Just a few weeks ago we wrote about My Fashion Plate, a wardrobe management community for clothes hounds. While a variety of features are available on that site—including even personal shopping services—Looklet is a new contender that focuses exclusively on the design end with a virtual studio through which users can mix and match real designer clothes.

Now in beta, Stockholm-based Looklet offers a selection of seven models—each with various facial expressions—38 backdrops and almost 2,000 items of clothing and accessories that can be combined to try out new looks and combinations. All the clothes items are actual, existing pieces selected by stylists from real designers; users need only drag and drop them onto the model of their choice to create their own personal look, which is viewable from multiple perspectives. Once they've created a style they like, they can save it and share it with other users of the site as well as with friends on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere. Some 76,000 users have already created more than 600,000 outfits on Looklet, all browsable, searchable and available for remixing.

There's no doubt both Looklet and competitor Polyvore offer the opportunity for fashion brands to engage with their target audiences in a much more compelling way than traditional advertising ever could. While Polyvore provides e-commerce links to enable shopping, however, Looklet currently does not, instead simply providing general links to the designers' sites. Seems to us users will eventually want to convert their dream creations into reality—one to partner with on the e-shopping end to help make that possible? (Related: Fashion blog is street version of shopping mags.)

Website: www.looklet.com
Contact: info@looklet.com

Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz

The internet may have given music fans unprecedented access to the world's music, but finding it in any kind of organized way can be a challenge. Now providing a location-based approach comes CitySounds.fm, a music browser that streams the latest music of the world, city by city.

Created by a Swedish duo for Music Hack Day last month, CitySounds.fm lists major cities from around the world, with those most frequently selected at the top. Listeners simply click on a city name to hear a selection of the latest music from that city. All of the tracks played come from professional audio platform SoundCloud.com, while photo images accompanying each city name come from flickr. Using CitySounds.fm is free, and tracks and cities are updated constantly to reflect each city's musical trends.

Like Harman Kardon's trip planner with suggested travelling music, and Louis Vuitton's MP3 tours of Chinese cities, CitySounds.fm provides consumers with a way to connect sound and music to specific places, whether or not they're travelling there themselves.

Website: www.citysounds.fm
Contact: henrik@henrikberggren.com

Spotted by: Miriam Brafman

It's a sobering fact that a full 40 percent of the world's population—some 2.6 billion people—lack regular access to a toilet. Add to that the fact that one child dies every 15 seconds from water contamination, and it's not hard to see the motivation behind the Peepoo bag.

One of the UN Millennium Development Goals, set in 2000, is to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to drinking water and sanitation, but so far progress has been minimal. With that in mind, Swedish Peepoople created the Peepoo bag to serve as a personal, portable and low-cost latrine for all the many people who don't have one. Designed for use sitting, squatting or standing, the single-use, biodegradable plastic bag measures 14 by 38 cm and is lined with a urea-coated gauze layer that disinfects all waste. Used bags are odour-free for at least 24 hours and are safe for burial underground. Within two to four weeks after use, however, their contents get converted to high-quality fertiliser—something that's also rare in many areas and so could become a source of income and further enrichment for an individual or village. Following field tests last year in Kenya and India, the Peepoo bag is scheduled to begin production this summer.

Along with such efforts as distributing free insect nets to children in malaria-ridden areas and abolishing fees for school uniforms in poor countries, the Peepoo bag qualifies as a quick-win project that could rapidly improve the lives of many people. One to get in on, help out with, or be inspired by!

Website: www.peepoople.com
Contact: info@peepoople.com

Spotted by: Robert Olzon

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has already put children's nutrition in the spotlight with his School Dinners documentaries and Feed Me Better campaign. Now, through a partnership with Swedish Scandic Hotels, he's bringing his philosophy right to the table for travellers with children.

