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Showing posts with the label Trend & Innovation

Lidl GB × Nik Bentel Studio: Trolley Bag Limited Edition Drop in London, UK.

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Lidl GB has partnered with Nik Bentel Studio to launch the limited-edition Trolley Bag , a handbag designed to resemble a supermarket shopping trolley. The release will take place through a two-day physical pop-up in London, UK (20–21 February) , followed by an online ballot via official brand channels . The Lidl GB × Nik Bentel Studio Trolley Bag features a structured metal frame inspired by a traditional grocery cart, translating supermarket utility into a fashion accessory format. The project follows the earlier Croissant Bag collaboration between the UK supermarket retailer and the New York–based design studio. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NiK Bentel Studio (@nikbentelstudio) This supermarket-object reinterpretation aligns with other food-inspired fashion experiments, such as Brigitte Tanaka’s Undercover Baguette concept , which similarly transformed a grocery staple into a wearable accessory. The in-person activation, titled “Lidl Fr...

Tic Tac × Dr Pepper:Soda. In. Mint. Form.

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Dr Pepper just shrank. The limited-time Tic Tac Dr Pepper Mints are rolling out in the United States, bringing the soda’s iconic 23-flavor profile into a compact mint candy format. The iconic soda is now inside a tiny Tic Tac bottle. No can. No fizz. Just shake-and-go energy. It’s bold. It’s weird. It works. Same loud flavor identity. Completely different format. Instead of cracking open a cold drink, you flip open a mint box. Tap. Crunch. Done. This is crossover culture at full brightness. Big soda personality. Pocket-size attitude. Limited-time. High-contrast. Shelf-pop kind of drop. If you like your snacks slightly chaotic and very recognizable, this one is loud in the best way. [ English Version | 中文版本 ] Reference: Ferrero

LEGO Ideas Ramen Set Approved After 10,000 Supporters, Moves Into Official Development

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A fan-designed Ramen bowl build on LEGO Ideas has been officially approved after surpassing 10,000 supporters , advancing into commercial development under The LEGO Group . The project, created by Micdud, reached the 10,000-supporter threshold on the LEGO Ideas platform, qualifying it for the structured review process. Following evaluation in the First 2025 Review , the concept was selected to move forward as a future retail set. The design features a detailed brick-built ramen bowl with interchangeable toppings, including noodles, egg, shrimp, seaweed, mushrooms, chopsticks, and a traditional-style spoon. The model references four classic broth styles: shoyu, tonkotsu, miso, and shio. Under the LEGO Ideas system , projects that achieve 10,000 supporters enter an official review stage. Approved submissions then proceed into internal development, where the final retail version may differ from the original fan design. Release details, including set number, pricing, piece count, and la...

A Herbal Tea Brand Just Dropped a ¥18.28 Million “Diamond Can”

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English Version | 中文版本 For most people, Wanglaoji still means a red can, cold from the fridge, bought without thinking. This week, it briefly means something else. In collaboration with jewelry brand iMOKJT , Wanglaoji has released a limited-edition collectible set often referred to as “Diamond Wanglaoji.” Price as signal: ¥18.28 million RMB per set. Scarcity as posture: three sets worldwide. Each set includes five full-scale “cans” made not of aluminium, but 18K gold, set with over 18,000 natural gemstones. Function is deliberately removed. They are not meant to be opened, poured, or drunk. They are meant to be displayed. This is not a premium extension of a mass product. It is a halo object , placed far above the everyday range. For years, mass brands have borrowed from luxury through packaging upgrades, collaborations, or limited lines. This skips the ladder entirely. Wanglaoji jumps straight to the extreme end, using jewelry language to restate brand age, symbolism, and...

McDonald’s Nuggets With Caviar? Not a New Menu Item.

