Among the foremost trends revealed at MIDO, it appears that 2026 will be a year of global transition, characterized by radical changes and new opportunities.
An outstanding example is the return of old answers and new questions, with a renewed focus on ancestral wisdom and traditional practices. Also changing is the way in which products and services are designed, with a focus on design by life stage, that goes beyond the concept of age to adapt to new social models. Technology will play an increasingly central role in our daily lives, with a growing human-technology symbiosis that will make AI more empathetic and humans more powerful. Concurrently, the bio-industrial revolution will lead to the use of bio-materials and sustainable solutions, while the concept of fluid ecologies will redefine our relationship with the environment, abandoning traditional borders in favor of a more integrated vision of the planet. On the socio-political level, global migration and new perspectives will transform cities and markets, while defiant resistance will lead to a greater demand for transparency and social justice on the part of businesses. On the industrial front, the concept of long-term life-cycle has strengthened, with products that are more reparable and sustainable, but the opposite trend is also growing, with items designed to disappear , thanks to biodegradable materials and zero-impact solutions. Creativity evolves with multisensory interfaces that aim to improve user experiences through tactile and emotional sensations and with flashes, or micro-moments of happiness that can positively influence mental well-being.
Specifically, WGSN speaking on The Vision Stage presented the STEPIC Innovations 2026: the twelve trends that will reshape society, technology, environment, politics, industry, and creativity in 2026 study providing businesses with an overview of the trends that will redefine the future and open new opportunities in innovation for a world that is increasingly interconnected and aware of its challenges. The meeting confirmed that 2026 will be a year of huge transformations, in which innovation and sustainability will be interwoven to redefine our way of living and working.