Clothes rental services have been around for some time now, often focusing on the short-term needs of new parents, dieters or those preparing for special occasions. A new Singapore company gearing up for launch, however, is setting its sights squarely on fashionistas and others who would rather not wear the same outfit twice.

Representing yet another variation on the well-loved Netflix model, Closet Infinite is a service through which members can rent clothes for free in exchange for donating a fashion item of their own. Interested fashionistas begin by sending a photo of the item they'd like to donate, along with a description of its condition, where it was purchased and how much it cost. Upon acceptance and delivery to Closet Infinite, the item entitles them to 6 months' worth of membership on the site and the chance to rent the donated clothes of others for free. At that point members simply browse Closet Infinite's "library" and select the clothes they wish to rent. Clothes are then sent to them by mail within three days along with return packaging, and members are entitled to keep them for up to five days. Within Singapore, a per-item handling fee of SGD 6.50 includes packaging, postage and cleaning fees, while a deposit of SGD 30 is returned when the clothes are sent back. (International pricing will follow at a later stage.) Late charges of SGD 5 are assessed for each day the clothes are overdue. Closet Infinite will officially launch once it has built up its collection of clothes, the site says.

Given the pace at which styles change, it's no wonder more and more consumers are opting to be transumers instead, free from the expense and commitment of ownership. There's bound to be plenty of demand for a service like this in every fashion-conscious corner of the globe—one to bring to clothes hounds near you? (Related: A social marketplace for clothes hounds.)

Website: closetinfinite.wordpress.com
Contact: closet.infinite@gmail.com

Spotted by: Julia

When Singapore creative agency Kult launched a self-titled art magazine earlier this month, it didn't just produce print and online editions, as most publishers might. Rather, the group also created a touring, 3D version of the magazine crafted out of a vintage arcade machine.

With a premier issue focused on the theme of "trust," Kult Magazine aims to visualize its topics through the work of young artists from Asia and around the world. Emphasizing photography, illustration, graphic design and other visual arts, Kult hopes to use the free publication to "blur boundaries and encourage the viewer to participate in a visual dialogue with the works," in its own words. Toward that end, the Kult ArtCade is a roaming, vintage arcade machine that serves as a 3D version of the magazine. Instead of a traditional control panel, the ArtCade features a selection of art, illustration, photography and personal vignettes on the magazine's current theme.

Indeed, if magazines can be published on bottles or reconceptualized as objets d'art, why not a vintage arcade machine, which stands just as much chance of surprising and delighting consumers while the publishing industry recrafts itself? One to be inspired by! (Related: Smoking is bad, art is good.)

Website: www.kult.com.sg
Contact: alvin@kult.com.sg

The economy may be a shambles, but that doesn't mean there isn't still a market for creature comforts, especially when travelling. With that in mind, a new hotel recently opened in Singapore to provide a bespoke, all-expenses-covered stay. And unlike all-in beach resorts aimed at holidaymakers, Quincy is a city hotel targeting business (and leisure) travellers.

Situated just steps away from Singapore's Orchard Road, Quincy is a 108-room boutique hotel where the room rate covers virtually everything. Guests begin their pampering visit with complimentary limousine pickup from the airport and free wifi during the 20-minute ride. Three meals a day at the hotel are also included, as are cocktails from 6 to 8 pm. Minibar supplies are free and replenished daily, and all the hotel's studio rooms feature premium king-sized mattresses draped with feather beddings, separate bathtub and rain shower, and windows custom-designed with modular shapes that vary from room to room. Free internet, a laptop safe and a wardrobe stocked with amenities such as bathrobes and slippers are also included, and the hotel will even pick up the tab for two pieces of laundry per room per night. Rates for June currently begin at about SGD 218 (USD 150 / EUR 107) per night.

It's a smart move—cost-cutting measures have slashed corporate travel budgets, and those travelling for business might well be swayed by a hotel that will pamper them without presenting a long, itemized bill or unexpected charges. Since the hotel opened in March, it has reportedly enjoyed occupancy rates of about 76 percent, according to industry publication Hotels.

Website: www.quincy.com.sg
Contact: info@quincy.com.sg

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

We've written about pay-what-you-want restaurants and magazine subscriptions, but we hadn't yet heard of a similarly priced hotel. Sure enough, though, the new Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen hotel just last week launched a promotion that lets guests choose the rate they want to pay.