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English Version | 中文版本 At first glance, it looks like McDonald’s has done something unexpected with Chicken McNuggets. But McDonald's has not added caviar to its menu. There is no in-store availability, no new product rollout, and no plan to make this pairing part of regular dining. What McDonald’s released instead is a one-time, online-only giveaway , tied to Valentine’s Day in the US. The McNugget Caviar Kit appeared briefly through a dedicated campaign drop. Quantities were limited, and once the giveaway window closed, the kit was gone. The contents were straightforward: Chicken McNuggets, caviar, crème fraîche, a serving spoon, and a McDonald’s Arch Card. The caviar was supplied by Paramount Caviar . This combination didn’t come out of nowhere. Nuggets paired with caviar have circulated online for years, mostly as a visual contrast rather than a serious eating suggestion. The appeal has always been in the image — familiar fast food placed next to a symbol of luxury. ...

Korean Air’s “Ramyeon Library”:When an Airline Turns Instant Noodles into a Lounge Experience

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English Version | 中文版本 Korean Air has introduced a self-service instant noodle station, known as the “Ramyeon Library,” inside its newly reopened Prestige East (Left) Lounge at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2. The station allows passengers to choose from several Korean ramyeon options and prepare them using an automated cooking machine. The noodles are served as-is, without chef presentation or special plating, offering a quick and familiar option inside a business-class lounge. Not a food upgrade, but an experience decision. While instant noodles may seem unusual in a premium setting, ramyeon is a common everyday food in Korea, often prepared using similar machines in convenience stores and public spaces. Korean Air’s approach brings that familiar experience into the lounge rather than replacing it with a more formal dining concept. Instant noodles are treated as comfort infrastructure, not novelty. The self-service format also gives travellers a small moment of choice and...

ABSOLUT® × TABASCO™: Volcanic Heat, Bottled

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English Version | 中文版本 ABSOLUT® and TABASCO® have launched ABSOLUT® TABASCO™ , a spicy vodka built around a simple market reality: cocktails with a spicy kick are already mainstream, and brands are starting to package that behavior directly . Spicy Bloody Marys, chili-forward mixers, and peppery shots already exist. Bartenders have been playing with this idea for years. Instead of adjusting vodka, hot sauce, and seasoning on your own, the heat is already inside the bottle . ABSOLUT® × TABASCO™ just makes it easier. This fits into a wider trend where alcohol brands build around habits people already have. Cocktail kits, ready-to-serve drinks, and flavor-specific spirits all point to the same thing: people want clear results, not extra decisions . ABSOLUT® and TABASCO® come together in a way that is immediately easy to understand. ABSOLUT provides a clean, globally familiar vodka base. TABASCO adds a heat profile that most people already recognize. The result is a bottle that tells yo...

Japan Launches Evangelion-Themed Gyoza in Hamamatsu for Limited-Time Anime Collaboration

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English Version | 中文版本 Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka, Japan has launched limited-edition Evangelion-themed gyoza as part of the Shin Hamamatsu Project , a citywide anime tourism campaign. The collaboration introduces three Evangelion gyoza variants , inspired by Evangelion Units 01, 00, and 02 , and is available through selected local food outlets participating in the campaign’s official Gourmet Mission . The Evangelion gyoza are positioned as time-limited, location-specific retail items , designed to drive fan travel, foot traffic, and social sharing . The products rely on unit colors and franchise recognition rather than culinary innovation, turning food into a collectible anime crossover souvenir . The launch forms part of a broader strategy combining anime IP, local retail, and tourism routing , a model increasingly used by Japanese cities to generate short-term retail demand and destination awareness . The Evangelion-themed gyoza are available in Hamamatsu for a limited time,...

Tokyo Restaurant Turns a Horror Film Into a Limited-Time Menu Experience

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English Version | 中文版本 A Tokyo restaurant is translating a film’s dark aesthetic into food, drinks, and collectible bonuses - without positioning it as a full dining spectacle. From February 6 to February 28, 2026 , Kome to Circus at Shibuya PARCO is running a limited-time collaboration inspired by the horror film Mag Mag (original title: 禍禍女), directed by Yuriyan Retriever. The collaboration introduces a small lineup of themed menu items , spanning food, drinks, and alcohol. These are designed around the film’s unsettling visual tone rather than comfort or flavor-led appeal. Menu naming and presentation lean deliberately provocative , aligning with the movie’s body-horror imagery instead of highlighting new culinary techniques. The collaboration menu includes: ひろしくんへの愛情たっぷり陰毛カレー “Hiroshi-kun’s Love-Filled ‘Pubic Hair’ Curry” A curry rice dish topped with mozuku seaweed, styled to resemble flowing hair, and described as being filled with an intense, heavy sense of affection rat...

