Oltmans van Niekerk

We picked up this little red book as a souvenir from London and loved the thinking behind the Worn Workshops. ‘Worn’ is a collection of 12 stories of identity, sustainability, family, and personal experiences through people’s wardrobe. The everyday clothes in our wardrobes can hold meaningful personal experiences. The book paints a universal picture of value, consumerism, material and colour. For us this informs and inspires our thinking about clothes, our relation to them and how we can change the way we design, make and wear clothes. The book encourages us to reconsider our relationship with fashion, informing how we design, make, and wear garments in more thoughtful ways. It challenges us to rethink fashion, urging more mindful consumption and design by highlighting the personal and societal significance of clothing. Maybe this book and its thinking can inspire you too, to look at your wardrobe and question how your clothes make you feel?  #futurethinking

If you are in Amsterdam, be sure to visit the Viviane Sassen retrospective Phosphore: Art & Fashion at Foam Amsterdam. Her unique visual language, blending fashion, art, and surrealism, redefines the boundaries of fashion photography and art. People, colour, and shadows form three-dimensional collages, evoking a sense of energy, tension, stillness and timelessness. Don't miss the immersive images at the end of the exhibit in the small corridor; we loved it the most! Foam Museum, Amsterdam, until the 12th Jan 2025 #FoamAmsterdam #CMF

OvN will visit the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven from 19 to 27th of October. This year’s theme is   “Real Unreal”, exploring how we navigate change and different realities. Here are some of our picks to check out. A House of Salt May Bee embraces designing with erosion and time. A House of Salt allows the use of water erosion and material contact to gradually shape the layout of each room, letting the resident’s blossoming life to become one with the house’s decay.  May Bee Design at West area, Next Nature Museum, Noord Brabantlaan 1A Design & AI Symposium The third annual Symposium combines academia and industry to explore how the magic of AI is embedded in real life. The event brings speakers like Savannah Kunovsky from IDEO’s Emerging Technology Lab and Modem co-founder Bas van de Poel.  TU Delft & TU Eindhoven at Strijp-S area, NatLab, Kastanjelaan 500 Drivers of Change TU/e displays innovations for change to address increasing global challenges in climate, healthcare, energy, and more.  TU Eindhoven at Strijp-S area, Ketelhuisplein Poetics of Prompting This project dives into the emergence of ‘prompt engineering’ and what language becomes when communicating to various large language models (LLMs). What does creative writing look like when interacting with AI? MU Hybrid Art House and The Hmm at Strijp-S area, MU Hybrid Art House, Torenallee 40-06 Workshop: Design your ideal mobile phone Along with civil servants and participants, Waag Futurelab addresses the challenges of institutional and public-sector regulations while constructing an ideal open-source alternative for mobile phones. Waag Futurelab at Strijp-S area, NatLab, Kastanjelaan 500 First image, Fiera del Suono by DROPSTUFF MEDIA at Koelhuis District / Diewke van den Heuvel at Soils, Van Abbemuseum #DDW #DDW24 #DutchDesignWeek #FutureForesight #FutureThinking

At Oltmans van Niekerk, we help businesses navigate a changing world. To create proofing strategies, we use our unique timeline and horizon scanning tools. By mapping out macro drivers of change, connecting them with data points, and projecting these forward, we help businesses identify potential challenges and opportunities before they arise. Timeline planning allows businesses to see how factors like technology, climate change, social and cultural change, and shifting demographics might impact them over the next decades. With these insights, proactive long-term strategies can be developed. Horizon scanning extends the horizon and broadens the mind. It keeps you alert to emerging trends, shows how developments are connected, and shows how quickly 2030 will be here. Together, these methods and tools enable you to anticipate change, align goals, and prepare for long-term futures. At the moment, we are working on making timeline planning and horizon scanning a more dimensional experience; it is a work in progress. Oltmans van Niekerk assists businesses with building a future that lasts. Want to know more? www.oltmansvanniekerk.nl. #futureforesight #futurethinking

Last week, the Oltmans van Niekerk team visited the London Design Festival and saw four projects that challenged our perspectives, made us pause, reflect, and delve deeper into their creative concepts and background after returning to the studio. Immaterial Objects by Optical Arts was an interactive installation exploring the transition from the physical to the artificial. With rotating sculptures that engage digital and kinetic elements, the exhibit blurred the lines between tangible and disembodied forms, making us consider the different phases an object can exist in, when it feels real versus when it becomes a projection, something physical or a fantasy. The Observatory by Central Saint Martins invited visitors to see the process as well as the projects. Showcasing the new “Schools of Thought,” the exhibition highlighted interdisciplinary communities addressing social and planetary challenges. Through maps and icons representing collaborations and new perspectives, it emphasized how creativity connects people and resources, countering the myth of the solo innovator. At the Design Museum, a poster made us stop and think about the future. It featured an infographic showing the types of projects receiving funding on Kickstarter. While design, games, and technology were heavily supported, categories like crafts, dance, and journalism received almost no backing. Though just a small snapshot, it illustrates the topics people value and invest in. The future is shaped by what we prioritize, and critical areas like journalism, craft, and dance cannot thrive without support. This simple infographic signals where our cultural and societal values lie. Artifact #VII by Tsugaru Nuri x Ini Archibong combined ancient craftsmanship with modern technology in a fusion of sound and sculpture. The egg-shaped piece, made with the Tsugaru lacquer techniques, houses a sound-emitting device activated by the viewer’s hand movements. The abstract object combined Japanese craftsmanship and contemporary tech and showed how in the future craft can play an important role in our interaction with technology.  #FutureForesight #FutureThinking #LDF24

