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Last year we wrote about Ridemakerz, a store that lets kids create their own toys in Build-A-Bear fashion, and now there's a DIY equivalent for tweens focused on fashion. Fashionology LA is a brand-new Beverly Hills store that lets young fashionistas design and make their own clothes. Girls begin the design process as soon as they step into the store, which features an array of dazzling designs on the walls for inspiration. Using touch-screen Design Pads, they begin by selecting what type of garment they'd like to create, choosing from an assortment of tops, bottoms and dresses. From there they select a fashion "mood" onscreen—themes include Juku, Pop, Rock, Malibu and Peace, all of which include a colourful array of graphic images. They then pick embellishments for their garments, choosing from options including Sew It, Clip It, Bling It and Pin It. Once a girl completes her design, she proceeds to the U-Bar, where a friendly Fashionologist uses a heat press to add the key design element to her new look and gives her a tray of embellishments to take to the customized Make It table. The girl settles in to sew, bling, pin and clip, and when her garment is ready to wear, she steps in front of the camera to proudly display her creation. With her approval, the picture and her unique design will beam through the store on a 70-inch LCD screen and simultaneously be emailed to her so she can share her new look with her friends. Costs for the experience reportedly range between USD 20 and USD 90, depending on how elaborate the design is. Fashionology says it hopes to expand its brand nationwide by 2012. We've now written about DIY retail experiences in toys, clothes and wedding rings as well as an array of online ways to design your own clothes and handbags. It's all part of the experience economy—with a healthy dose of the customer-made trend thrown in—and it's going strong. Of course, tweens aren't the only ones who'd love a chance to create their own duds with the assistance of some professionals. Next, how about a similar offering for grownups...? Website: www.fashionologyla.com Spotted by: Maria Dahl Jørgensen
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Aiming to bring affordable luxury to modern travellers, a new hotel brand just opened its doors at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. citizenM (the M is for mobile) is targeting guests who view design as a given, need rooms that are comfortable and efficient, but can't or don't want to spend hundreds of dollars, euros or pounds for a night's sleep. The hotel was founded by Rattan Chadha—who created fashion label Mexx and is also involved with Asian hotel group Oberoi—and designed by acclaimed Dutch architectural firm Concrete. Like Qbic, a Dutch hotel chain we covered last year, citizenM manufactures its rooms offsite to save time and money. Once the identical prefabs units have been shipped to a site, 240 rooms can be stacked up into a hotel in about 15 days, after which they're hooked up to plumbing and electricity. Rooms are compact—just 14 square meters—but big windows and a smart layout ensure they don't feel cramped. Brand partnerships include Vitra—the hotel is a veritable showroom for its iconic furniture—and Philips, which designed a 'MoodPad' that allows guests to regulate room temperature and lighting, adjust blinds, flip through TV channels and set alarms (including one that gently counts down from 100). Making up for small rooms that are mainly meant for sleeping and showering, citizenM features inviting common areas, including a self-serve deli selling sushi, salads, hot pasta, etc. To cut costs, the hotel doesn't offer a full-service restaurant or room service. Guests handle their own check-in and check-out, which takes less than a minute. Room prices range from EUR 69–139, based on demand. The company plans to open 20 hotels across Europe, starting off with downtown Amsterdam, Glasgow and two locations in London. While it's not the first no-frills chic hotel we've spotted, we're sure travellers will welcome another brand that offers what Zara, JetBlue, Muji and Target offer—strong design and a good experience for a great price. Website: www.citizenm.com
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Back in 2003, we wrote about M&M's personalization service, which lets customers pick colours and have texts and logos printed on M&M's. As we pointed out, it's a great example of mass customization. And of what our sister-site trendwatching.com dubbed gravanity. M&M's has now taken the concept a step further by allowing customers to have their own likeness printed on the candy: M&M's Faces. Ordering is done online: customers upload one or two photos, pick their colours and add up to two different texts to be printed on separate M&Ms. Using a simple interface, they can zoom in or out to select which part of a photo they want to use. A 'graphic specialist' then tweaks the photo file, creating a sketch-like rendition that looks good on small pieces of candy (example here). M&M's Faces are available in 7-ounce bags at USD 14.95 per bag (minimum order: 3 bags); a 5- or 10-pound bulk box for USD 162.50 or USD 312.50; or a variety of 1.6- to 1.75-ounce party favours (minimum order: 20 bags), priced at USD 4.99–6.19 per bag. M&M's hopes its new personalization option will entice even more customers to tell their stories using candy-coated chocolate, and to share their ultra-personal M&M's at weddings, graduations and birthdays. Given that most people love to see themselves or their loved ones in print, that seems like a pretty safe bet. ;-) Website: www.mymms.com/customprint_faces P.S. We've covered dozens of businesses that cater to consumers' gravanity. Check them out here.