Rooms at the 538-room economy hotel, which opens this week in the heart of Singapore, are typically priced starting at SGD138 per room including free wifi. Through March 15, however, the pay-what-you-want competition runs during a designated portion of each day, as announced on the hotel's site. Interested consumers need only sign up as members and make a bid for the price they'd like to pay during one of the announced promotion times. If they're one of the first to bid, they can win a night at the hotel at exactly the price they offered. Bids have gone as high as SGD100, and the first promotional rooms sold out within minutes of the contest's launch last Wednesday, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Through a separate competition, meanwhile, members at the Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen—which is owned by French Accor Hotels—can also compete to become the best "Virtual General Manager" at the hotel by trying to fill an empty virtual hotel with as many friends as possible. Prizes in that competition include a free night at the hotel, while the grand prize winner receives four nights at the hotel along with round-trip airfare to Singapore for two.

Ever since Radiohead's decision to let consumers choose their price for its In Rainbows album, pay-as-you-want schemes have become a trendy way for brands to be generous and attract a whole lot of goodwill and attention. One to try out in your next promotion....?

Website: www.paywhatyouwant.com.sg
Contact: H6657@accor.com

There are already a few brands of eco-friendly eyewear out there, ranging from those that simply refurbish old glasses to those with sustainable components or manufacturing processes. Singapore's Nanyang Optical retail chain, however, has recently begun an eco-conversion of its brand through which it will sell only eyewear brands that are significantly green.

Three collections of green eyewear are now available in Nanyang stores, including award-winning LinkSkin, Flexis and Urband. LinkSkin glasses, for example, are manufactured to be RoHS-compliant using recycled materials with no lead, mercury, cadmium or soldering. Flexis rimless glasses, meanwhile, are constructed from recycled steel and polymer, also without the use of soldering, and Urband avoids soldering as well. As part of the eco-conversion of its chain of stores, Nanyang has also implemented a full-circle system that accepts old spectacles, contact lens case and solution bottles for recycling. A new look, including bamboo flooring, is part of the chain's rebirth as well.

It's one thing for a retailer to offer select green products, but to embrace eco brands to the exclusion of all others and even redesign your whole brand around the concept? That takes eco-iconic to a whole new level--one that will surely cause competitors to turn green as well (from envy, if nothing else). One to bring to eco-minded (and far-sighted) consumers near you....?

Website: www.nanyang.com.sg
Contact: info@nanyang.com.sg

Spotted by: Keetsa via RK

Back in 2006 we wrote about the Venue VBOX, which uses shipping containers to construct portable retail stores, and now, from the same Singapore company, comes a similarly modular and transportable pop-up nightclub.

Aqua by Grandstand is a mobile lifestyle and night-spot venue created from fold-out "transformer" units. The two-storey-high mobile party platform is modelled out of shipping containers using a transforming mechanism that allows a single container to open up to three times its original size. Accordingly, Aqua's bar-lounge can cater to as many as 500 guests and can be constructed at any location in the world complete with electricity, audio-visual and hospitality equipment. Aqua's first gig, beginning earlier this month at the Merchant Loop opposite Clarke Quay in Singapore, runs through 5 November 2008, including the Singapore Sun festival next month.

Coincidentally, another pop-up bar is also now making its debut in Singapore: Orgo, which is constructed out of stacked light cubes, similar to the Kubik bars we've written about. Featuring celebrity Japanese mixologist Tomoyuki Kitazoe, Orgo is located at Central Promenade and offered both indoor and alfresco experiences with a specially crafted line of cocktails during the Singapore River Festival, which just concluded. The Orgo bar opened 19 September and will remain through 23 October 2008.

Clearly the pop-up trend continues apace. It's all about surprising and delighting consumers with fresh, engaging experiences in the right locations. Where should your brand be popping up....?

Website: www.aquabygrandstand.com -- www.orgo.sg
Contact: info@bygrandstand.com -- info@orgo.sg

Spotted by: Francis Tan

Home cooking is a basic pleasure that gets denied by busy schedules all too often, and at least part of the reason is the time that must go into shopping for and preparing ingredients before the cooking can begin. We've already covered a few examples of semi-cooking purveyors (most recently: Kit a bien manger), and now I Love Mother has come to the table—so to speak—with more ways to help consumers serve up freshly cooked meals at home.

Customers of the Singapore-based service, which just launched in October, begin by going to ilovemother.net and choosing from a wide variety of menus. Meals are presented in categories, such as "Quick & Easy," "Something Special" and "Comfort Classics," and can include side dishes, desserts and wines. Next, once their selections are made, customers are presented with a list of the ingredients required. After indicating the number of servings needed they can approve the list as is or make modifications to suit their palates and the supplies they already have at home. I Love Mother will then shop for the required ingredients at restaurant suppliers and fresh food markets on the morning before the meal is to be prepared and deliver them in the afternoon. All items are delivered in exactly the quantities needed, so there's no waste, and for those who desire, I Love Mother will even chop and prepare them so they're ready to throw in the pan. Customers pay just the cost of the ingredients plus a SGD 5 delivery charge, along with variable fees for the optional slicing and dicing. Most recipes can be made in 30 minutes, and I Love Mother provides step-by-step instructions.

