practices. We’ve compiled a few key themes from this year’s list, which you can download here, for free. When it comes to inclusion, talk is cheap Many brands tout themselves as being inclusive, and market themselves as welcoming places for people of all shapes, colours and creeds. So often, however, they change very little about the way they actually do business. One exception to this is Bonds. In 2022, the heritage Australian brand walked the walk to ensure that everyone could truly feel comfortable wearing its products. The business kicked off the UnGENderwear Project with the goal of auditing the way it sells products, and potentially removing gendered terms across its stores and marketing, to ensure that its clothes don’t come with a label. “Feeling good is about more than just wearing comfy undies and socks,” Bonds’ general manager of marketing Kelly McBride told Inside Retail. “Feeling good is about being comfortable to be yourself [and] we’re focused on helping everyone feel comfortable by using our voice to break down stereotypes, as well as supporting underrepresented groups or topics.” As part of the project, Bonds plans to review all gendered language across its business and remove any that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny by 2025, with the guidance of LGBTQIA+ organisation Minus18. Fashion is going Meta It seems like every other day, another retailer is exploring the metaverse, or releasing a collaboration with a popular game, in an effort to get on the front foot with this fast-emerging new channel. One brand in Australia that is well ahead of the pack is Sydney-based Injury, which has been making digital tokens of its high-end clothing since long before it was cool. After years of work in the space, Injury this year pioneered the first-ever metaverse fashion show at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, showing off its 2022/23 collection through a vibrant, anime-esque CGI film. The film won ‘Best Digital Fashion Award’ at Berlin Fashion Film Festival, and the brand already has plans for several more shows throughout the remainder of 2022. “We aim to take a holistic approach that includes characters, fashion, music and universes to tell our brand story,” Injury founder Eugene Leung told Inside Retail.  “We’re happy that our skillset has grown over the years so that we are able to create everything we have been dreaming of in-house.” Brands can make a difference  The role of wellness in the health sector has been growing for years, and it only accelerated during the pandemic. Now, with the rise of online retail, it only makes sense that digital-first wellness options have risen to prominence.  Online health platform Pilot, for example, is focusing its efforts on helping men take their health more seriously, and opening up conversations around some of the more taboo topics, such as erectile dysfunction and baldness. “We’re breaking down the barriers to entry, and offering discreet treatment to all men, whether they’re from capital cities or out in rural communities,” Pilot co-founder Charlie Gearside told Inside Retail.  In 2022, the business partnered with mental health hotline This Is a Conversation Starter to further its work helping men explore and deal with their own struggles with mental health, and called out tokenistic efforts around R U Okay? Day with an impactful campaign highlighting the need for real action. Another brand using its voice for good is pureplay sex toy retailer Becuming, which, beyond selling products meant purely for pleasure, ensures each toy meets its own ethical and product safety standards. “In Australia, there’s no legislation that regulates what types of sex products can be sold, nor what types of claims can be made about them,” founder Caroline Moreau-Hammond told Inside Retail. “In our modern world it’s very easy to quickly acquire all kinds of cheaply made products and sell them with extremely inflated margins. The sex toy industry is no different.” By only stocking products that meet its own high standard, and using its position in the market as an educator as well as a retailer, Becuming is hoping to open up conversations with its customers around what they want from their sex life, and how they can achieve it.