Monday 14 June 2010

New H.Stern jewellery collaboration inspired by ballet

H.Stern+GrupoCorpo is a new collection of modern jewels that showcase craftsmanship, merging elements of H.Stern’s passion for design with Grupo Corpo’s approach to creating modern dance spectacles. This group of jewels in 18K Yellow and Noble Gold, diamonds and coloured gemstones, is being launched as six different collections, each inspired by six different ballets. For instance the piece featured here shows earrings and a bracelet shaped as gold roses which have been inspired by the scenery of the Nazareth ballet (1993) that presented large metallic roses. Where gemstones were used, the mood has been kept monochromatic, using one gem in a colour gradient or two gems of similar hues, as seen in rings of blue topaz, citrine, garnet and amethyst, and cognac diamonds. The new collection is available H.Stern shop in the fine jewellery section of Harrods, with each of the six inspired collections launching throughout the remainder of 2010.

JoJo Maman Bébé opens two new stores

JoJo Maman Bébé, the multi-channel baby, nursery and maternity retailer, is to open two new stores in Winchester and Edinburgh. The new store at 75 Saint George’s Street, Winchester has just completed shop fitting and is due to open next week. The second location is in Multrees Walk, Edinburgh and is due to open towards the end of June. The company has had more requests from mail order customers to open in Edinburgh than any other location in the UK. With more new stores across the UK under negotiation, this private company, which launched 17 years ago continues to prioritise ethical business practices above bottom line profit. The company supports the Nema Foundation, a charity that works to reduce infant mortality and child poverty in Mozambique.

Dune introduces new Head Over Heels range this August

The new Head Over Heels collection from Dune is launching in August. This new brand for Autumn/Winter 2010, includes catwalk inspired pieces, as well as every day casual styles, at competitive prices. Boot Camp is a range of ankle boots and over the knee styles appearing in multiple profiles and colours including black suede and leopard print. Other boot styles include an over the knee black stretch wedge, a canvas and rubber lace up wedge ankle boot, fur trimmed ankle boot, a flat lace up military inspired boot and a crepe soled suede hiker boot, in neutral shades of brown, tan and taupe. The Disco Fever line includes Stiletto sandals and platforms in suede, with colours including cobalt blue, fuschia pink and scarlet. Cut out details, panelling and hardware feature on stylish black suede wedge shoe boots and sandals, and there is also a silver lace up flat jazz shoe or a metallic blue ballet pump. The new Head Over Heels Autumn/Winter 2010 collection will be available in selected Debenhams and Dune stores nationwide from 1 August.

Ethical Fashion Forum launches INNOVATION Awards

The Ethical Fashion Forum has teamed up with the Fairtrade Foundation to launch the INNOVATION Awards. On 30 June at Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED, a panel of judges that includes Fashion Business Club (FBC) members: Dolly Jones - editor of Vogue.com; Courtney Blackman - co-founder and co-chairman of FBC and MD of Forward PR; and model and Fairtrade Foundation Ambassador - Laura Bailey will choose the winners of the INNOVATION Awards. Besides exposing designers and their work to an acclaimed panel of fashion insiders, the finalists will also have the opportunity to exhibit Spring/Summer 2011 collections at either PURE or London Fashion Week’s ESTHETICA in September 2010.

SONY`s new bloggies offer easy uploading on-the-go

SONY has two new bloggie models, the PM5 and PM5K, which offer the opportunity to take five megapixel still photos and also Full HD MP4 video. Styled in a choice of four colour finishes, the bloggie features a rotating lens that swivels 270 degrees, while the high resolution 6.0cm LCD screen shows camera settings in the bottom half of the display while shooting. The PM5K also includes a special 360 Video lens adaptor that allows panoramic videos to be recorded. Colourful and light, bloggie is a spontaneous way to update personal blogs or post to social networking apps while on the move. After recording photos or video, the data can be uploaded using the camera’s embedded PMB Portable software, which launches automatically when bloggie is connected to your PC or Mac. This software allows the user to view, select and upload clips to popular social apps and media sharing sites like YouTube.