The three-year partnership will focus on a different target group each year, beginning with children. Specifically, starting this summer, kids will be able to try out completely new children’s menus at all 150 of Scandic’s hotels. Many traditional meals will be revamped; other, new ones will also be introduced, featuring natural preparations and organic ingredients. Kids will begin by choosing their food from a photo-based menu designed specifically with them in mind, according to Fashtastic. They'll also be able to assemble their own salad. Entrees will include spaghetti and meatballs, while dessert will feature ice cream “Smushins”—something Oliver apparently invented as kid—including vanilla ice cream with healthy toppings like fresh fruit and berries, "smushed" together with a spatula by the kids themselves.

What's the best way to impress a parent? Take good care of their kids. A concept to emulate throughout the hospitality industry! (Related: Happy healthy meals — More meal prep & cooking instruction, this time by Jamie Oliver.)

Website: www.scandichotels.com
Contact: www.scandichotels.com/settings/Side-foot/Customer-service/Contact-us1/

Spotted by: Robert Olzon

Based—where else?—in Sweden, I LOVE IKEA is a new online marketplace for consumers looking to buy and sell secondhand IKEA furniture.

Buyers can search by region and city to find items nearby, or by category: bathroom, kitchen, office, etc. Product descriptions include the usual: photo, price and contact details, but are generally brief—after all, buyers can easily find more information in IKEA's catalogue. Placing ads is free until August 1st. After that, the site will charge sellers a small fee per ad.

On every general classifieds site, from Craigslist to preloved.co.uk, there's an abundance of secondhand IKEA goods on offer. According to I LOVE IKEA, they're included in over 20,000 ads per month in newspapers and online marketplaces. And that's just in Sweden. So it makes sense to create a marketplace dedicated to IKEA's wares, making it easier for consumers to locate items by name or type. I LOVE IKEA isn't affiliated with the object of their affection; as they put it, they're "a tribute to IKEA's amazing range, and a response to recent developments towards a more sustainable society." Following its launch in Sweden, I LOVE IKEA aims to expand to the rest of Europe soon.

Enduringly popular around the world, IKEA will no doubt continue to spawn businesses that offer complementary goods and services. Need more inspiration to start an IKEA 'feeder business' of your own? Check out slip covers for sofas by Bemz, delivery to Nasheville by ModerNash, decorative adhesives by Grippiks and add-ons by Parts of Sweden, all of which have built successful companies on an IKEA foundation.

Website: www.iloveikea.se
Contact: info@iloveikea.se

Spotted by: Robert Olzon

We may live in a world of fast food, fast fashion and fast-moving change, but it's starting to look like things may be slowing down. Earlier this year we wrote about Welsh brand Howies and its line of clothing intended to be passed down through generations, and since then we learned of Brikolör, a brand-new Swedish company that designs its furniture to last 300 years.

Debuted last month at the International Furniture Fair in Milan, Brikolör aims to manufacture furniture "with a guaranteed emotional and technical durability of 300 years." A variety of colourful pieces created from ash and larch make up Brikolör's current six-prototype line, with prices ranging from EUR 500 for a varnished Älta-Älta stool to EUR 8,000 for a pattern-stained Hägg cabinet.

There's nothing like a recession and a focus on environmental sustainability to make consumers value longevity. Fast, you're history; lasting value, you're here to stay! ;-)

Website: www.brikolor.com — twitter.com/brikolor
Contact: info@brikolor.com

An iPhone application developed for 7-Eleven Sweden combines a store locator with coupons for a free coffee and biscotti. After downloading the app, users plug in their phone number and receive a unique coupon code on their iPhone. To claim their coffee, they just show the code to a 7-Eleven clerk; no purchase necessary. The coupon is only valid once, and free coffee in April will be followed by free ice cream in May.

The application, developed by Stockholm-based digital agency Lonely Duck, was downloaded 2,500 times in the week it launched—a considerable number given the size of the Swedish iPhone community, and enough to place it in the top 10 of free app downloads.