I Love Mother currently delivers to locations all over Singapore, and has already fulfilled about 50 orders since its launch without any advertising or PR. It also has big plans in the works, including upgrade options to premium and organic ingredients, special detox menus, healthy versions of classic junk foods, and a 2008 marketing campaign. Ultimately the company hopes to roll out to other regions, founder Christine Lim says, and it's open to mutually beneficial partnership opportunities.

As a team of busy urbanites ourselves, we're betting there is pent up demand for dining-insperience enablers like this in cities around the globe. Paris already has Kit a bien manger; how about London, New York, São Paulo?

Website: www.ilovemother.net
Contact: help@ilovemother.net

Spotted by: Lesley-Anne John

While there's no shortage of premium juice brands, Wild Bunch & Co. still caught our eye with its ultra premium approach. The Singaporean company, which launched in January 2007, sells 100% organic juice in distinctive bottles and offers home delivery within Singapore.

Aimed primarily at busy and affluent professionals, Wild Bunch sells a convenient, natural source of nutrition. Its seasonal menus feature a variety of pure and mixed fruit and vegetable juices, ranging from Easy Peazy (carrots, peas and parsnip) to Pineapple Zinger (pineapple and ginger). For SGD 300 (USD 195 / EUR 145) per month, customers get one 250 ml serving per day, made to order and delivered to their home or office, with bottles picked up for recycling.

Wild Bunch is also actively targeting bars, restaurants, event planners and spas. Restaurants are given suggested food pairings: "Try serving our range of green juices such as Iron Maiden and Cabbage Savage with sushi or better still sashimi." And spas and resorts can offer their customers a One Day Detox Menu by Wild Bunch, a selection of six juices aimed at flushing out toxins and boosting immunity.

As we like to point out, everything can be upgraded, even if it's been upgraded before. Just pick a niche, add a healthy dose of convenience, make it exclusive and price accordingly, and pay excessive attention to design and presentation. Need more inspiration from planet upgradia? Check out a few of the premium products and services we've covered in the past: supermarkets, public restrooms, an erotic boutique and chocolate.

Website: www.wildbunchandcompany.com
Contact: mark@wildbunchandcompany.com

In a variation on online dating, two new concepts allow people to connect online after first meeting (briefly) in the physical world. Canadian Admit an Attraction prints Attraction Tickets for members (CDN 9.95 for a twelve-pack). Members hand out a ticket to someone they meet in public. A ticket receiver can then go online to check out the member's profile using a unique access code, and get in touch if the attraction is mutual. Since the tickets don't contain any personal information, both parties are guaranteed a level of privacy they wouldn't have if they exchanged phone numbers or email addresses.

Hitchoo, which recently launched in Singapore, works on the same principle, sending members cards with a friendly "You made my day" on the front, and access details on the back.The first 8 cards are free; 12 additional cards can be bought for SGD 18.

How is the carding system different from regular online dating? Physical chemistry is established up front, not after endless online chats and emails. And since the receiving party doesn't have to be a member of an online service, members have access to a larger pool of potential mates. Of course, a simpler route would be to ask for someone's phone number. But for shy consumers or those who don't want to divulge personal details to total strangers, dating cards could definitely work. One to start up locally, or to add to your offerings if you’re already in the matchmaking business.

Website: www.admitanattraction.com — www.hitchoo.com
Contact: info@admitanattraction.com — yinghan@hitchoo.com

Spotted by: William Chiang

Taking the surprise economy to another level, Singapore beverage company Out of the Box caters to consumers who respond to "What would you like to drink?" with a non-committal "anything" or "whatever". Two weeks ago, the company launched two complementary brands: Anything and Whatever. Anything is fizzy and comes in six flavours (Cola with Lemon, Apple, Fizz Up, Cloudy Lemon and Root Beer) and Whatever is non-carbonated (Ice Lemon Tea, Peach Tea, Jasmine Green Tea, White Grape Tea, Apple Tea, Chrysanthemum Tea).

The surprise part? Consumers don't know which flavour they're getting until they take a sip. Cans are simply labelled Anything and Whatever, and the list of ingredients is limited to generic wording: carbonated water, sugar, permitted flavouring, permitted colouring, preservative, tea extract, fruit juice concentrate. Judging from the buzz on Singapore forums, teens immediately got the concept and are loving it.