"The past is clear; we live in the present, and the future is obscure. This present we live in must be stretched out because it’s where we exist and create." Azzedine Alaïa connects time to his creative process to focus on what is essential. He admired Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata, whose minimalist designs show a shared vision of creating timeless work. A dialogue between their designs is now on show at the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa in Paris. The exhibition “Lightness in Creation” shows Kuramata’s design icons together with Alaïa’s couture dresses. The connection between light, form, and material shows their way of working with simplicity and design precision. Kuramata’s designs float between presence and absence, Alaïa’s creations stretch the present, inviting us to experience both the physical design and the process, skill, and mastery behind the creation. Alaïa and Kuramata both worked from a broad perspective, transcending the concept of time by creating pieces that resonate deeply with people. Their work is not about chasing newness but about mastering their craft in ways that leave a lasting impression. The simplicity, precision and dedication in their designs left us with a sense of awe that is timeless. For anyone in Paris, the exhibition Lightness in Creation at the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa is a must-see. Running until December 1st, it’s located at 18 Rue de la Verrerie, 75004. #Paris #futurethinking #CMF #design

OvN will visit the London Design Festival next week, and we’re excited to explore the six events and installations on our list. Rapha20: Past Forward Past Forward celebrates Rapha's last two decades but envisions how cycling will continue transforming lives, reshaping cities, and driving social and environmental progress. Rapha will show its manifesto for a future where cycling can catalyse human advancement. Rapha20 at The Truman Brewery, Ely’s Yard, London Tomorrow’s Wardrobe In collaboration with the Design Museum’s Future Observatory, Tomorrow’s Wardrobe at the Design Museum highlights UK-based research and innovation, showcasing designers rethinking how fashion is created, made, and worn. Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High St, London Design You Can Feel This exhibition explores ceraluminum, an innovative material by ASUS. The works by, e.g., Fernando Laposse, Natural Material Studio, and Studio Furthermore are united by their tactility, durability, and lightness, examining materiality, craftsmanship, and AI. Dezeen x Asus, Protein Studios, 31 New Inn Yard, Shoreditch, London Juicy Booth Juicy Booth is a sensory confession space where you can experience the release of one of the most complex human emotions, shame, in a transformative light and sound journey. Juicy Booth by Annie Frost Nicholson, Coal Drops Yard, Mezzanine Level, Stable St, London Spectrum A sensory journey exploring personal connections to colour using scent and soundscape to enhance the immersive experience. Collaborators include composer Quentin LaChapele, digital artist Lucy Hardcastle, and 3D print pioneer Sheyn. 2LG Studio at Hart Shoreditch, 61-67 Great Eastern Street, London Currency of the Future The Bank of England Museum, with KesselsKramer London and artists, imagines the future of currency, whether time-based, bartered, personal, or even valued in hugs. Bank of England Museum x KesselsKramer at the Bank of England Museum, Bartholomew Lane, London The first image, Vic Wright at Play: Rediscover Joy & Creativity by gallery Ruup & Form, Shoreditch Triangle #LDF24 #LondonDesignFestival #FutureForesight #FutureThinking #CMF

New Release: OvN's 2026 Colours Are Here! OvN has just launched a new set of 24 colours for 2026, completing our full palette of 48 hand-crafted shades for long-term colour use for apparel, sports, home, beauty, mobility, architecture and technology.   Subscribe to Vision Insights to receive the complete set, including detailed information on the four colour directions, textile and paper colour swatches, and an inspirational booklet, all packaged in a box. Next to colours, OvN Insights offers exclusive insights on macro trends, cultural shifts, and design directions!    #ColourTrends #DesignInspiration #VisionInsights #2026Palette #FutureForecasting

The August update for Vision 2026 is a deep dive into Outdoor & Wellbeing. The report tracks the rediscovery of the great outdoors and views the developments affecting sports, the outdoors and well-being as a whole. The focus on wellbeing, both physical and mental, has grown over the past 15 years, with increasing recognition of nature’s healing power. The WHO has defined stress as the health epidemic of the 21st century and people are turning to activities that improve their physical and mental health. As urbanization continues, people are increasingly recognizing their deep dependency on and connection to the natural world. People seek remote destinations for sports, travel, wellness programs or physical therapy, understanding that time spent outdoors is crucial for their overall well-being. The report explores ten research topics around Outdoor & Wellbeing, Brands to watch, Retail Spaces and four colour directions. For more information please contact info@oltmansvannniekerk.nl #foresightreport #Outdoor #Wellbeing #Futurethinking #CMF #Colour

Vision Insights is the subscription-based future foresight service by OvN that provides research, analysis, and insights to help businesses make informed decisions about the future. Vision Insights offers tools to anticipate future changes, understand shifting human values, adapt to disruptions, discover new growth opportunities, and stay relevant in the evolving landscape. It distills long-term, big-picture thinking and research into actionable strategies, mindsets, colours, and materials. Tactile Inspiration This digital service includes two colour boxes: one with 24 colour and 12 material swatches delivered in March, and a 24-colour box delivered in September. For more information or to request a demo, please contact us at info@oltmansvanniekerk.nl