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Summer Escape: a guide to country & summer houses

Summer Escape: a guide to country & summer houses

Summer Escape: a guide to country & summer houses

Packing your bags and escaping from that busy city lifestyle to a summer or country house is one of the most exciting summertime pleasures. Waking up to a bright sky and bird sounds, in a house amongst a field of wildflowers is a uniquely happy feeling. But it is more than just an aesthetic, summer & country houses have a culture of their own. In 2020, hashtags such as #cottagecore and #countryliving saw a 153% jump, and are now counting more than 600 million views on TikTok and 8 million posts on Instagram. Living in “fast-paced societies” makes us long for simplicity, and summer & country living have been an attractive way to revert back to slow living. Though they have a common purpose, summer & country homes have distinctive aesthetics and cultural aspects that differ across countries.

Picture this: a rustic country house surrounded by olive trees in the French Provence, a British cottage with its garden table covered in blossom, a sunny colored Danish summer house beside a vast white sand beach. But how can brands best use these cultural and aesthetic differences whilst still playing on the rising “escapism” and “country living” trend? VOCAST gathered insights from four different markets, to help you navigate through the summer & country homes trend.

Denmark: Summer House Hygge

With more than 200,000 summer houses across the country, summer houses are an integral part of the Danish lifestyle and come in many shapes and sizes. From cottages in gardens to modern houses in the dunes – whichever the type, Danish hygge is guaranteed. It is common for Danes to have a “second home” they can escape to during sunny weekends. In fact, from July 2021 to August 2021 there were more than 4 million overnight stays in Danish summer houses. Danes have summer houses all over the country, and often near the coast by the Danish Riviera, Bornholm, the West Coast, and Northern Jutland.

The traditional summer house style is described as romantic with “hygge” being at the center of the home – meaning that going to a summerhouse is about getting comfortable and being together around a fireplace during chilly evenings. Classic summer houses are usually one-story buildings made out of wood, with white windows – surrounded by a garden or dunes, as well as bikes. Since summer houses in Denmark are often considered “second homes”, the furniture, as well as the dishes and glassware, are often vintage and the furniture often gets passed on from generation to generation, rendering the interior very mixed when it comes to styles, with both vintage and new furniture. The interior is often simple with romantic pastel tones and light floral prints, as there needs to be much daylight and naturalness – and most importantly because Danish summer houses are about being casual and not wanting to “show off”.

France: Sophisticated Rural Living

From seaside houses by the cliffs in Normandy to rural country houses amongst lavender fields in Provence – France has a lot to offer when it comes to summer getaways. The charming countryside of Provence and the Côte d’Azur are amongst the most popular holiday regions in France, with a rise of 50% more summerhouse bookings in these regions in 2021. Summers in the South of France represents a true lifestyle – an afternoon of pétanque with friends, enjoying gourmet delicacies surrounded by the sounds of cicadas, and the most essential part; summer houses, which play an important role in the sophisticated “southern lifestyle”. One can quickly notice how French country houses represent a whole culture and a rising trend in itself – with blogs, magazines, and social media accounts being fully dedicated to French country living.

French country living is about slowing down, spending time with loved ones over long lunches and dinners, and letting nature “do its job”. Most French country houses are rural and made out of old stones, it is, therefore, essential to have a sober interior with furniture made out of marble and ceramic. Since French country houses are a family affair, much energy is put into finding the right interior furniture that does not disrupt the authenticity of the house and that has great value, families like to invest in valuable design pieces that will increase the authenticity of the house. The terrace is also an essential part of the house, it is the place where we reunite for breakfast or read a book and relax, many French country homes will have a large terrace either by the pool or with a view of the garden. Making it essential to have comfortable outdoor furniture, such as wooden lounge chairs and a long dining table.

The UK: Cottage Core and Rural Fantasy

Preceding the lockdown, a new lifestyle trend became increasingly present on all social media channels; cottage core. This is a lifestyle and aesthetic that has been attached to the English countryside, especially for encompassing the ideals of countryside living. British country living is a rising trend; it represents an authentic way of living far away from fast-paced cities and embraces naturalness which spells out coziness and rural life.

In the UK, there is no “summer house culture” rather, Brits go away on trips “to the country”. This means staying in sweet countryside cottages surrounded by nature, having long walks in your rubber boots, and going for picnics. With romanticism and nostalgia being at the core of English countryside life, British cottages have a cozy and inviting interior – such as pastel-colored furniture, natural indoor elements such as dried and fresh flowers (especially if they have been plucked from the garden), and wooden furniture such as wicker baskets. One of the main decorative elements of a British cottage is charming floral prints on the bed linen, rugs, and curtains. Floral prints enhance the old-fashioned, yet charming, side of the British cottage core aesthetic. Also, essential to this aesthetic is a dose of “historical inspiration” where tableware and teapots showing off “grandma vibes” fit fully within the British cottage core aesthetic. 

