Cynthia Zamaria, Senior Vice President, GCI Canada
Kim Roman, Vice President, Consumer Lifestyle, GCI Canada

Welcome to Squeezed Fresh. A thought-provoking newsletter that explores the latest trends and whispers in art, design, fashion and culture. This isn’t your average corporate newsletter. It’s designed to give you a quick sip of interesting, inspirational and relevant content.

Why would GCI develop such an untraditional corporate newsletter? Put simply, we love changing the rules. We also believe it’s important to think about why today looks like today, to take a leading role in shaping the look of tomorrow. So, read on and get your juices flowing!

1. Recessionistas

For the first time ever, wearing a jacket from last season was acceptable at Fashion Week this year. Fashionistas on a budget are driving demand for designer discount outlets and high-end thrift shops. Why splurge on the latest trend when you can save with a classic vintage piece?

2. Anti- Gentrification Movements

Public campaigns like Save Ossington are protecting art and design neighbourhoods while promoting their hot spots – a clever contradiction being championed by the very people who began the revitalization of the popular strip.

3. Thinkism

The Wolfsonian’s brilliant new cultural movement – Thinkism – is catching on quickly. Thinkism provokes an understanding of objects as expressions of human ideas, concerns and aspirations, characterized by the notion that what we make actually makes us. So, the next time you order a double tall non-fat extra-hot latte, think about the cultural, political and aesthetic value of a white coffee cup with cardboard hand protector. We dare you.

crEATe: Eating, Design and Future Food

This provocative book explores the growing geopolitical importance of food and the role of design, from attention-calling packaging to innovative architectural supermarkets like the MPreis chain. Discover what food means for the consumer rather than the gourmand. Now that’s food for thought.

The Stephen Sprouse Book

Inventive and supremely creative, Stephen Sprouse mixed graffiti and a punk aesthetic with fashion and art, capturing that iconic eighties look which is still relevant today. Sprouse-mania is back with the current Stephen Sprouse inspired Louis Vuitton collection, designed by Marc Jacobs.

Traditional retail spaces are traversing the spectrum of art, fashion and design. Art-concept stores are popping up all over urban hubs like Toronto, New York and Kyoto, blurring the boundaries between gallery installation and retail design.

In Toronto, the Drake General Store serves as an artsy addition to its hip hotel counterpart, selling everything from Popeye cigarettes to black toilet paper. Holt Renfrew’s new Contemporary Space showcases designer clothing and accessories amidst a colourful explosion of Japanese and art influences.

Visionary designer Andy Spade recently launched Partners & Spade, a cool studio store in NYC. The space is guest curated by various artists and functions as an inspirational work studio as well as a boutique for in-the-know consumers.

Conceptual artist Cyril Duval, who works under the name item idem, is a master at blending art, fashion, marketing, branding and retail design. Having worked with swanky shops like Colette in Paris and emerging contemporary galleries like Super Window Project in Kyoto, his latest creative retail design is a multi-brand select-store in Moscow, opening this month.

We live in a culture-driven society and leading organizations, brands and companies are now offering their very own customized piece of “culture” – whether it’s a tab on their website, a daily e-blast or monthly newsletter – to their culture-hungry audience.

Club Monaco and Urban Outfitters are examples of brands that have a strong cultural offering and cultural presence both in-store and online, targeting the urban 20 – 40 something set who are actively seeking out culture and looking for cultural connections with their favourite brands.

Arts and cultural institutions in North America like the MoMa and the ROM are also creating more diverse Young Patron Programs to appeal to younger members and their friends who want a dose of culture in their social lives. The AGO is planning to launch their very own contemporary youth membership program this fall too, with help from the people who organized this year’s Massive Party. GCI team members joined the uprising by taking part in focus groups addressing the needs of youth in relation to cultural consciousness.

The Society, an exclusive members-only social club in Toronto and NYC, hosts various cultural encounters ranging from film screenings to sailing lessons. Their new Cultierge concept is a modern-day concierge service, offering virtual advice on everything from the nearest luxury hotel to the best Monday night bar scene.

Not only is culture cool and highly accessible, it’s changing the way we interact with the world, how we relate to each other, and how we choose to receive information. Think about it...look up from your Blackberry and look around!