1% Recommended Weekly: Apple's First Foldable; Why Luxury Brands Are 'Diversifying'? The 2027 Wedding Arena and Other Style Perspectives

It's already mid-September, and with just a little more effort, next week brings the long-awaited Mid-Autumn holiday! Before welcoming the break, let's take a moment this week to explore some insightful articles to warm up for the upcoming vacation.

This week, 1% Style has curated three cross-domain articles worth your careful reading:

Cross-Lab | On Technology: Apple Finally Enters the Foldable Market — iPhone Duo Aims to Change More Than Just iPhone's Shape

Recently, Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, has officially debuted. From its 7.6-inch unfolded display, multi-window functionality, Apple Pencil support, to Siri AI, the Duo is bringing iPad-like usage scenarios into the iPhone. This time, 1% Style explores whether Apple can reorganize existing technologies to offer a unique perspective on foldable smartphones.

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In the opening video of the 2026 fall launch event, various figures offered different answers: a chase scene, an identity reveal, or a mysterious figure slowly entering the frame. Finally, Tim Cook's voice appears: "Please introduce John Ternus."

The camera gradually focuses, revealing John Ternus, who officially assumed the role of Apple CEO on September 1. This event, titled "Surprise and Shine," marked not only the debut of the new iPhone but also a carefully orchestrated leadership transition—both long-anticipated.

After briefly sharing his 25-year journey at Apple, Ternus introduced the Apple Watch, AirPods, and iPhone 18 Pro in sequence.

Nearly an hour later, he paused and uttered the familiar phrase: "One more thing..." While the audience typically erupts in applause and cheers at this cue, Ternus pulled out "that" foldable phone from his back jeans pocket. This was the moment Apple's first foldable iPhone officially appeared, named more simply than market rumors: iPhone Duo.

Since the first iPhone launched in 2007, it has become larger, thinner, and continuously upgraded its screen and camera, yet the single front-facing interface has never fundamentally changed. The iPhone Duo marks the first time Apple has rethought what form an iPhone can take. When folded, it's a phone with a 5.4-inch external screen, similar in size to a passport. When unfolded, the 7.6-inch internal screen is about 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, making it the largest display area iPhone to date. Both screens use the same aspect ratio, allowing content to continuously scale during opening and closing, maintaining visual and operational continuity as much as possible.

The titanium body, a hinge composed of over 100 components, and the reinforced glass and titanium support beneath the internal screen all address the most common concerns about first-generation foldable devices: creases, hinge durability, and screen longevity.

Cross-Lab | On Taste: Why Aren't Luxury Brands Sticking to Luxury Anymore? From Sports to Art to Technology — A Battle for Lifestyle Dominance

From LVMH entering the Paris Olympics and Formula 1, Prada's long-term involvement in sailing, to luxury brands supporting art, opening cafés, and exploring artificial intelligence, luxury is no longer just about selling products. This time, 1% Style takes you into another war within the luxury world, showing how, as products become easier to see and imitate, luxury brands are shifting their competitive focus to who can build a "lifestyle world" people want to stay in.

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At the 2024 Paris Olympics podium, athletes retrieved medals co-designed by Chaumet from Louis Vuitton hard cases; as the French delegation entered the opening ceremony, they wore uniforms meticulously designed by Berluti. A few months later, LVMH announced a decade-long partnership with Formula 1, with Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer, and Moët Hennessy respectively entering trophy design, timing systems, and race hospitality.

You could say that from the Olympics to F1, luxury brands have long left their boutiques. A watch still tells time, a bag still carries items, and a coat still protects against cold—but these functions alone can't explain why people willingly pay far above practical value for luxury. This is a profound question.

The most notable recent change in the luxury industry isn't just fashion cycles or designer rotations—brand activity boundaries are rapidly expanding: they're entering motorsports and sailing, supporting artists and public art, opening restaurants, cafés, and hospitality spaces, and investing in gaming, wearables, artificial intelligence, and immersive experiences.

We used to call this "crossover marketing," but now that term feels too simplistic, as brands are extending value concentrated in objects into time, space, and lifestyle. Before someone even steps into a boutique, they might have seen the brand in a race broadcast, encountered its supported artists in a museum, enjoyed its designed afternoon tea at a hotel, or viewed related content on social media.

When the product finally takes center stage, the accumulated "experiences" and impressions beforehand have already laid the groundwork for its meaning. This allows luxury brands, after leaving the display case, to compete not just for more exposure, but to begin influencing how people view the world and organize their lives.

Cross-Lab | On Taste: Fewer People Are Getting Married, But Hotels Are Acting Early — The 2027 Wedding Market Is Restructuring Wedding Logic

In recent years, Taiwan's marriage registrations have continuously declined, and the wedding banquet market has shrunk accordingly. However, starting in the second half of 2026, hotels have become more proactive in positioning for the 2027 wedding market. From small-table banquets and high customization to Michelin-level dining, today's wedding banquets are no longer just about comparing table prices or banquet hall sizes. As newlyweds become fewer, hotels are beginning to ask a more direct question: who exactly do they want to serve?

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If you only look at population numbers, the wedding banquet market is hard to view as expanding. In 2025, Taiwan recorded 104,376 marriage registrations, a 15.2% decrease from the previous year. You could say the pool of potential newlyweds available to hotels is shrinking, leaving little room for ambiguity. But interestingly, starting in the second half of 2026, several hotels have accelerated their moves for the 2027 wedding market.

Recently, Mandarin Oriental Taipei began preparing for the 2027 wedding market and launched new packages. Hotel MVSA Muse also incorporated its Michelin two-star restaurant into wedding offerings. The newly opened New Taipei North Sea Hot Spring InterContinental introduced its first wedding package, bundling accommodation, dining, and resort experiences. The Liao Liao Jiaoxi all-inclusive venue has already received numerous inquiries from couples. Far Eastern Shangri-La Tainan offers five-table minimum five-star hotel weddings, focusing on "refined planning."

While the number of newlyweds is decreasing, high-end hotels aren't slowing down. A clearer trend is that they're repositioning themselves and creating different wedding "values."

Previously, when discussing hotel weddings, table count was almost the first and most basic "metric." Large banquet halls hosted dozens of tables, medium-sized venues handled ten to twenty tables, with table prices differentiated by hotel tier and menu. For hotels, this method was simple and easy to understand.

Some still hold weddings this way, but the market now includes many previously overlooked demands. For example, Far Eastern Shangri-La Tainan has formally launched "Happiness Small-Table Weddings" as a product, categorizing 5–9 tables, 10–14 tables, and 15–17 tables into different tiers.

This Week's [Xiaoyao World]

This week's [Xiaoyao World] features Yang Xihong, founder of Er Cui Coffee, invited by the hosting team. Starting from a cup of coffee, they discuss engineering, entrepreneurship, flavor, and how one can turn personal interests into new industry possibilities.

Click the link below to listen to the full episode!

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