The US: Beach Houses and Mountainside Cabins

Due to people having to work remotely and wanting to escape the daily hustle of urban areas, the vacation markets in the US have seen a real “boom” with many seeking secondary homes by the lakefront or even the mountains – the US has a large diversity when it comes to landscapes and charming spots, anyone can find a home that fits within their lifestyle interests whether it to be skiing, hiking or simply to relax at the beach.

The mountains in North Carolina and the beaches in Florida are amongst the top locations for holiday homes in the US. Although being in the same country, a vacation in a cabin by the mountain or in a beach house are highly different holiday experiences, that entail very distinctive cultural aspects and aesthetics. Cabin culture is highly popular and entails holidays by the mountains, located in remote areas where winter activities can be practiced such as skiing. Cabins have cozy interior aesthetics, such as vintage wooden furniture and lots of plushy pillows and blankets. In contrast, beach houses are more light and airy, with light wood and colors. Beach houses also reflect a more Scandinavian aesthetic and minimalist furniture is prioritized to create space and let the ocean breeze ventilate into the home. 


Meet the summer & country living contacts

Denmark 🇩🇰 Det Lille Sorte

Sussie Frank is the woman behind Instagram account @detlillesorte, where she shares colorful content from her summerhouse.
Following on Instagram: 15K

Sarah Friis – Danish Lifestyle Researcher

France 🇫🇷 HOME Magazine

HOME Magazine, is a French interior magazine dedicated to slow living that covers natural and countrylike interiors.
Following on Instagram: 57K
 

Ema Laurenzana, French Lifestyle Researcher

THE UK 🇬🇧 Steph Gowla

Steph lives in a 500-year-old English cottage and her style is inspired by the countryside and surrounding nature. She is an advocate for a natural, rustic, authentic & simple home interior style.
Following on Instagram: 103K

Georgina Juel, UK Lifestyle Researcher

THE US 🇺🇸 Sara & Rich Combs

Sara and Rich run the Joshua Tree house, located California. Started by a need to “create a creative space”, they have designed and curated several vacation homes that provide a serene experience through the combination of beautiful design and appreciation of the natural desert landscape. 
Following on Instagram: 301K

Olivia Jensen, US Lifestyle Researcher

Facts & Figures

Industry Insights

There are globally 115,000 vacation rental companies.

21% of all vacation rental properties are in the US; 60% are in Europe.

74% of travelers prefer to be on the coast.

51% of travelers prefer mountainous vacations.

The most googled home decor trends in 2021

#cottagecore
#zen
#modernrustic
#transitionaldesign

 

 

Ema is the Lifestyle Researcher for the French market at VOCAST. She grew up in Brussels and previously worked with fashion PR. She is currently studying a master’s degree in international development and business and has a strong interest in sustainable and ethical practices within the fashion industry.

 

 

 

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Salvatori launches Digital Showroom powered by VOCAST

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Salvatori launches Digital Showroom powered by VOCAST

Salvatori is an award-winning Italian design company specializing in natural stone and creating innovative products for every part of the home. Since 1946, innovation is entrenched in the DNA of the company. Drawing on the very best of Made in Italy values and cutting-edge engineering and technological know-how, Salvatori fuses old-fashioned craftsmanship with contemporary design. Working closely with architects, designers, and builders to provide not only practical support but also inspiring new ways to work with stone which often challenge traditional thinking.

Today the third generation continues the story of innovation and at VOCAST we are proud to support the digital expansion of such a legacy. We sat down with Salvatori to know more about the reasons why they chose VOCAST for their B2B digital endeavors. 

What were your digital needs before finding VOCAST?

We were using a series of different platforms and it got to the point that we realized our partners, dealers, and other parties needed a tool where they could find everything in one place. We wanted to make it easy to share resources such as images, documents, and so on.

What is your favorite feature of the digital showroom?

We love the tags and filters because it means the latest, freshest content is immediately available and easy to find when a user searches a particular product. Another favorite is the way you can choose images and add them to your basket – this is a really useful sharing tool for our press office. 

 

Our sales network has really noticed the difference, as they now have more autonomy in the way they access and share materials. We can also quantify the most downloaded and appreciated content which in turn, helps us to develop more relevant images and documents.

 

Discover Salvatori’s Digital Showroom

 

 

Let’s get digital

Why not give a visual experience that tells a story about your brand, just as you would in your physical showroom? VOCAST supports hundreds of brands by setting up their tailor-made image banks. It’s a place for their hand-picked editors, influencers, buyers, and retailers to access their assets on the go. Learn more about the VOCAST image bank feature here: https://vocast.com/digital-showroom

 

Ines is the Research and Marketing Manager at VOCAST.  She previously worked in the beauty industry and is now an expert in social media and digital marketing. Every day she helps design-driven brands navigate digital trends and carry out their marketing and brand strategies effortlessly.

