With Christmas and New Year feeling like a distant memory – plus the fact that it’s cold, dark, and we’re down to the last pennies of our bank accounts – it’s no surprise that January is often described as the most miserable month of the year.

In light of this, we thought we’d dedicate this month’s Hype to the things we’re looking forward to in premium retail in 2015.

Presents in the post

If you’re looking for something to make you smile each month then why not explore a monthly subscription box as recommended by our Premium Panelists.

Once a month, Not Another Bill sends out a beautifully wrapped and carefully curated surprise gift in the post that has been exclusively created in collaboration with a handful of top designers and artists. From their beautiful packaging to the personalised letter explaining the present, it’s clear that Not Another Bill has really considered how the whole experience looks and feels.

Also highly recommended by our Premium Panel was My Little Box which aims to surprise and delight you with a box of beauty, fashion and lifestyle discoveries each month. They have over 80,000 subscribers in France and we can see why it’s becoming so popular over here.

If you like the idea of having a treat in the post each month then also check out other subscription boxes including Glossy Box and BirchBox for beauty enthusiasts. For foodies, take a look at Flavrbox and Cocoa Runners.

Alexander MQueen Savage Beauty

From the 14th March to 2nd August 2015, the highly anticipated Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibition is coming to the V&A Museum in London. The exhibition celebrates the extraordinary creative talent of one of the most innovative designers of recent times and will be the first and largest retrospective of McQueen’s work to be presented in Europe. The V&A has already sold more than 16,000 tickets and due to popular demand they have just extended the exhibition for two weeks, so it’s definitely worth booking soon if you don’t want to miss out.

Collaborations

There are plenty of big collaborations happening in 2015 to get excited about.

Beyoncé for Topshop

Beyoncé has teamed up with Topshop and will be launching a range of active wear later this year. The collection will include clothing, footwear and accessories across dance, fitness and sports categories. While celebrity and fashion collaborations are ten a penny these days, this one is meant to be more of brand in its own right with a 50/50 alliance between Topshop and Beyoncé’s company Parkwood.

David Beckham for H&M

David Beckham has long enjoyed a good relationship with H&M by previously collaborating on a highly successful underwear range. This year, he’s teamed up with the high street store once again to create Modern Essentials Selected by David Beckham. Beckham hasn’t been flexing his creative muscles for this collection but has chosen his favourite pieces from H&M’s spring 2015 Modern Essentials collection – essentially creating a guide to what he would wear if he were to shop at H&M. Think bomber jackets, white denim jackets, sharp linen blazers and crisp white shirts.

Beckham will launch the range along with his spring underwear collection for the label on the 5th March. He has also been more than obliging in modelling the range which was shot by famous film director Mark Forster.

Other collaborations to mark in your diary include H&M for Coachella, Christopher Kane for Nars cosmetics and Lily Pulitzer for Target which should be available in the UK via Net-a-Porter.

Wearable technology

For the past year or so, the main use of “wearable” technology has been for fitness, such as measuring steps, calories burnt and your heart rate. But in 2015, experts say, we can expect to move past that with an array of new wearable technology products.

Apple has announced that the Apple Watch will launch in April this year, describing it as the “most personal device we’ve ever created”. Beyond telling the time, the watch will feature a heart rate monitor as well as providing at-a-glance notifications and mobile payments. Several apps will be available on the Watch too, including Siri, Messages and Maps along with information pulled from calendars and email.

Being an Apple product, this watch will no doubt have people queuing from the early hours outside Apple stores across the world.

Pantone’s colour of the year

With every New Year comes new trends. Each year, Pantone gathers a colour committee together to debate colour trends gathered from experts around the world – and ultimately pick which shade will become the new black.

This year, Pantone have officially named the colour of the year as Masala which they describe as an “earthy red wine that embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while it’s grounding red-brown roots emanates a sophisticated, earthiness.” The hue isn’t a risky one compared to last years’ Radiant Orchid, so expect to see this shade trickle through to your wardrobe, beauty collection and interiors this year.

Premium Panel

We’ve got loads of exciting stuff lined up for our Premium Panel members in 2015 – kicking off with our next survey and giveaway which will be coming your way in February. Watch this space – and don’t forget to sign up to the Premium Panel newsletter as well as joining our Facebook Group.