1
Move: DEF CON bans Meta style recording glasses at the door.
DEF CON banned Meta-style recording glasses at its conference this week, alongside a growing number of other institutions. On 30 July, DuckDuckGo, a company known for its focus on privacy, launched “Normal Fing Sunglasses”, positioning them explicitly as an anti-surveillance response to Big Tech smart glasses. They sold out in under a week.
Signal: Invisible technology creates visible resistance.
DEF CON is one of the world’s biggest hacker and cybersecurity conferences, where people understand better than most the power of technology to exploit others. When they ban a device, we should pay attention. Meta may have finally made wearable technology that works, but its invisibility creates a problem.
When did we agree to be recorded?
We didn’t - and that’s why we’re pushing back. We expect to be asked before being caught on camera, and will not accept technology that skips the step where we give it. Boundaries do not set themselves - the question is who gets to draw them.

2
Move: Bicester Village unveils a Beryl Cook installation.
In September, Bicester Village will unveil a Beryl Cook installation to celebrate her 100th birthday. Life size figures and large murals will bring her paintings of pubs, parties, seaside life and bingo halls to one of Britain’s most popular luxury shopping destinations.
Signal: Luxury is borrowing from ordinary life.
Beryl Cook’s subjects drink in pubs, dance, laugh and enjoy themselves without restraint or refinement, which makes her a symbolic choice. Beryl Cook is also an audience choice - her work is British and rooted in popular culture, with an appeal that stretches beyond the serious, conceptual and contemporary art usually chosen by luxury institutions.
Do people still want aspiration?
For many, luxury has traditionally sold a life you wanted to reach, offering an escape. Beryl Cook celebrates the life you already have. Perhaps traditional luxury ideals are losing their appeal. Or perhaps, in today’s world, it is the mess and familiarity of ordinary life that provides the escape.

3
Move: Jo Malone launches its first gaming activation inside Fortnite.
Jo Malone has entered gaming for the first time, taking over an existing Fortnite map for two weeks to introduce its new unisex fragrance: Sea Salt & Bergamot. Players can’t smell it, and unlike Balenciaga, Ralph Lauren or Moncler’s Fortnite drops, there’s no wearable merchandise attached.
Signal: Brands can distribute feelings without distributing products.
Scent can’t be skinned, so Jo Malone has recreated its environment: sea salt, wind and coastline. The virtual world has become the brand asset. It’s an interesting bet: Jo Malone’s clients are 87% female with an average age of 30. Fortnite’s player base is 90% male, the majority aged 18-24. This could read as a mismatch, but that’s the point. Jo Malone is seeking a new customer.
How do you measure success in a virtual world?
Without product to sell inside the game, success cannot be judged by sales. Instead it must be understood from reach, engagement, intent and action - a classic measurement funnel that ends with the ultimate question: did desire become behaviour?

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Image reference: DEF CON email.
Sources: The Register, Cybernews, Decrypt, WWD, Attitude, WWD, GamesBeat, Jo Malone London, DemandSage, Fashion/Beauty Monitor.