It’s no surprise that the media has an enormous amount of power to influence our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. As consumers, many of us can be influenced even by the most subliminal of messages.
What we perceive through social media, radio and television can easily inspire new habits and even identities, and the summer of 2022 was a strong point for demonstrating this influence.
Contestants of ITV’s Love Island, or ‘Islanders’, have held a strong influence on audiences since the programme’s debut in 2015. This is mostly down to the fact that the contestants are often already well-known social media influencers before appearing on the show.
Commonly known as the ‘Love Island Effect’, many viewers try to emulate the look and lifestyle of these influencers, having idolised the contestants throughout the course of the series, as well as before and after. However, 2022 has seen an unexpected turn for Google search trends within the Love Island-sphere.
Rather than stopping at copying a personal style or specific characteristics, viewers this year have also been furnishing their homes to replicate the Love Island villa and incorporating its interior decorations and style into their own surroundings. This prompted many online publications such as Cosmopolitan to run articles like ‘How to create the Love Island villa look in your home’.
Search trends for Love Island accessories
70s Love Island Furniture
Throughout the 21 century, retro clothing, furniture, and technologies have been making a notable revival on account of their eco-friendly appeal, timeless design, and a need to express individualism among millennials and generation Z, which are a significant Love Island’s target demographic.
1970s decor has seen a drastic renewal across home, restaurant and shop interiors in the UK, and the Love Island villa was no exception this year. Interest in the villa itself started in late May and ran high until the end of July, with over 35,000 searches at its peak in June.
In fact, ‘70s furniture’ was the highest searched interest of the year, first surging the week that Love Island 2022 started. Whether you find the floral patterns and rustic colour palette a timeless classic or just a garish nightmare, one thing’s for certain – the 1970s have had an overwhelming impact on consumer trends this summer.
Love Island Bean Bags
We’re all familiar with the comforting squish of a bean bag. The first bean bag made its debut in 1969 and was largely popularised throughout the 1970s. The iconic bean bag chair was designed by Italian design firm Zanatta Design as a fluid and modern alternative to more traditional furniture and catered to the “flower power” generation.
The iconic colourful bean bags have been a staple of the Love Island villa since its first series. The interest in bean bag searches peaked in July, reaching 3.3k searches at its highest point.
Gold Champagne Flutes
Aesthetics aside, there’s an unsuspecting practical reason for their inclusion in this year’s series.
The opaque material of the flutes means viewers are unable to see how much liquid content is inside at any given time. This is an advantage for producers when ensuring continuity. When editing scenes for the final version of each episode, the disguising of contents helps for consistency, so as to not see if a drink has gone up and down in volume between camera shots.
Google search trend data shows that the interest in these champagne flutes reached an all-time high in July.
Love Island Flamingo Glasses
Originally from Marks & Spencer, the flamingo glasses first appeared on the show back in 2019 and were an immediate sell-out for M&S after the Islanders were spotted with them. The colourful design features flamingos, parrots and toucans in tropical pinks, yellows, and greens.
Made from plastic, the cups are intended for outdoor use and ideal for picnics, BBQs, and garden parties. As well as wine glasses, they also come as tumblers, high ball glasses and jugs. Google Trends data reveals that the interest in flamingo cups surged in June 2022.
Pop Art Canvas
Pop Art first emerged in the 1950s and was popularised throughout the 1960s by artists such as Andy Warhol and Keith Haring.
Pop prints and neon signs can be seen dotted around the interior walls of the Love Island villa. Although these signs were most likely made new, this is again hammering the concept of upcycling and renewing vintage trends to promote sustainability, albeit somewhat subtly. The interest in Pop Art canvases reached a high in July, with 7.2k searches at its peak.
Sustainability and Love Island
Love Island has previously been criticised for the promotion of fast fashion, superficiality, and lack of diversity. In response to this, Love Island partnered with eBay UK, the first second-hand fashion partner to couple up with the ITV show.
The collaboration came after new research from eBay revealed that UK shoppers are becoming increasingly conscious of fast fashion. A fifth (19%) of Brits admit that they buy more second-hand fashion compared to two years ago and reveal on average, that 16% of their wardrobes are made up of pre-loved clothes.
But it’s not just clothes. As seen with the examples highlighted in this blog, the villa appears to be making a more positive and eco-friendlier move forward in its design. The implementation of vintage furnishings inspired by the 1950s, 60s and 70s suggests a new, sustainable lifestyle for viewers to replicate at home.
The world of Google Shopping has also taken to “Love Island” + product terms (see above).
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