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Planned scarcity is a well-known tactic for enhancing a product's appeal, and a German web retailer is taking that strategy to the max with its new collection of strictly limited-edition lingerie. On the 12th of each month at midnight, Edition12 will debut the newest piece from its collection—the first one was just unveiled last week. Each design is reproduced for sale in only 120 pieces, and it's on sale for just a month—or until the 120 pieces sell out, whichever comes first. The sets are then made to order, and shipped within 6–8 weeks. Edition12's designs are created by fishbelly, Berlin designer Jutta Teschner's award-winning label, and each copy sold is assigned a unique number. Edition12 lingerie is available online from with free international shipping, but there are no advance orders, no reservations and no telephone orders. Pricing on the first design is EUR 190. In many ways, Edition12 is much like 20ltd—which we covered last year—only focused on the single niche of lingerie. Whatever the category, however, planned scarcity is an increasingly appealing way to battle the forces of massclusivity and give consumers the status they so ardently desire. When money can no longer buy consumers love, it's just possible scarcity can! Website: www.edition12.com Spotted by: Bernd
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When revellers at the UK's Glastonbury Festival 2008 later this week need to recharge their mobile phones, they'll have a free and green way to do that thanks to a charging station being set up at the festival by Orange. Measuring more than 7 meters tall, the free-standing recharge pod is a self-sufficient unit that taps into a wind generator and solar panels to charge as many as 100 mobile phones per hour. It's actually the next iteration of a portable wind charger Orange tested out at last year's festival through a partnership with Gotwind, and will serve as a trial for using renewable energy sources on a larger scale at future festivals. Orange expects the recharge pod will charge thousands of mobile phones over the course of the three-day festival, furnishing power equivalent to what would be needed to power a DJ booth for Groove Armada for 88 hours. The recharge pod will be stationed within the Pennard Hill camping grounds at Glastonbury throughout the weekend of June 27–29, when the event takes place. Free love is hard to beat, especially if it happens to be *green* free love at a summer music festival. One to emulate as often as possible! (Related: Jeans brand offers hot showers and clean undies.) Website: www.rechargepod.com Spotted by: RK
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Around the world, the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to almost double in the next 22 or so years, going from just over 500 million now to just under a billion in 2030, according to the US Census Bureau. Little wonder, then, that a brand-new health and wellness store in Lyon, France, has set its focus squarely on seniors. Whereas many existing senior-focused merchants tend to focus on disabilities—ElderDepot.com is one example—HOJO offers a more holistic variety of about 400 lifestyle products dedicated to keeping senior citizens happy, healthy and independent for as long as possible. Inspired by Spain's SeniorStore, HOJO groups its products into categories including wellness and health, daily living, leisure and comfort, communication and security, and they go far beyond disability aids to include aromatherapy treatments and stylish salt and pepper balls designed for one-handed use, for example. On a brick-and-mortar level, the company's Lyon shop is tailored to its target with such features as wider aisles, price tags with larger lettering, and a staff trained in senior issues. It also offers one-off events for seniors on such topics as massage, cooking and computers. HOJO hopes to expand to cover 35 French cities with franchised shops within the next five years. There's no denying the sheer force of the numbers behind this demographic, and it's a remarkably underserved market so far. Mark our words: address senior citizens' needs in a positive, empowering and pampering way, and you'll see some impressive numbers yourself! (Related: One-stop shopping for wellness.) Website: www.hojo-generationseniors.fr
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For those seeking a new job, honest information about salaries and workplaces can be near impossible to find. Taking a "give to get" approach to the problem, Glassdoor is a new site that aims to provide a thorough insider's look at what it's really like to work at a company, both financially and otherwise. Launched into beta last week by two friends who worked together at Microsoft and Expedia (one of whom went on to found Zillow, which we've written about before), Glassdoor's operating philosophy is "You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine" as it gathers real-time reviews, ratings and salary details about specific jobs in specific companies. Users begin by anonymously contributing a review and/or salary survey for their current employer or any position they've held within the last three years. (All users must provide a verified email account, and all reviews are hand-inspected for authenticity by Glassdoor, it says.) In exchange, Glassdoor gives them free access to nearly 32,000 reviews and salary reports for more than 7,000 companies representing more than 80 countries around the world—and counting. Users providing feedback are asked to take a balanced approach—providing both pros and cons along with advice to senior management—as well as rating companies on a range of workplace culture factors, including work-life balance, fairness and respect, employee morale, and senior leadership. And unlike most salary services that report just aggregated information, Glassdoor provides details of salary, bonuses and other compensation for actual positions and titles at specific companies, letting users compare the earnings package paid to a software engineer at Google with that earned by one at Microsoft, for example. Glassdoor also aims to involve employers through an employer advisory panel, periodic surveys and focus groups for the site. Glassdoor hopes to become the TripAdvisor of the workplace, it says, and it's currently allowing visitors to preview all available data for four “sneak peek” companies: Cisco, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!. Robert Hohman, cofounder and CEO for the California-based site, explains: "We've built Glassdoor to make it easier for anyone to peek inside the walls of a prospective employer—or even the next cubicle—to get information that will foster more productive conversations and lead to better career decisions. Glassdoor's employee-generated content provides a level of transparency in the two key drivers of employee motivation—compensation and culture—that is not available from any other source.” For those who hadn't noticed, the era of transparency tyranny (and transparency triumph) has arrived. Yet another stone turned! Website: www.glassdoor.com Spotted by: Jeppe Morgenstjerne
