely from Sauvignon Blanc, was aged for 18 months in barrel and then transferred to custom-made concrete vessels for six more months of refinement. The result is a white wine with precision, polish, and unexpected depth. It's vibrant yet rich—layered with tropical fruit, citrus, green papaya, and a distinctive lemon meringue note, all buoyed by a subtle mineral finish courtesy of the concrete aging. 'It's unlike any white wine I've ever tasted,' Katz says. 'Bright, focused, and full of richness. There's nothing else like it.' The 2021 Collage Proprietary Red is a striking study in balance—intensely structured yet polished, with deep concentration and finesse. Crafted from select hillside vineyard sites and aged for two years in barrel followed by six months in concrete and an additional year in bottle, the wine offers a rich tapestry of dark fruit, savory spice, and integrated tannins. 'This is not just a powerful wine—it's a focused one,' Katz says. 'The concrete aging adds lift and texture, allowing the components to marry together and evolve as one.' The wine's extended aging and complex construction showcase Katz's deep global winemaking experience—now over 25 harvests strong—and his dedication to redefining what California blends can be. Aperture Cellars Collage True to its name, Collage is also a visual masterpiece. Designed in collaboration with Katz's father, renowned photographer Andy Katz, the label features more than 20 of Andy's images layered together using a camera shutter motif. It took seven production passes, custom die cuts, and new label technology just to bring it to life. 'No one's ever made a label like this,' says Katz. 'It's as ambitious as the wine inside.' Each bottle is sealed with hand-dipped wax and exudes tactile artistry—intended to mirror the sensory depth of the wines themselves. While Aperture's prior wines have always been site-driven and varietally focused, Collage represents a more avant-garde evolution—one where boundaries are removed and creativity is the only rule. It's a collection rooted in Sonoma's storied soils but expressed through Katz's global perspective and bold sense of innovation. 'Sonoma County still has that spirit of discovery,' Katz says. 'It allows us to be pioneers and create something truly new, while honoring those who came before us.'
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Hindu
Sustainable fashion label ILK launches its Mutualism collection in Chennai
Imagine transforming everyday fabrics into unusual and craft-oriented pieces through intricate textures and a thoughtful approach towards design, where even leftover fabrics find new life. That is the essence of ILK, a design label started by two friends over a decade ago. Shikha Grover and Vinita Adhikari, who discovered an instant alignment in their aesthetics while working together under another designer, say that the birth of ILK was remarkably spontaneous. This initial togetherness mirrors the meaning they later found in their brand name. 'It means a clan, a community and this has been part of our ethos since the beginning,' says Shikha. Over the years, ILK has evolved from experimenting with diverse materials — even 'cycle spokes, nuts, and bolts' — to establishing itself in the luxury-casual intersection, with a focus on comfortable and distinctive designs. Their latest collection, Mutualism, draws from the deep-rooted bond of interdependence in Nature. 'You know how a specific type of bird feeds on the parasites and worms on a zebra's skin? It helps the zebra keep its skin clean. They are dependent on each other. Even in our society, we have different communities coming together and depending on each other, and that's where this concept comes from,' says Vinita. This concept of interconnectedness extends to their broader philosophy of community too. ILK has launched this collection in Chennai at multi-brand design store Collage this week. 'We have done a few events in Chennai before, and the fashion sensibility of the city is very on-brand for us. I feel like the design aesthetic of Chennai is subtle, and they are conscious about the kind of fabrics they choose. We do some breezy, comfortable fabrics, and it suits the city well,' says Shikha, adding that comfort has always been a top priority. 'We do try to wear each product ourselves first to see how it is feeling from inside. We check to see if there are a lot of raw edges on the inside, and if we are able to slip in and out of it comfortably,' says Shikha. The pieces in Mutualism are made from leftover pieces of fabric, brought together carefully by applying a sense of aesthetic that makes each piece unique. 'We have done appliquéing work on them to create texture. It is sustainable and there is less wastage. The product comes out looking unique,' says Vinita. Some garments feature layers of sheer and solid fabrics stitched into patterns that mimic flowers, shrubs and trees, while others are adorned with motifs that are a nod to the animal kingdom, with zebra and cheetah skin-like texture. The effect is subtle, but speaks volumes — of balance, relationship, and co-creation. Mutualism by ILK is on display at Collage, Chennai. Shop the collection starting ₹8,500.