 

 

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Content marketing is one of the most effective methods of developing brand presence, growing an audience, and driving sales for many brands. Consistency in brand messaging is one of the many factors that determine growth and control over a company’s narrative. Strong brands know how to portray their brand consistently and at every customer touchpoint. 

But how do you parallel this with your equally important partners, press, and other B2B collaborators? We sat down with Emmy Björling, PR & Marketing Manager at Swedish accessories and shoe brand ATP Atelier, to talk about the benefits of producing consistent and high-quality content. Learn how ATP Atelier efficiently distributes unique stories with their B2B partners. 

Why is producing quality digital content important?

For us to be able to stand out in the overly saturated fashion industry it’s important to not only create unique and exciting products but also to match that with interesting content. In some cases, content even trumps product in importance. The content tells a story the product can’t. In this day and age, most people shop to realize themselves and to associate themselves with a brand’s values rather than filling an actual “need” through a product.

ATP Atelier is known for fun and original content, how do you create something that grabs the eye and captures your brand identity?

We really value all the content that we do, which means that we put a lot of effort into how it will look and how it will feel so that the content really shows the core of the brand. It’s a constant flow process coming mainly from a team of four people in marketing. One of us has been working here for a very long time and she’s head of all the content that we produce. That is really something that helps us do almost everything in-house.

As for the inspiration, we get it from everywhere, from our creative director, the products we make, the community around us, etc…We also have a physical universe which is our Atelier, it’s much more than a store, we have other brands that we represent as well. All sorts of furniture and art that we feel are a part of our identity. We collect things around us that will be sooner or later be the inspiration for everything we do.

You also create specific content for specific retailers/stores, what are the benefits you see in doing this?

When you have a lot of different retailers around the world it might be difficult to present our brand the way we think it should be. But one way of keeping it all together is through the content that we share and create together.
For us content is so important and in that way we also want to share that with our retailers and our partners, it’s a win-win situation. That helps with keeping the narrative of ATP Atelier and the branding consistent.

In the case that we want to put a bit more effort into a certain partnership, we could for instance do a collaboration on a product level where we would do a product design together and we will also create content for that product. Sometimes we do content collaborations where we will share the story of ATP Atelier while including their products as well.

For example, we did a very successful collaboration with Net-a-Porter last summer where we created a product together – a cozier version of our Doris everyday sandals, we also worked on a content collaboration with the influencer Linh Niller. That content was shared between all of us on social media and other channels. By joining our forces together with Linh and Net-a-Porter we achieved create a very successful content collaboration.

What were your digital needs before finding VOCAST? 

We didn’t have an in-house team which means that we basically didn’t control any of the PR. We would send pictures via email or did simple wetransfers to different PR agencies. Our PR team was started together with implementing VOCAST. It simplified the whole process and we now do everything ourselves.

You create landing pages for your different collections detailing and sharing all the assets and essence of the collection. How did this idea come up?

It came up when we couldn’t travel or have anyone visit our physical showroom during the lockdowns. The whole media bank is where all pictures are but the focus is more on downloading the assets. I wanted to create an interactive page that you can share with anyone anywhere and that contains the spirit of each collection while keeping control over the narrative. It’s been great to share that because we also use it for our sales purposes, our sales team couldn’t travel as well and they use it for prospecting mainly and presenting the new collections.

What is your favorite feature of the digital showroom?

Creating and sharing selections, we use it a lot to send to stylists, to press, and partners. It’s so easy to be able to showcase in one go for example what are the heels for this season just for them to see.

What are some of the benefits you are already seeing with using our platform?

It makes a huge difference for us, if we didn’t have it we wouldn’t have a natural place to direct all the important people that should have the information for the upcoming season. I work with it every day and I think it’s an amazing solution.

Marketing teams are always working hard to make a great customer journey and I would say that as PR managers we are also focusing on creating that same journey for the whole process that comes before the end customer. VOCAST is a tool that helps us create that brand journey from start to finish. It also simplifies the whole sending back-and-forth of big assets.

 

Discover ATP Atelier’s Digital Showroom

About ATP Atelier

ATP Atelier was founded by two close friends Maj-La and Jonas. ATP Atelier was born out of the desire to create shoes and leather goods that couple contemporary Scandinavian design and authentic Italian craftsmanship. The mission is to challenge the concept of luxury – to make it smart, not redundant. With a sustainable mindset ATP Atelier sets out to create, not just because, but to make a real difference in women’s lives. Read more about ATP Atelier or discover their digital showroom

 

Let’s get digital

Why not give a visual experience that tells a story about your brand, just as you would in your physical showroom? VOCAST supports hundreds of brands by setting up their tailor-made image banks. It’s a place for their hand-picked editors, influencers, buyers, and retailers to access their assets on the go. Learn more about the VOCAST image bank feature here: https://vocast.com/digital-showroom

 

Ines is the Research and Marketing Manager at VOCAST.  She previously worked in the beauty industry and is now an expert in social media and digital marketing. Every day she helps design-driven brands navigate digital trends and carry out their marketing and brand strategies effortlessly.