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The average French household receives some 40 kg per year in leaflets and mass mailings, according to Pubeco, a new site that aims to help cut back on that waste. Launched by Sustainable Development Multimedia (DDM) earlier this year, Pubeco invites French consumers to take an eco approach to the problem by refusing to accept any more print advertising. But rather than simply opting out of all ads in general—80 percent of which are actually appreciated by their recipients, the site says—Pubeco encourages users to view those of local relevance to them online, and it publishes advertisers' paid communications on the site for that purpose. Users begin by ordering a free sticker for their mailbox that reads: "No flyers, thank you—I'm viewing them on the internet." Using their postal code, they can then create a personal space on the site that displays all the ads for businesses in their area, selecting and searching by the product categories they're interested in. Users earn points each time they visit the website, and those points are converted into grants given to the site's partners, which include GoodPlanet. RSS feeds allow users to access new ads and catalogues as soon as they come out. Of course, Pubeco's success will depend on advertiser willingness, which it has taken pains to ensure. In addition to publishing all their leaflets online for geographically targeted distribution, companies can create their own pages on the Pubeco site, including hours, contact information, maps and a list of promotions. They get listed in the site's business directory, and social networking buttons allow visitors to add them as friends, favourites or trusted connections, thereby establishing a reputation for the world at large to see. There's no doubt too much paper is used in advertising today, and Pubeco's solution is one that offers a win-win-win for advertisers, consumers and the environment. One to bring to other parts of the world? Website: www.pubeco.fr Spotted by: Déborah Bianchetto
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Travellers to distant lands have long had the option of "couch surfing" for free through the likes of couchsurfing.com, but now a paid alternative from AirBed & Breakfast gives hosts an additional incentive. Hosts with space to share begin by registering with San Francisco-based AirBed, including the price they'd like to be paid and any extras—like breakfast—that come included. (USD 50 per night seems to be a common rate, though one host recently earned USD 500, according to the site.) As part of the process, they also authorize AirBed to transfer money into their account at any time. Travelers can then search by destination and dates of their trip to find available accommodations. When they make a reservation through the site, they authorize AirBed to charge the stated amount, and unless either party cancels, that amount is charged on the day of arrival and the funds are transferred directly to the host's account. All billing is secured through Amazon. AirBed, meanwhile, charges a transaction fee of USD 5 per night. Both hosts and guests can create profiles with photos and links to their Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, and they can also review and rate each other. Online transactions were recently added to provide better records of a user's activity on the site. Given the prevailing belief that "you get what you pay for," AirBed's fee-based service could help alleviate travellers' concerns about the quality and safety of their accommodations, as well as encouraging hosts with nicer places to get involved. The site currently serves only the United States; one to bring to a tourist destination near you? (Related: Soccer fans to share beds at Euro 2008.) Website: www.airbedandbreakfast.com Spotted by: Cagla Pakel
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Although individuals own more than 25 percent of US equity, only about 20 percent of such investors bother to participate in proxy voting. Why would so many give up their voting rights? A big part of the reason is the difficulty of researching the issues, says ProxyDemocracy founder Andrew Eggers, who is also a doctoral student in Harvard University's Department of Government. ProxyDemocracy is a non-profit, non-partisan project that aims to change all that by helping individual investors get the information they need to produce positive changes in the companies they own. Owners of stocks in an individual company, for example, can sign up for ProxyDemocracy's email alerts providing advance notice of the company's shareholder meetings as well as information on how respected institutional investors at CalPERS (a state pension fund), Calvert, CBIS (an investment adviser to Catholic institutions) and Domini plan to vote at the meeting. "Just as citizen voters take account of endorsements from respected groups like the Sierra Club or the NRA (depending on one’s political persuasion), individual investors can use these cues from known institutional investors to arrive at a principled vote more cheaply," Eggers explains. Meanwhile, the free site also offers voting profiles on 77 mutual funds from 33 leading fund families, as well as CalPERS and CBIS. Mutual fund investors can search a database of agendas and institutional investor votes for more than 12,000 shareholder meetings since July 1, 2003, and quickly see how their funds rank on the site's activism scale for director elections, executive compensation, corporate governance and corporate impact. If they don't like a particular fund's voting record, they can contact the company and let them know, or even move their money to a different one. For some time now transparency tyranny has been causing ulcers among leaders in the travel, hospitality and automotive industries—to name just a few—and now ProxyDemocracy promises to spread the joy of accountability to a wider range of companies than ever. Once again, the Web leaves nowhere to hide! Website: www.proxydemocracy.org
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