Increasingly we're finding innovators who crave perfection and strive to exceed the expectations of what a product or service should/has to/needs to be. By questioning taste, look, or design aesthetics, brands are able to hone into what customers desires.

Key trends for 2008 we see across industries include are simplicity, sustainability, and specialization.

• Complexity and simplicity do not need to be at odds with each other. Both can co-exist in food and fashion.
• Edit and boil things down to what is needed vs. accumulating more stuff.
• Sustainability is not just about the food that you eat; it’s also the businesses you support.
• Distill the qualities that make a concept unique by doing one thing the exceptional instead of 100 things just ok.

Brands delivering on these trends include: 

• Obica: The worlds first Mozzarellas di Bufala Campana bar in Rome. Spotted in 2007 (the name was Obika at the time), they feature high-quality Italian handmade products, prepared “in sight” and served by drawing inspiration from traditional sushi bars. Website
• Alabama Chanin: The founder of Project Alabama has been making hand-sewn apparel in her home state of Alabama since 2000. Her creations, made community artisans, employees, and friends highlight attention to detail in micro-manufacturing. Website
• Repetto: A niche French shoemaker named Rose Repetto who in 1956, upon the request of Bridgette Bardot, created an all-day ballerina that was comfortable as a ballet shoe. The quality and standards of design remain a key component of the brand to this day. Website 
• Agent Provocateur: The luxury lingerie store that made sexy fashionable again with beautiful retail boutiques and designs that is unapologetic and empowering.  Website
• Taschen: The art book publisher that expanded into the luxury market with limited editions and an eclectic mix of subject matters that were immediate cult coffee table books.  Website
• Amedei: The small Tuscan company that's enbraced single-origin to chocolate as an educational tool in sourcing the best cocoa beans in the world. Spotted at the Fancy Food Show in 2005 and now avilable at Neiman Marcus, Amedei's bean-to-bar creations are as delicious and artful as they are unique. Website