 

 

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Entrepreneurs as influencers: why should you partner with them?

Entrepreneurs as influencers: why should you partner with them?

Entrepreneurs as influencers: why should you partner with them?

Entrepreneurs with a large following on both their business and personal accounts are excellent brand ambassadors. Their business savvy outlook influences the market, as they create new products that consumers are looking for. Moreover, their followers are loyal to them because they trust them not only as professionals but because of their unique voice and personal style. 

To celebrate International Women’s Day, VOCAST sat down to talk to three incredible international female entrepreneurs. They have shared their expert insight with us about everything from collaboration work, marketing tips, and their visions for change. These women, like so many entrepreneurs, are actively breaking down barriers and creating space for something exciting and new.

Meet Emily, Edwina & Stina

Emily Padan is a strong believer in living as sustainably and slowly as possible. After 7 years as a teacher, she joined forces with her partner to create hinter, a hospitality company in Canada, creating design-focused spaces in the middle of nature. Amidst the pandemic, she started Bloom Class, a virtual education platform for kids. Both businesses plant trees for every booking. Emily also began a podcast called Finding Your Wave, where she and her guests navigate the ins and outs of life, such as change, relationships, self-love and self-discovery, and business.  
Born and raised in Sweden by Ghanaian parents, Edwina Kulego is the Vice President of International and Business Development at Informa Markets Fashion. Edwina has over 12 years of experience in the fashion and events industry. Edwina is also the founder and CEO of Essentials By Edwina: a vegan, makeup collection designed for women of color. She is a proud member of African Health Now, a non-profit organization that provides accessibility to primary health care in Africa. Fluent in Swedish, English, Ga, Twi, and proficient in Danish, Edwina was poised to be a trendsetter in International Business.

Stina Lönnkvist is the Co-Founder of MANTLE, together with Josefin Landgård, they went on a deep dive, exploring the world of CBD. They quickly recognized its powerful potential to upgrade skin health, restore personal balance, and enhance well-being for people leading full lives. From this union, they founded MANTLE – a Scandinavian beauty & wellness brand powered by cannabis. The concept of their range is to combine the best of both worlds. All products consist of a powerful blend of actives + botanicals to promote radical results with minimal effort. You can also visit their digital showroom, powered by VOCAST.

Entrepreneurial influence

Entrepreneurs are beneficial for established brands to work with because they represent the newness and passion within the industry. Edwina explains this passion, telling us: “I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so it’s in my blood I think. As a consumer, I was having such a hard time finding nude colors of lipstick for myself, and my friends shared the same agony. So I just decided, you know what, I’m going to do it!” 

Stina talks to us about what influence is to her, and how can mean different things:

« It can be influence through reach, capital, power, or brand. In business, I have influence on my team being co-founder, and I hope to influence the beauty industry with the power of MANTLE’s brand and what we stand for. »

Authentic ambassadors, with en edge

Emily has a large influence and she tells us how her goal on her personal account, and her business account, is to make a difference in the world: “That is what I’ve always wanted to do in general. I’ve always wanted to make an impact, even in the smallest way. Whether it’s self-care or slow living – whatever it is, I would really like to think that I can make a small mark on other lives.” 

She explains how entrepreneurs stand out from other influencers. For her, she can offer to create content for her personal brand at a hinter space:

« In a way, I’m leveraging the brand as well and I think it sets me apart from someone else. When I work with a brand, I can offer this really beautiful space to create the content in. »

She tells us how, because of her business,  her aesthetic is trusted by brands, as it’s one of the main pillars of hinter. She shares with us how she gets people reaching out to her because they’ve found her through hinter, as well as from people who have found her through her own Instagram and TikTok – “it does work both ways” she says. 

Collaboration: why is it so important?

Collaborating with entrepreneurs and their brands is beneficial because it allows you to tap into a new audience. As Edwina happily tells us:

« I think that collabs were really what gave me the confidence to start Essentials, and also to make use of my network. I’m all about collaboration, I think it’s a great way to grow and tap into a new demographic. »

Entrepreneurs are great partners for your brand because they operate with authenticity. When you are the face of both your personal brand and your business’ brand, you come from a place of professional growth and knowledge. Emily tells us about how her personal brand has shifted over time because she changed over time: 

“My personality has changed, my values have changed,” she says. She continues telling us how throughout the journey of hinter, she has become even more sustainable, even more, focused on design and aesthetics, even more into slow living.