7-Eleven hasn't launched the app in other markets yet, but it's a smart example for other iPhone-loving retailers to follow: don't just help (a relatively affluent group of) consumers find your store, but give them a good reason to visit and spend money while they take you up on your generous offer.

Website: www.7-eleven.se
Contact: www.7-eleven.se/kontakt.html

Spotted by: Robert Olzon

We've written about a number of games designed to get kids off the couch and into some exercise, but recently one of our spotters alerted us to one we hadn't yet seen: DigiWall, a structure that combines a climbing wall with gaming.

Designed for use in public places like museums and shopping malls, DigiWall is a climbing wall with high-end surround-sound whose grips include both lights and sensors that react when they are touched. A variety of games, contests, challenges and creative experiences are possible on the wall as a result, using a combination of visual and audio feedback and body movements. Games currently available, for example, include simple ones based on physical activity and speed as well as more complex ones involving flexibility, bodily control and tactical skill. New games are also being added all the time, the wall's Swedish maker says. When not in use, DigiWall becomes a decorative sound and light installation.

Much like Wii, location-based games and gyms that use games to keep kids moving, DigiWall could be another weapon in the battle against childhood obesity—not to mention a novel and entertaining public attraction. Kid-friendly restaurants, stores, malls, museums—even airports or schools: This one's for you! (Related: Poolside climbing walls — In-store wave riding.)

Website: www.digiwall.se
Contact: info@digiwall.se

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie

Camping, an ancient form of holiday accommodation, is now going peer-to-peer: Single Spot Camping connects anyone who owns a suitably sized piece of land (‘even your garage entrance’, says the site) with those looking for a place to pitch their tent.

Like the more established concept of couch surfing, the Swedish startup aims to create travel experiences that are more unique and personal than staying at a regular camping ground. Additional benefits are the small stream of income created for hosts, and the fact that—unlike with couch surfing—both guests and hosts can maintain a sense of privacy.

As the site’s still very new, all listings made before 31 December 2008 will be displayed for a year free of charge. In 2009, listings will cost the landowner EUR 40 per year. Any plots of land sitting empty in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Australia or the United States can currently be registered, with the site aiming to become popular with campers and site owners in Europe, North America and Australia. We’ve covered similar concepts for spare bedrooms and off-street parking spots—what’s next?

Website: www.singlespotcamping.com
Contact: info@singlespotcamping.com

Spotted by: Helene Frick

While unique, locally produced goods distinguish many nations in world markets, notable exceptions include North Korea, whose self-imposed isolation keeps it conspicuously absent from the global economy. Motivated by that very isolation, a group of young Swedes has launched an endeavour to forge connections with the nation through a startup company that will be the first to produce jeans in North Korea and export them to the rest of the world.

Coming from backgrounds in advertising and PR, the Swedish trio are now operating as Noko Jeans, which they say is "our attempt to approach and get closer to North Korea." After several meetings with North Korean government officials, the Swedes were invited to visit the nation this summer, and ended up securing a manufacturer: North Korea's largest mining company. The first samples arrived in Stockholm in October, and the jeans are due to become available next year, Noko's founders say.

In an increasingly globalized world, consumers see considerable value in products that are (still) made here, as our sister site trendwatching.com would say. Will North Korean jeans really be added to the list? That remains to be seen. One to watch!

Website: www.nokojeans.com
Contact: info@nokojeans.com

Most of the free love we've written about so far has come in relatively small doses--free photocopies, free phone calls, free taxi rides, for example. A new venture from Swedish clothing brand Elvine, however, now offers select creative types nothing less than a free place to stay.

Creators Inn is a fully equipped room with a balcony overlooking the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, and just a 10 minute walk from the city centre. Working with local independent organizers, Elvine's aim is to use the room to host artists and creatives visiting Gothenburg at no charge and with no strings attached. Foreign visitors are given priority, but anyone can apply by making a case for why they should be allowed to use the room. So far, artist, songwriter and blogger Momus and soul musician Jomo are among the guests who have been accommodated.

