Congratulations to ethical shoe brand Po-Zu! No. ONE again!

Ethical British shoe brand Po-Zu is once again ranked top of the ethical index for shoe & trainers brands for the 11th year.  Having passed their annual independent audit for another consecutive year means that Po-Zu comes highly recommended by The Good Shopping Guide.

Along with multiple sustainability awards, including Best Ethical Fashion Brand 2017, the brand has emerged as a true ethical and sustainable footwear, producing men and women’s vegan shoes and non-leather shoes, ethically handcrafted in Portugal in line with ethical and sustainable standards, using natural materials – including cork, coconut fibre, latex, organic cotton, pure wool tweed, and chrome-free leathers.

The brand’s foundation of ethical principles begins with its mission to change the trend for fast fashion and mass-production of shoes which is eating up resources and exploiting vulnerable workers.

This year Po-Zu also released a collection of official Star Wars branded footwear including a funky range of Rebel Alliance boots and shoes for men, women and children  who are fans of the popular sci-fi series.

British craft on show in Miami

BRITISH CRAFT – THE MIAMI EDIT 2017
Brought to you by The New Craftsmen and the Crafts Council

This amazing piece of furniture makes you want to just give it a big hug.  Called My Big Fat Sofa, it is by Charlotte Kingsnorth, a multi-disciplinary designer and industrial artist who reinterprets traditional materials and techniques to create unexpected forms and effects.  Kingsnorth has revisited upholstery methods to create My Big Fat Sofa, a biomorphic seat.

Charlotte is among a new wave of British rising stars and emerging talents in contemporary British craft who will be exhibiting this week at the inaugural FORM Miami, 6–10 December 2017. 

This international showcase  of British Craft brings 10 rising stars of craft in the UK to South Beach for a four-day exhibition featuring some of the most exciting emerging talents in contemporary British craft. These unique pieces are fine craft collectors' items, including furniture, sculptural vessels, artworks and installations, many of which are on display for the first time outside the UK.

"Referring to both the tactile and emotional qualities that craft evokes, this body of work by a selection of British makers demands the engagement of head, heart and hand. The innate tactility and sensorial materiality of craft is distinct and unique, and this presentation invites you to journey through and discover the pioneering processes these makers have employed to conceive this exciting showcase."– Catherine Lock, Creative Director, The New Craftsmen

Jewels in the colour of Christmas from Anabela Chan

Top: A playful in-between-finger Orion ring in 9 ct rose gold, hand-set with a trilogy of floating laboratory-grown created gemstones, including a princess cut ruby, heart-cut rose tourmaline and a pear-cut violet amethyst.

Bottom: Stunning Berry earrings in 18 ct rose and white gold vermeil with 18 ct gold earring posts, hand-set with laboratory-grown created gemstones including pear cut sky blue topaz, sugarloaf pink sapphires and cabochon royal blue sapphire drops with prong and pave-set white diamonds and a freshwater pearl.

All from London jeweller Anabela Chan.  

Photos from Anabela Chan.

Two spectacular light shows over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour this December

Hong Kong’s famous picturesque Victoria Harbour with its magnificent skyline is set to be even more spectacular this December with the staging of two light shows – the new version of the internationally acclaimed nightly multi-media A Symphony of Light and the winter version of the Hong Kong Pulse Light Show – from 1st to 28th December 2017. 

Hong Kong skyline by night as viewed from Kowloon.

The two extravaganzas, best viewed from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in the Kowloon side, will brighten up Hong Kong’s Christmas atmosphere with dynamic lighting effects and the illusion of an wintry setting at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

The new version of A Symphony of Lights features dynamic rays of light sent out in rhythm from 40 buildings and locations on both sides of the Victoria Harbour. The new show incorporates a variety of exciting lighting effects such as coloured searchlights, lasers, and all-new beam lights sent out like a special fan-shaped lighting effect from the roof of the Central Government Offices and the Revenue Tower. Ten LED panels on a number of harbourside buildings are for the first time joining the multi-media show, displaying images and messages to encourage audience participation. 

The show is complemented by music from Asia’s leading classical orchestra the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, providing visitors with a thrilling and unforgettable sound-and-light experience. The 10-minute show begins at 8pm every evening. 

This is immediately followed by the winter version of Hong Kong Pulse Light Show - an 8-minute performance -   at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.  The 3D projection show begins with a snowstorm which covers the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in snow and ice and blows away the numbers on the Clock Tower, stopping time just before Christmas arrives. 

An ingenious dragon then sets out to find the missing numbers which are scattered across Hong Kong landmarks. The dragon eventually finds them and restarts time to save Christmas. During the show, the piazza is decorated with snowing effect along with glowing LED balls and a giant crystal ball. 

