The Flat Age Society

April: Youthful urban neighbourhoods attract Flat-Agers

Baby Boomers, or at least the young at heart among them, are moving to neighbourhoods associated with hipster culture, according to The New York Times.

Key Development: The numbers suggest that attitudes rather than demographics will define an area as youthful in the future.

June: Grey hair is being reclaimed as a new signifier of hip, defiant, pro-age sentiment

A range of specialist grey-enhancing hair products are emerging, such as niche Swedish brand Sachajuan's best-selling Silver Shampoo, global leader Pantene's Silver Expressions range and White Hot Hair, a colour care range that founder Jayne Mayled hopes will spark debate around the whole acceptance of grey and white hair.

Key Development: New product categories are starting to emerge within beauty that specifically address the needs of older women.

June: New social app Stitch connects older adults

Stitch is a new mobile app hoping to connect older adults for romantic and non-romantic companionship.

Timely because in 2013, for the first time, more Americans over 50 were single because of divorce than because of the death of their partner, according to The New York Times.

Key Development: Flat-Agers are splitting up and hooking up, and new services are emerging to help them get busy.

July: Film short for Centrum shows Flat-Agers on the ball

Advertising agency Leo Burnett tests just how ageless The Flat Age Society is in a film short for multivitamin brand Centrum, which sees a team of basketball players aged 46 and over pitted against a team half their age. The film is supported by a social media campaign bearing the hashtag #StillGotIt.

Key Development: This is a brave test of the vitality of The Flat Age Society, with a strong link to a product that helps people retain physical and mental fitness in later life.

August: Jaeger celebrates mothers and daughters in autumn/winter campaign

Channelling the ageless spirit of The Flat Age Society, Jaeger releases a campaign featuring three famous models photographed with their mothers.

Key Development: Brands are recognising the power in aligning with an intelligent, accomplished and empowered older spokesmodel.

January: Baby Boomers show their creative side for Selfridges

A recent article by The Guardian reveals that the over-50s are leading an entrepreneurial boom in the UK.

Right on time, Selfridges launched its Bright Old Things campaign, a twist on its annual Bright Young Things campaign. The retailer invited 14 inspiring 40–80-year-olds who have embraced a new creative vocation later in life to lend their talents to a series of in-store events.

Key Development: Brands are aligning with Flat-Agers making the most of new or rediscovered skills, who are re-inventing themselves as entrepreneurs.

February: Designers are inspired by elderly counterparts

At the Stockholm Furniture Fair, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation KADK presented the 75+ exhibition, designed to explore how the functional needs of Flat-Agers can influence contemporary design. Twelve chairs designed for the growing active older generation were presented to challenge the concepts of age and tradition.

Key Development: Designers are embracing the design challenge of physical difficulty to create products that turn medical necessities into stylish accessories.

March: New online platform celebrates the lives of Baby Boomers

Founded by photographer Helen Cathcart and luxury journalist Dominique Afacan, Bolder curates inspirational stories from Boomers who are shunning age stereotypes and following their passions.

Key Development: This generation want images they can relate to and media platforms which are representative of the lives they have led.

April: The cosmetics industry in Britain sees a surge in sales among Baby Boomer women

A study by beauty e-commerce site Escentual found that women over 45 account for 58.14% of Escentual’s beauty market and customers aged 45–54 are now spending an average of £2,238 (€3,117, $3,300), up 4.1% from previous years.

Key Development: These statistics chime with the launch of recent campaigns from beauty brands such as YSL, L’Oréal and NARS, that have all featured Flat Age models in their campaigns and are choosing to promote a more positive, affirming message about ageing.