Elvine explains: "With Creators Inn by Elvine we tried to add some creativity to the equation, labeling what we do as CSR - Creative Social Responsibility. By offering visiting creators free accommodation, we hope to remind people of a lovely little thing called hospitality. And in addition to making the visiting creators happy and Gothenburg a more interesting city because of their presence, we hope this simple idea can be exported and implemented around the globe."

With the potential to generate a new, hip image and no small amount of goodwill among business partners and visitors, Elvine's example may well be one worth emulating for creative brands around the globe. Just furnish a room with a view, set out a doormat, and you're good to go! ;-)

Website: www.creatorsinn.com
Contact: manager@creatorsinn.com

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Swedish fashion label Filippa K is promoting a longer life for its products by letting customers sell them in its very own secondhand store, which just opened in Stockholm.

While Filippa K came up with the concept for a branded secondhand shop, the day-to-day business will be run by the founder of Judit Second Hand, a popular destination for vintage finds from the sixties and seventies. Situated next door to Judit's, at Hornsgatan 77, Filippa K Second Hand sells women's and men's clothing, and accessories. Items brought in by customers are sold on commission. In addition to used items, the boutique will also sell collection samples, which should help bring in the fashionistas. The shop is part of a larger effort to become more environmentally aware, and Filippa K doesn't aim to make any money reselling their garments.

Filippa K's creative director, Filippa Knutsson, stated that the concept is fully in line with what the brand stands for, pointing out that resales are made possible by Filippa K's high quality and timeless design. While brands like Patagonia and Uniqlo have programs in place that either recycle fabric from used items or donate them to charity, we like Filippa K's emphasis on reusing clothing, stressing its longevity and creating a healthy antidote to fast fashion. If you run a well-regarded secondhand store, now's the time to contact local brands that might be interested in following in Filippa K's footsteps. And the concept could be applied to other products, too. How about a branded bookstore dedicated to selling used Penguin books?

Website: www.filippa-k.se
Contact: info@filippa-k.se

Spotted by: Pastan via MZ

With the rise of virtual worlds, the burgeoning fashion market for avatars brought real-world brands and designs into the virtual realm. Now, the trend appears to be going the other way as companies begin to let consumers get their avatar fashions made into real-world clothes.

Avatar clothes have become big business in the virtual world, and a new partnership between Swedish avatar dress-up site Stardoll and German t-shirt commerce site Spreadshirt could allow users to take virtual clothes they create or see online and get them made into the real thing for use in the real world. To start, users will be able to take logos or graphics from popular labels in the Stardoll world and get them emblazoned on real-life t-shirts, hats and other items. Eventually, though, the possibilities could expand dramatically, Matt Palmer, Stardoll's executive vice president and general manager, told Virtual Worlds News in April. "We know through our research that kids would love to get their hands on them," he explained. "The opportunity allows us to experiment with what we can take from our world that's a simple idea that kids can customize, get made and have sent to them. That sort of translation of virtual world to physical world—I view this as the first step in looking at what that could look like for us."

Virtual world Gaia has also begun selling real-world fashion on its site, and one can't help but wonder how long it will be before Second Life and other popular virtual worlds starts experimenting with something similar. From there, of course, the next natural step will be to let users sell their real-life creations for real-world money, just as they can currently sell their virtual ones. One to watch!

Websites: www.stardoll.com — www.spreadshirt.com
Contacts: www.stardoll.com/en/help/contact.php — www.spreadshirt.com/us/US/About-us/Contact-1336

Spotted by: Iconoculture via RK

People have used dark-lined writing paper since medieval times and over the years, a lot of bleach has been used to provide a contrasting white background. Swedish Whitelines, on the other hand, makes carbon-neutral writing paper that uses white lines against a light grey background.