Novel product to launch elsewhere, as the drink for people who don't know what they want? The key, of course, is to produce products that are good enough to guarantee repeat sales. We think established food and beverage brands could have fun with this one, too, and would have the benefit of working from a brand consumers already trust. How about Snapple or Stonyfield Yoghurt marketing surprise six-packs filled with random flavours? Could be a good way to get customers to try new varieties of any FMCG.

Website: www.anything.com.sg
Contact: info@ootbgroup.com

Spotted by: Brenton Wong

Giving customers the opportunity to learn a few words of Korean or Portuguese while en route to Seoul or São Paulo, Air France introduced in-flight language instruction on selected flights this month. An interactive audiovisual language program developed by Berlitz, the service works on regular in-flight entertainment screens. Passengers can learn and practice the basics of 23 different languages, in four main lesson categories: numbers, dates, words and dialogue.

JAL and Singapore Airlines also offer Berlitz Word Traveller as part of their in-flight entertainment package, and Virgin Atlantic has experimented with Japanese and Spanish lessons. It's a great example of trendwatching.com's status skills trend. As many consumers are demonstrating a value shift in status from passive consumption to mastering skills, smart companies are offering their customers the opportunity to add to their skill set. Similar initiatives include BMW's Performance Driving Schools, the Sony Digital University or the Viking Cooking School. Watch and learn!

Websites: www.airfrance.com - www.jal.com - www.singaporeair.com - www.virginatlantic.com

Spotted by: Sophie Schmitt

We previously covered an umbrella vending venture, British Umbrolly, which is going strong in the UK and is focusing on rolling out its new battery-powered mini-machines.

Still, we're surprised umbrella vending isn't yet a universal feature at shopping malls and other high foot-traffic areas around the world. Which is why we were happy to spot Uport in Singapore. Uport currently operates six vending machines in Singapore, with more on the way. For SGD 6 (USD 3.90 / EUR 3), customers get a good quality umbrella dispensed in a can.

Uport, which launched in December 2006, is seeking investors and franchisees for expansion to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China.

Website: www.uport.com.sg
Contact: contact@uport.com.sg / investors@uport.com.sg

The latest in the world of pop-up retail? From Singapore comes the Venue VBOX, a portable store in a shipping container, which can be set-up temporarily. Any place. Any time.

The VBOX enables a brand or company to follow an event they wish to align their brand with, or pop up where consumers least expect it. Tag along with a photography exhibition or set up shop temporarily at a large sporting event. Brands can even showcase items that consumers may not otherwise be able to purchase elsewhere: just fill the VBOX with one-offs or special editions and you'll pull in consumers with the prospect that they'll able to purchase something unique.

The VBOX comes self-contained and equipped with an iMac and iPod HiFi. It's entirely ready to go; all that needs to be done is fill it with enticing products. To date the VBOX has housed collections by some of the fashion world’s most prestigious names: RAF SIMONS (Prada Group) and limited PUMA designer co-labs by Alexander McQueen, Christy Turlington, Mihara Yasuhiro as well as CDs, magazines/books and Motorola phones.

Whether the VBOX is placed in a remote village in Spain, on a beach in California or on the ski slopes of Canada, it's a refreshing way to inject fun and excitement into a brand and win over a swag full of new consumers. Japanese clothing brand UNIQLO used container stores for its recent launch in the United States. More about that here. And for much more on pop-up retail, check out trendwatching.com's overview.

Website: www.venue.com.sg
Contact: jacque@venue.com.sg

Last year, we featured a few tech-savvy lost and found services that let consumers label their valuables and recover them if lost or stolen.

A recent spotting came in from Singapore, where Bak2u offers various ways of securing expensive gadgets. Bak2u labels have ID numbers and can be stuck on portable devices. Owners register their items on Bak2u's website, and if an item is found, the finder can call a toll-free number to return the item. As Bak2u says, the service makes it easy for good Samaritans to return expensive gadgets to their owners.*

Of course, some finders would rather be keepers than good Samaritans. Which is where Bak2u's PhoneBak comes in. Launched recently, PhoneBak is stealth software that quietly alerts the owner when a thief turns on a stolen device after inserting his own SIM card.

How it works? PhoneBak lets a user select a friend or family member's phone number. The software can detect a change in SIM card, and when it does, it silently sends an SMS message to that preset number. The message includes the new SIM card's phone number, which means that the owner or police can track the thief and kindly request that the phone be returned.