Photos © Lucia Carpio 2017

From Midnight to 11am: Cyber Monday Sales Down Compared To Last Year

**2017 Cyber Monday sales show a 3% drop on last year from 12am-11am
** Also, online sales jumped by 18% on Saturday and 6% on Sunday compared to last year after Black Friday

New UK market research released from PCA Predict’s Ecommerce Trends this morning reveals that there has been a 3% decrease in online sales this Cyber Monday from 12 midnight to 11am, compared to last year. So far today, the peak minute for purchasing in the UK was 10.23 am.

This follows a similar trend Black Friday last week, whereby, from 12am-11am, there was a 2% decline on overall online sales, when compared to 2016.

So far today, shoppers in Kingston Upon Thames have made the most online purchases this morning followed by Coventry and South East London.  A breakdown of the top areas for online spending this morning can be found below.

PCA Predict’s Ecommerce Trends tool aggregates data live from PCA Predict's 11,000+ UK retail customers.

"It would seem that the days when consumers would be willing to get up early to bag a bargain are gone. "

Chris Boaz, ‎Head of Marketing of PCA Predict, (a GBG company) said: “So far, Cyber Monday seems to be following Black Friday with sluggish sales very early in the morning. It would seem that the days when consumers would be willing to get up early to bag a bargain are gone. We saw more and more consumers shopping online over Black Friday, blurring the lines between the two shopping events.”

“However, much like this past Friday, we expect online sales to pick up significantly around lunchtime when people are at their desks, and also in the evening time and see the amount spent surge past last year’s.”

Meanwhile, over the weekend, online sales jumped by 18% on Saturday and 6% on Sunday compared to last year after Black Friday.

REGIONAL RANKINGS:

The busiest shopping regions, in the UK are as follows:

Victoria’s Secret Angels filmed for Fashion Show in Shanghai, China for broadcast on Nov. 28

For the first time, the Victoria’s Secret Angels will be filmed in Shanghai, China for THE VICTORIA’S SECRET FASHION SHOW**, to be broadcast Tuesday, Nov. 28 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the US- CBS Television Network. The world’s  renowned American lingerie brand's reportedly most watched fashion show will be seen in more than 190 countries.

Last year’s show received 1.4 billion views and more than 150 billion media impressions worldwide.

Merging fashion, fantasy and entertainment, the lingerie runway show will include pink carpet interviews, model profiles, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show and musical performances that will be announced at a later date.

The all-star line-up of Victoria’s Secret Angels will include returning favorites Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldridge, Elsa Hosk, Jasmine Tookes, Josephine Skriver, Lais Ribeiro, Martha Hunt, Romee Strijd, Sara Sampaio, Stella Maxwell and Taylor Hill, as well as new faces.




**THE VICTORIA’S SECRET FASHION SHOW is being produced by Done and Dusted, inc. Edward G. Razek, Monica Mitro, Ian Stewart, Hamish Hamilton and Chip Quigley are the executive producers. Hamish Hamilton is the director.

Black Friday sales reveal online shopping behaviour and shoppers' loyalty

Analysis of over 7 million unique e-commerce transactions this Black Friday has revealed discounting falls as order amounts rise.  This is good news for retailers, as the average discount on an order decreased by 12 percent compared to last year, whilst the average order amount grew by 9 percent compared to that of 2016.

The data, from customer relationship experts Optimove, suggests that online customers in the UK were willing to spend more on more items on Black Friday 2017.  The average number of items in an order grew by 7 percent compared to last year’s sales day figures. Customers did not insist on receiving such big discounts in order to complete their transactions.

"It is clear that more shoppers are opting to buy online rather than in-store."

Pini Yakuel, founder and CEO of Optimove, comments: “As the numbers come in after Black Friday, it is clear that more shoppers are opting to buy online rather than in-store. Which is why it is more important than ever that retailers understand the behaviours and motivations of their online customers.

“Contrary to traditional analysis of the Black Friday phenomenon, our data shows that most of the individuals shopping with a brand on the day are actually returning, rather than completely new, customers.  On Black Friday last year, our research showed that 71 percent of shoppers had bought something from the brand before at some stage. And this trends continues.

"There are signs that days like Black Friday may be helping retailers to keep customers coming back to their brand." 

“This year, the share of Black Friday transactions which were made by first-time shoppers decreased by a further 18 percent. Customers’ pre-existing contact with a brand goes some way towards explaining why shoppers have been willing to buy more items without such high discounts this year.

“Despite the supposed ‘death’ of customer loyalty, driven in part by the ease of price comparison online, there are signs that days like Black Friday may be helping retailers to keep customers coming back to their brand.

"The challenge for retailers is to continue building on this relationship outside of the pre-Christmas and sales period."

“If retailers can continue to exchange value with their online customers – offering specific offers, personalised communications and experiences – then these positive trends can continue into the sparser months, January and beyond.”