Stina talks about how from a business perspective, she needs to represent the brand and she always thinks of what’s best for the MANTLE brand at large first and foremost. But, on her platform she only needs to represent herself:

« It’s all very intertwined, and in many ways, I represent MANTLE 24/7! »

How should you partner with entrepreneurs?

Brands can come together and serve different purposes, fashion and home interior working together for example is very beneficial because there is a large consumer base who love both. 

Stina tells us that when you do a cross-industry collaboration, the real magic happens. She says that it’s impossible to be good at everything so partnering up with people that have skills and talents you might be lacking is a way of learning and also securing the best results: “I’m very proud of our partnership with fragrance brand CRA-YON. They took MANTLE’s CBD and our vision for a fragrance, and turned it into reality with their 14 years of experience.”

Edwina believes that cross-collaboration, when you’re thinking about marketing, is great:

« If you’re looking to tap into a new demographic or a new consumer base, collaboration is the name of the game, especially in fashion. »

Emily explains how hinter partnerships, are part of the brand. The robes you would to wear to the sauna – she wants to tell the story of that brand. The candles – she works with local artisans and companies. Emily truly believes that her brand wouldn’t exist with the carpenter, the architect, the smells, or the textures:

« A brand is only as strong as its community, and the community exists within it. The community is not just hinter’s guests, it’s the people behind the brand that we work with. It’s fun to learn about humans and I think we need to do more of that. »

Entrepreneurial partnerships in a time of change

It is a common thread amongst entrepreneurs to care deeply about change. Change in the industry, to society, and for the planet. Stina shares with us how she firmly believes that women attain more influence in society by starting companies and having careers on equal terms with men: “That’s something I hope to see even more of in the future!”

Edwina advises businesses, big and small, to try and be as inclusive as possible. She believes that every company should be striving for that because it only makes them better, especially when you have women in leadership.

As Edwina puts it: 

« Women have an innate ability and desire to include, nurture, train, and teach. I think those qualities are great at home, but they are wonderful in business. »

 She openly tells us how after becoming a mother, she felt the world makes women feel like they have to pick and choose: “Women really are unicorns. We can do so much and we need to own a seat at the table everywhere, it’s so necessary. We love men, and they deserve to be there. But, the idea of the boys club making decisions for us all is changing.”

Emily discusses with us how she believes we can better the world overall through kindness to ourselves, helping others around us, and working together with like-minded businesses. She tells us that research shows that happiness doesn’t come from self-care, it comes from helping others. However, if you work too hard to help others all the time, you can burn out:

« There is a healthy balance and you can find that beautiful sweet spot where you’re taking care of yourself and then you are really able to help other people, work with these brands, make an impact, and help the planet. »

It’s a great time for open-minded entrepreneurs, striving to create a better world. Corporations are becoming more and more accepting of people doing things outside. There are a lot of corporations that understand how having a passion project on the side actually helps keep the employee motivated.

There is a lot of opportunity for women, especially in the lifestyle industry. They are creating products for themselves and their communities that make their lives better and are having so much success with it.

Top tips

Working with entrepreneurs is beneficial for your brand because they are influential, driven, passionate leaders who have set out to change the industry for the better. Stina advises brands wanting to tap into the influence of entrepreneurs to be authentic, honest, and consistent:

« Find your passion or topic and stick with it, then people will follow. Also, collaborate with other brands or people that share your values. »

Here are some more top tips on how best to partner with entrepreneurial brands!

1. Find a brand you love

Approach a brand from a place of genuine interest and share more about you, your product the story behind it, and the community you serve. – Edwina  

2. Tell genuine stories

People see through things easily and are less likely to support you if you’re not being genuine and meaningful. – Emily

3. Have a human conversation

Make sure the company you’re talking to knows that you know what you’re talking about, you’ve done your research on them, and are genuinely interested and engaged in their products. – Edwina

4. Create authentic partnerships 

When you start to work with a more progressive company, it can help to alter what your brand can show about themselves. Selecting the partnerships and creatives very carefully makes sure that your extended network is conveying the same message. – Emily 

5. Give back in some way

That’s the way to show other brands and consumers who you are as a brand and what you stand for. – Emily

Georgina is the UK Market Coordinator at VOCAST, responsible for British fashion and lifestyle research. Along with her work at VOCAST and studies at Copenhagen Business School, she is passionate about conscious fashion reform in the industry.

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MANTLE is a beauty and skincare brand founded by Stina Lönnkvist and Josefin Landgård. Together they went on a deep dive, exploring the world of CBD, and created simpler skincare routines without compromising with quality and efficiency. Naturally, the work that went into their products needed to be shared with the world, and as a result, they turned to VOCAST. The brand is a part of our growing Swedish client base to have adopted the brand sharing platform. We sat with Stina, Co-Founder, and CMO at MANTLE, who shared with us the 3 reasons why a digital showroom powered by VOCAST was the way to go.