BuzzBallz Unveils a Giant Pink Lemonsqueezy Engagement Ring for Valentine’s Day

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English Version | 中文版本 BuzzBallz has introduced a nontraditional engagement ring as part of its Valentine’s Day promotion, linking the design to its Pink Lemonsqueezy ready-to-drink cocktail flavor . The one-off ring features a 9-carat lab-grown pink diamond set in 18K white gold , with additional accent diamonds integrated into the setting. According to the brand, the design references the spherical shape of a BuzzBallz cocktail , translating the product’s visual identity into a piece of novelty jewelry . BuzzBallz states that the ring carries an estimated value of US$35,000 . Instead of offering it for direct sale, the brand plans to auction the ring on eBay for a limited period in early February, with bidding opening at US$2.14 . Proceeds from the auction are intended to support a heart-related charitable cause . The campaign positions the ring as a symbolic alternative to traditional engagement jewelry , aligning with broader interest in lab-grown diamonds and unconventi...

Inside Christy Ng’s Lunar New Year Blind Box Charms, Where Chance Becomes the Point

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English | 中文 Every Lunar New Year brings its own rhythm of objects. Some are meant to sit on the table. Some are meant to be worn. And some are meant to be opened. This year, Christy Ng introduces a Lunar New Year blind box charm that doesn’t ask to be understood before it’s experienced. You don’t choose the design. You don’t preview the outcome. You open it, and whatever appears becomes the product you own. That randomness isn’t a gimmick. It is the charm. The object itself is small: a bag-sized accessory designed to hang, sway, and be noticed in passing. The designs lean into familiar Lunar New Year shorthand: mandarin oranges , pineapple tarts , mahjong tiles -  icons that register instantly, without explanation . They don’t demand interpretation. They function as visual signals, doing their work at a glance. What makes the product work is the moment around it . The pause before opening. The split second of anticipation. The quiet calculation afterward; keep it, trade it...

SOURI × เด็กสมบูรณ์ Dek Som Boon:Smiley Boy Soy Sauce Fatcaron, Limited Launch

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English | 中文 Some flavors aren’t invented. They’re simply placed where they always belonged. With Smiley Boy Soy Sauce Fatcaron , SOURI opens dessert culture in a new direction, inviting เด็กสมบูรณ์ into the world of pastry, not as a gimmick, but as a natural extension of taste memory. At the center is soy sauce caramel ganache , smooth and rounded, layered with soy sauce caramel sauce that adds depth rather than sharpness. The sweetness never runs away; the salt never interrupts. What comes through is balance ,  a sweet–salty profile shaped by umami , familiar to the Asian palate yet rarely expressed in dessert this way. Finished with a chocolate coating and caramel popcorn crunch, each bite carries clarity, texture, and restraint. This is not dessert trying to be shocking. It’s dessert choosing to grow up. Soy sauce has always been part of daily life - aroma in the kitchen, comfort at the table, memory across generations. By bringing it into a Fatcaron , this collaborati...

Cake Tella Introduces Boozy Mahjong Chocolate Bonbons for Chinese New Year

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English | 中文 Cake Tella has launched a Chinese New Year–themed chocolate gift set featuring mahjong tile–shaped bonbons infused with Moutai . The seasonal range includes two formats : 十三幺 Moutai Mahjong Choc Bonbon (18 pieces) and Moutai Mahjong Bonbon 胡 · HU (12 pieces) .  Each box features a mix of dark chocolate and orange chocolate bonbons , both carrying a Moutai alcohol profile . The products are positioned as adult-oriented festive gifts , drawing on mahjong iconography commonly associated with Chinese New Year gatherings . The packaging is designed for gifting , with storage and transport guidance provided due to chocolate’s sensitivity to heat. The Moutai mahjong bonbons are available through Cake Tella’s official channels as part of its Chinese New Year collection . English | 中文 Reference: Cake Tella