PhoneBak software, which is priced at SGD 25.00 (USD 15/EUR 12.50), is currently only available for smartphones/mobile PDAs that run Microsoft's Pocket PC software. Versions for other phone operating systems are expected later this year. (zTrace offers a similar service for laptops.)

Considering the number of expensive mobile devices stolen every day, and the annoyance caused by subsequent data loss, this should be an easy sell to consumers around the world.

Website: http://www.bak2u.com
Contact: http://www.bak2u.com/contact.php / +65 6826-1085

_______

* A very similar tagging service was launched in The Netherlands a few months ago: redDog.

Red Dot Concept, a Singaporean manufacturer, creates ceramic caricature dolls based on photos supplied by customers. Artists make the dolls by hand, with a 65-75% resemblance to the pictures. (They are caricatures, after all.)

Customers can choose between a fully handmade doll, which includes not only the facial features and hairstyle, but also clothes, gestures and background as shown on the photo; or a partially handmade doll, which has a handmade, personalized head on a more generic body. Dolls are ready for shipping 14-21 days after an order has been placed. They're popular as wedding gifts and graduation presents.

We've written about gravanity dolls before, and aren't surprised to hear that the concept is still alive and kicking across the globe. After all, who wouldn't want to see their own image cast in stone? (For more gravanity inspired products and services, check out our previous articles on: banking cards, wrapping paper, wallpaper, confetti, and stamps.)

Last year, we reported on Yokozuna in Hamburg, EMERGE*nyc in New York, and the Residents Apparel Gallery in San Francisco. All three companies focus on providing retail space to fledgling artists or minipreneurs. This week, we spotted a similar showcase boutique in Singapore.

inQbox, which stands for incubation in a box, is an uncluttered store in a Singapore mall that is stacked with well-lit, attractive shelving units. It rents out 'boxes' to small businesses and artists, providing them with retail and gallery space, and taking care of the daily hassle of retail. Prices for a box start at SGD 80 (EUR 40/USD 50) per month, depending on size and location within the store. Vendors are selected carefully, and the store is popular with shoppers for its unique array of wares. And lots of shoppers means valuable mini-real estate, so there's often a long waiting list for boxes.

As inQbox puts it, they aim to "encourage creativity and entrepreneurship by providing individuals with a low cost and low risk platform to develop and incubate their talents further than just a hobby, home business or side interest. This allows you to continue with your busy life, be it taking care of your children, traveling or working in a corporate firm."

They've hit the nail on the head with this one: as more consumers turn into (part-time) entrepreneurs, plenty of opportunities are emerging for other smart and empathetic entrepreneurs willing to facilitate manufacturing, enterprising, venturing, selling, auctioning, trading, and marketing. What can you do to make a minipreneur's life easier, and their business better?

Springwise believes the internet will remain the harbinger of value innovation for years to come. Take start-up Who Lives Near You from Singapore; a Friendster-esque creation of two Singaporeans looking to revive the kampong spirit i.e. the tight-knit and much-missed community feel of traditional villages.
WhoLivesNearYou.com's homepage in July 2004 started posing questions like 'ever seen a neighbor that you have always wanted to get to know but didn't have the courage to talk to?' and 'want to get to know people working or studying in the same area as you so you can share a car?' The response from Singaporean surfers so far has been very promising!

How does it work? WhoLivesNearYou.com Postal code-based registration allows users to chat or arrange live meets with people in their immediate neighborhood. Neighbors are categorized by their proximity – in the same block, within a one-block radius, and within a 15-minute walk. The site had 4,000 registrations within two days of its early July launch and currently has more than 50,000 subscribers, most between the ages of 18 and 30. (Source: Straits Times.) Where will the money come from? The service is free now, but it isn't hard to see how Who Lives Near You could eventually charge for membership. The real beauty of this new business concept is of course the opportunity to sell more-local-than-thou advertising space – local being the holy grail for advertisers right now, from the Googles, Ebays and Yahoos to the Yellow Pages and the Match.coms of this world (just think about the online dating opportunities for this one!!)

Opportunities

Globalization created a thirst for the new and the exotic, while also fueling local pride and nostalgia. And that's not just a baby boomer thing -- look to younger demos too, and methods of servicing unique micro-regional needs. The 'WhoLivesNearYou' concept would work in any major city. It's easy to set up, and fun too. And as Ebay just bought 25% of Craig's List, why would Springwise not be surprised if they or Google (sitting on a pile of post-IPO dough, not to mention their Orkut service) would be happy to guzzle up WhoLivesNearYou-me-toos all around the globe? May we suggest you get started on your own WhoLivesNearYou in Stockholm, Sydney, Sao Paulo, or Seattle NOW!?