1. Sharing content

Beauty brands rely heavily on quality content to show consumers accurate skincare      « before and afters ». The skincare asset checklist includes, amongst many things: high-quality texture stills to give customers a feel for the product, pack-shots, authentic before and afters, how-to-apply videos, ingredient lists, etc…

VOCAST has re-defined asset sharing and made it easy to showcase a brand’s content. The process of sharing that crucial content is one of the first reasons why MANTLE implemented a digital showroom.

« We love that we can gather all our images and information (from campaign images and videos, to press releases and pack-shots) under the same roof. And that it’s easy for our collaborators and partners to navigate and find the material they need (…) Before VOCAST we sent everything personally to each of our contacts. After VOCAST we found an efficient way to share our latest material and news. »

 

2. Ease-of-use enabling creativity

The simplicity of the platform was an important factor, alongside having a complete product that allows the process of going through every touch-point without hassle. Leaving space for creativity to run free.

« We are all about multi-purpose products and VOCAST is a multi-purpose tool so it was a match made in heaven. Founding an easy-to-use solution while preserving a creative way to communicate was an important factor in our decision-making. »

3. Control facilitating time efficiency

By making the content available for their retailers, contacts, and network, MANTLE makes sure the brand’s standards are maintained by facilitating control over how they are represented. This lets Stina focus on what’s the most important, growing and nurturing her business. But to keep the ball rolling, adapting and teaching your team how to use the platform is an important factor for success: 

« It’s important to take the time making sure your digital showroom is user friendly and tailor-made for your network. The next step is to take the time to introduce VOCAST. By doing a proper onboarding you’ll save a ton of time in coordinating material to your contacts personally because they know how and where to find it themselves. Everyone in our growing teams now knows what material to use. » 

« We can focus on other tasks now that we don’t need to share everything manually. This precious time allows us to focus on making our business grow. We recommend VOCAST for structure, efficiency, and creativity. It’s a great tool for targeting your information and news towards partners and it’s a platform that is available and easy to use. »

 

Discover MANTLE’s Digital Showroom

About MANTLE

Josefin Landgård met her Co-Founder Stina Lönnkvist and together they went on a deep dive, exploring the world of CBD. They quickly recognized its powerful potential to upgrade skin health, restore personal balance, and enhance well-being for people leading full lives. From this union, they founded MANTLE – a Scandinavian beauty & wellness brand powered by cannabis. The concept of MANTLE’s range is to combine the best of both worlds. All products consist of a powerful blend of actives + botanicals to promote radical results with minimal effort. Read more about MANTLE or visit their digital showroom.

 

Let’s get digital

Why not give a visual experience that tells a story about your brand, just as you would in your physical showroom? VOCAST supports hundreds of brands by setting up their tailor-made image banks. It’s a place for their hand-picked editors, influencers, buyers, and retailers to access their assets on the go. Learn more about the VOCAST image bank feature here: https://vocast.com/digital-showroom

Ines is the Research and Marketing Manager at VOCAST.  She previously worked in the beauty industry and is now an expert in social media and digital marketing. Every day she helps design-driven brands navigate digital trends and carry out their marketing and brand strategies effortlessly.

 

 

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Lockdown 2022 Update: Scandinavia, Europe and the US

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Lockdown 2022 Update: Scandinavia, Europe and the US

Throughout the first months of the new year, countries around the globe have had different approaches to pandemic restrictions, reflecting the current situation in their respective markets. Insider knowledge from various markets about the ins and outs of the current lockdown status is useful information to have to keep international businesses running as smoothly as possible.

How are different markets operating as we are closing in on two years of pandemic?

 

What are the current travel regulations in different markets? 

 

How can you best get in touch with the press and influencers?

 

What are retail regulations as we are approaching a new season?

The Lifestyle Team at VOCAST is made up of native researchers, with specific knowledge about what is happening across international markets. These questions will all be answered below for markets in Scandinavia and Europe – along with quotes from fashion insiders. 

Here is an update on the lockdown status of our 10 markets, updated as of 01.03.2022

Lifestyle industry updates

Lifestyle industry updates from 10 markets – From Denmark to France, to Italy and Germany.

Do you want to know what office regulations are like or what the most efficient ways to get in touch with editors and journalists are right now? Are you looking to contact buyers and want to know the retail status of their market? These questions are answered for you below.

Navigate your way through these updates by clicking on the arrows or the dots: 1. Denmark 2. Sweden 3. Norway 4. France 5. Italy 6. Germany 7. The Netherlands 8. Belgium 9. The UK 10. The US

Denmark's March Update

Lockdown status: Denmark has become the center of attention on an international scale, after lifting all restrictions. The status remains the same, as of the 1st of February, all covid-19 restrictions were lifted and the Danish Government is no longer categorizing covid-19 as a socially critical illness. Businesses and private cultural institutions continue to have the opportunity to enforce their own restrictions, ex. demand presentation of “Coronapas”.