Traditional dark-lined paper not only depends on the use of bleach for a contrasting background, it also can conflict with lines and letters drawn or written on its surface. Dark lines show up on photocopies too, often making for muddy, difficult-to-view copies. Stockholm designer Olof Hansson came up with the idea of Whitelines as a way to eliminate those problems. With a focus on the environmental consequences of its operations, the company tracks and labels its own carbon footprint in collaboration with NEWA, the North Environment & Weather Agency. Through a partnership with paper producer Stora Enso forged just last month, meanwhile, it uses a carbon dioxide-neutral paper as a base for its products. Whitelines now offers pads of its patented paper with a variety of bindings, including spiral, glue and saddle stitch, through select retailers in Canada, Germany, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Whitelines was named Innovator of the Year by ALMI Stockholm last year, and in January it was nominated in the New Product Innovation and Emerging Vendor categories at the European Office Products Awards in Frankfurt. With its paradigm-busting appearance, Whitelines' eco-iconic qualities are sure to appeal to the rapidly growing eco-minded masses. Remember: it's not enough to be green; you have to help consumers show the world that they are, too. Think green, think different, think iconic!

Website: www.whitelines.se
Contact: info@whitelines.se

Spotted by: Johan Lofmark

The Retriever is a two-wheeled towing vehicle based on a Honda Goldwing motorcycle that can worm its way through city gridlock and congested highways like no four-wheeled towing vehicle could ever dream of. The Retriever is the ingenious invention of the aptly named Swedish firm Coming Through. According to the company, it takes a little over a minute to convert from a nimble motorcycle to a towing device powerful enough to haul most passenger cars. The Retriever’s driver simply extracts a folded bracket stored behind the motorcycle’s high back seat and then hitches the car’s front end to the bracket.

As a business venture, a towing service based on the Retriever could take a little more time to set up, however. Throughout the world, towing firms compete under various schemes for the right to rescue cars stalled on public roads. Police are often the authorities who order a tow truck on the scene, and they would need to be sold on the Retriever’s ability to handle the job. And some accident-damaged cars might require a heftier vehicle to haul them away. That said, the Retriever’s ability to rescue a vehicle and quickly unsnarl traffic could make it a hit. So the real opportunity might be for distributors who could sell Retrievers either to private companies or public road authorities. (Related: Motorcycle taxis rescue stranded business travellers.)

Website: www.comingthrough.se
Contact: info@comingthrough.se

Spotted by: Lilia Parra Ledesma

Earlier this year, we wrote about a sympathetic initiative by Paris airports, giving weary travellers a chance to recharge with a dose of full-spectrum light therapy.

Last week, IKEA offered fatigued Stockholm shoppers a similar form of respite by installing a Sovhotell (sleep hotel) in one of the city's downtown shopping centres. After checking in at Sovhotell's front desk, guests were asked whether they normally sleep on their stomach, side or back, and were given a pillow to suit their personal sleeping style. In addition to single and double beds, the Sovhotell also featured a bridal suite.

Guests were welcome to snooze for 15 minutes, and were given eye masks and headphones with soothing soundscapes to help them benefit from their sponsored power naps. According to IKEA, inspiration for the Sovhotell came from Japanese capsule hotels and from the fact that the shoppers in its own stores are occasionally found napping in the bedroom section.

No word yet on whether IKEA is planning to bring this shopper-friendly campaign to malls in other parts of the world, but we think it's a great example of the tryvertising trend: marketing a product by letting customers try it out in a relevant setting, without pressuring them to buy.

Website: www.ikea.com

Spotted by: Frida Berglund

Back in 2005 we wrote about the Snap Alarm, an award-winning optical smoke detector from FireInvent, and now the same Swedish company is taking fire protection a step further with its all-in-one Safety Box.