Travel advice: As of the 1st of February the rules for entry into Denmark will change. Vaccinated and previously infected people can enter without testing or isolation from all countries. However, requirements for testing and isolation are still in effect if you have been in a country or area with a virus variant of concern (at the moment, there are no such countries).

Working regulations: Depending on the internal structures, workers are either working from home or working from the office.

Press status: contact via email or phone.

Retail status: All physical retail stores are open.

Sweden's March Update

Lockdown status: On February 9th the government, in accordance with the Public Health Agency lifted most COVID-19 related restrictions. Recommendations to stay home if one has symptoms and to get vaccinated are still in place.

Travel advice: As of January 27th, there is a ban on unnecessary travel to Sweden from countries outside the EU / EEA and Switzerland. The ban applies to foreign citizens until the 31st March 2022. Foreign nationals may only enter the country if they are covered by one of the exemptions from the entry ban and can present a negative test taken within 72 hours of arrival.

Working regulations: There are no longer any work office regulations recommendations imposed by the government or the Public Health Agency.

Press status: The press is available and working, as usual, they can be reached via email, phone, or social media.

Retail status: Retail sales are increasing with all physical stores open and back to regular opening hours with no limitations on customer amount or similar.

Fashion Week: Stockholm Fashion Week took place in February with physical shows, however, with a greater focus on covid safety keeping groups and gatherings smaller, and asking for vaccine passes from all participants.

Norway's March Update

Lockdown status: After advice from the Directorate of Health, the Norwegian government announced that all restrictions would be lifted in the month of February. Thus, as of February 12th, there are no active COVID-19 restrictions in the country. Although there are no requirements to isolate if infected, the government recommends that adults stay home if they experience symptoms. Close contacts do not have to quarantine.

Travel advice: All travel restrictions were lifted on February 12th: you no longer have to test, quarantine or register upon arrival. The only exception is the island of Svalbard, where travelers are required to do a quick test within 24 hours of arrival.

Working regulations: Offices are operating as normal. You are advised to work from home if you are infected and experiencing symptoms.

Press status: It is best to contact the press via email or phone.

Retail status: Retail is open on a national level.

Sales home interior: In general, the pandemic has not affected the interior and home goods industry too badly. Norwegians love home renovations and projects, and many have spent quarantine updating their homes.

Sales fashion: Stores and malls are open on a national level.

 

France's March Update

Lockdown status: The “Pass Vaccinal” (meaning 2 doses of vaccine + the booster shot) has replaced the previous “Pass Sanitaire” and is mandatory for everyone who is older than 16 years old if you wish to access restaurants, concerts, nightclubs, bars, and all other sorts of events and leisure activities. Face masks will no longer be required in indoor spaces that require a “Pass Vaccinal”. 

Travel advice: France is open to travelers, but a few restrictions still apply. EU residents are allowed to enter the country without a negative PCR test as long as they are fully vaccinated. Non-vaccinated travelers, as well as travelers coming from non-EU “green” countries, will be required to have a negative test and to isolate. Finally, non-EU residents coming from “orange” countries will be requested to have a worthy purpose to enter France.

Working regulations: Working from home is no longer mandatory, but still advised.

Press status: It is best to contact the press via email.

Retail status: Stores and malls are open across the country.

Italy's March Update

Lockdown status: The country adopts a traffic light approach when it comes to introducing progressively new restrictions against covid-19. Currently, most regions are yellow and only one is orange. Masks outdoor are not required anymore. Tighter restrictions in yellow regions mainly apply to unvaccinated people. A super green pass is now required in order to access most cultural and public venues, as well as means of transportation. The super green pass is obtained if you are vaccinated with the third dose (booster shot) and remains always valid. All people over the age of 50 are now required by law to be vaccinated.

Travel advice: As of February the 1st Italy only requires a “green pass” in order to travel from EU countries. The green Pass is a document showing proof of COVID-19 immunity through vaccination, previous infection, or a negative test. The ministry also renewed the go-ahead for travel to a number of non-European tourist spots, widening it to six other destinations along with the previous ones.

Working regulations: In most cases, it is advised to work 2-3 days at the office and the rest at home. All workers are required to provide a green pass. All workers over the age of 50 must now present a super green pass.

Press status: it is best to contact the press via email.

Retail status: currently, all retail stores are open.

Fashion Week: Milan Fashion Week is scheduled from 22 to 28 February in a physical format

Germany's March Update

Lockdown status: Germany’s incidence number is quite high, however, bars are open as well as cinemas and shopping centers including boutiques and stores of essential goods (drugstores, supermarkets). All non-essential establishments (e.g. shops, cinemas, events) can only be entered with the 2G rule and some such as bars and gastronomy businesses with the 2G+ rule. Public transport requires 3G. At some point towards 21.03.2022 the 2G, 2G+, and 3G rules are being dropped completely as Germany goes back to its pre-pandemic state.