The Safety Box is designed to provide complete fire protection in a single package, and it comes in six different versions tailored to different usage contexts. But the fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, fire blankets and torchlights included aren't just ordinary versions of those items. Rather, they have been revamped for a modern, attractive look. The Safety Box Design, for example, includes fire extinguisher and Snap Alarm in black or white; black-and-white fire blanket in a modern, botanical design; plus an extra wall-mountable optical smoke detector. The Safety Box Exclusive, meanwhile, includes a chrome option for the fire extinguisher, while the Safety Box Kid includes a Snap Alarm in pink or blue and a fire blanket suitable for children. Pricing begins at SEK 1095 (USD 185 / EUR 115); versions for cars and boats are also available.

There will always be a need for functional products like fire protection devices, but there's nothing to say they can't be upgraded with a splash of colour and design and sold at a similarly upgraded price. FireInvent is interested in signing up retailers—one to bring to a market near you?

Website: www.fireinvent.com
Contact: info@fireinvent.com

Spotted by: Jessica Axberg

While ikeahacker has been around for a few years, offering IKEA fans a platform to share their home-made hacks to the Swedish giant's products, not every consumer wants to go the DIY route.

A new Swedish company calculated that out of IKEA's millions of customers, more than a few are willing to plunk down some cash to order smart, ready-made additions to their flat-pack furniture. Parts of Sweden currently offers add-ons to six of IKEA's most popular product lines, from various doors for Expedit units to wine racks for Ivar shelving. (Both shown above.)

Two years ago, we featured a similar company—Bemz, which is still going strong—that sells removable, washable slipcovers for IKEA's sofas and armchairs. What we remarked about Bemz also applies to Parts of Sweden: while mass class products definitely have their advantages, most customers are eager to add a personal touch to their living quarters. There's money to be made by feeding, and feeding off of, behemoths like IKEA.

Website: www.partsofsweden.se
Contact: service@partsofsweden.se

Spotted by: Frida Berglund

Robot vacuum cleaners are slowly taking off, and robot lawn mowers have been around for over a decade. What's new this month, however, is a mower that not only trims the lawn all by itself, but does so using solar power.

Sweden's Husqvarna just introduced the world's first solar/electric hybrid robot lawnmower, which has no exhaust emissions and uses approximately the same amount of energy as a standard light bulb.

Cleverly targeting time-starved consumers as well as tree-huggers, Husqvarna claims: "It's been calculated that using Automower Solar Hybrid to cut the lawn in an average garden can save 40 hours of labour every year—the equivalent of an extra week's holiday." Owners just lay out a boundary cable that tells the robot where to stop cutting, saving the delphiniums from an untimely death. Cuttings don't need raking, either: the grass is cut so finely that it can be left where it falls and acts as a fertiliser.

Combining two powerful trends—convenience and eco-friendliness—has to be a winner. Who's next? (Related: Indoor composting made easy.)

Website: www.husqvarna.com

Any florist or gardening company can place potted plants in an office, then dutifully drop by to water them when needed. But it takes skilled artisans to create the indoor walls of greenery that are indoorlandscaping’s speciality. The German firm’s Grüne Wand (green wall) adds a welcome green element to sterile office environments and improves air quality while taking up less floor space than potted vegetation does.

Indoorlandscaping isn’t the only company creating green walls for public spaces. Green Fortune, launched by two Swedish entrepreneurs, has already amassed an impressive list of international clients, placing their Plantwalls in offices, stores, restaurants and even car dealerships. Likewise, French artist Patrick Blank’s meticulously sculpted Vertical Gardens have transformed ordinary walls in Paris and elsewhere into works of foliage art.

From LEED certification to green roofs, commercial buildings are being swept up in a big eco-wave. Which isn’t just good and necessary, but also creates a host of new business opportunities for entrepreneurs—whether creating their own eco-friendly concepts, or partnering with up-and-coming players like Green Fortune and indoorlandscaping. And how about making green indoor walls feasible and affordable for private homes? (Related: Urban farming.)

Website: www.indoorlandscaping.de — www.greenfortune.com — www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com
Contact: look@indoorlandscaping.de — info@greenfortune.com — info@murvegetalpatrickblanc.com

Spotted by: Susanna Haynie