2G – Vaccinated or Recovered + ID
2G+ – Vaccinated, Valid corona test (antigen or PCR) + ID
3G – Valid test, Vaccinated or Recovered + ID

Travel advice: In general, travel is allowed and they are no restrictions if you are vaccinated (3 doses). This is valid for travellers from EU member states and countries within the Schengen area. People from overseas territories are also allowed to enter Germany, as long as they have proof of vaccination and their country of origin is not classified as a Virus-Variant area. The digital entry form has to be filled out by everybody, except from individuals from green countries (low infection risk).


Working regulations: Employers are required to offer the possibility of working from home. This legislation is still valid until mid-march. The workplace has a general 3G rule where no exceptions apply. Most people working in office environments are working from home.

Press status: It is best to contact the press via email.

Retail status: Physical retail stores are open and can only be entered when wearing a face mask (FFP2). The number of people allowed in a store could differ from state to state.

The Netherlands's March Update

Lockdown status: Open. From 25th February, the government wants to lift the 1.5-metre distancing rule together with the face mask and corona pass requirement. Also, general closure of public places such as clubs between 01.00 – 05.00 don’t longer apply. However, the government plans to make pre-admission testing (1G) mandatory for all visitors aged 13 and over at certain indoor locations. These are locations with more than 500 visitors per space and without assigned seating.

Travel advice: Travel is allowed with basic rules in place. From the 25th of February, travellers arriving in the Netherlands will no longer be required to self-quarantine. Travellers will only have to quarantine if a new virus variant of concern emerges in the country they are travelling from.

Working regulations: Generally all of the lifestyle industry are working half the time from home and half the time at the office.

Press status: It’s best to contact the press via email.

Retail status: All stores and malls are open (general opening hours).

Fashion week: Amsterdam Fashion Week is scheduled for 01/09/2022 – 04/09/2022 and will be physical as normal.

Belgium's March Update

Lockdown status: Open. Public places such as restaurants, bars, and museums are open, but a Covid Safe ticket or certificate will still be required for access as well as a mask.

Travel advice: Traveling is allowed. However, the Belgian approach for people arriving in Belgium depends on whether they are returning from a red, orange or green zone. Depending on the country or region you are traveling from, different measures apply after you arrive in Belgium.

Working regulations: Generally all of the lifestyle industries are working from home.

Press status: It’s best to contact the press via email.

Retail status: All stores and malls are open (general opening hours).

The UK's March Update

Lockdown status: All restrictions in the UK are now lifted. Some shops across the country ask people to wear masks still, but it is no longer mandatory.

Travel advice: If you are fully vaccinated and arriving in the UK, you no longer have to quarantine or pay for a test upon arrival.

Working regulations: generally, most of the lifestyle industry is working from the office as normal.

Press status: it’s best to contact the press via email or phone

Retail status: all retail, high street shops, and malls, are open and although it is not mandatory to wear face masks individual stores may ask their customers to – though this is rare.

Fashion Week: London Fashion Week took place from the 18th to the 22nd of February. If you haven’t done so already, you can sign up to gain access to LFW’s press portal here.

The US's March Update

Lockdown status: The US has lifted restrictions across the country and reports of new cases have declined by 80% from their peak in January. The Biden administration authorized free Covid-19 home tests as well as masks to the public after seeing the highly infectious Omicron variants spread. However, most states have or are in the process of lifting mask mandates.

Travel advice: The US lifted travel restrictions for vaccinated international travelers in November admitting international foreigners entry into the US. However, The CDC continues advising Americans not to travel internationally until they are fully inoculated against Covid-19 and is cautioning travelers to “pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States.” The US also requires both international inbounds and returning Americans to provide negative tests taken within one day of departure upon arrival.

Working regulations: Businesses are open across the country and people in the lifestyle industry are back in the office.

Press status: It is best to contact the press via email or phone at the moment.

Retail status: U.S. retail sales increased by the most in 10 months in January. “The strong rebound in January retail sales suggests consumers still have plenty in the tank to propel the expansion forward this year,” said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets.

Fashion Week: New York Fashion Week took place in February and there is a small section of digital-only brands noted on the calendar, however, most brands are expected to show in person. The CFDA and IMG are monitoring COVID precautions and follow protocols instated in September that call for mandatory vaccination, mask-wearing indoors, and scaling back the size of audiences.

 

 

 
 
 
VOCAST - the Brand Sharing Platform

This blog post was a collaborative effort written by our in-house team of curators, who are experts in identifying relevant influencers, as well as building email lists of important contacts for our fashion and home & interior brands.

 

 

 

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