Alin Le’Kal exquisite gowns and dresses at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week for Spring-Summer 2019

Femininity and elegance: Australia-based designer Alin Le’Kal's ball gowns, bridal and evening dresses - long and short - showcased at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week for Spring-Summer 2019 in January was as much about indulgence and finesse as power dressing and superb intricate workmanship.  

The designer captivated his audience and clients with sparkling crystals, angelic feathers, radiant beading and intricate detailing in his collection of “Reflected Elements”.

What will our high street look like in the future?

61% of Brits are worried the high street will disappear in the next 10 years

New research by KIS Finance has revealed that consumers are worried the high street is going to be lost completely due to the current store closures in the news. 

After surveying Britain’s consumers and finding out what the high street could look like in the future, KIS Finance have collaborated with Sam Edwards, an illustrator from London, to visualise these changes. 

Holly Andrews, Managing Director at KIS Finance says;

“With store closures flooding our news-feeds recently, we were interested to find out what the future holds for the high street and how consumers’ shopping habits might affect retailers’ footfall. It is obvious from our research that people do still like going into store to shop, but it just isn’t as accessible as online shopping is.

To save the high street many retailers need to ensure that they are thinking innovatively about how to draw customers in with clearer in-store stock checks, more staff and extended hours during busy periods. The reason why so many retailers are struggling with their stores is because consumer shopping habits are changing and the high street needs to change with it, creating a more community led atmosphere with more accessibility and variety for everyone.”

KIS Finance's recent research by KIS Finance has revealed the following after surveying 1,000 consumers in the UK:-

•61% of Brits are worried the high street will disappear in the next ten years due to recent store closures in the news

•Northern cities have by far been worst hit by store closures

•Food and beverage, value and fashion brands are predicted to be the next victims of the high street

•If local high streets had free parking and easy accessibility, consumers would be more likely to shop in-store

CHAMPION® Athleticwear celebrates "100 Years for the Team" with launch of global campaign

Athletic wear CHAMPION® brand partners with sports legend Magic Johnson in a quest to find unique teams around the world to share their stories.

Champion®, the global athleticwear brand based in Rochester, New York, is celebrating a century of teamwork with the launch of its centennial anniversary campaign – “100 Years for the Team” – that will explore what it means to be a team in 2019 from the perspective of participating teams, clubs, squads and crews across the world.

Urban Dove for Champion's "100 Years for the Team" Anniversary Campaign (Photo: Business Wire)

Champion will engage with teams small and large around the world to share their passion about teamwork and what it means to them to be a team.  Throughout the year, Champion will highlight and celebrate teams through social media, a special website, exclusive product collections, events and influencer partnerships. Select teams will even be featured in a centennial celebration video.

Magic Johnson for Champion's "100 Years for the Team"
Anniversary Campaign (Photo: Business Wire)

“This significant milestone for Champion allows us to reflect on what ‘team’ and the evolution of ‘sports’ means today to consumers around the globe,” said Jon Ram, Group President, Global Activewear, Hanesbrands Inc. “Helping people come together as teams and being innovators in the industry has been an important part of our brand’s story since the very beginning. Now is the time to look ahead and celebrate how teams today have the power to change the world for the better, and how we assist in enabling them.”

The campaign will launch with a special film that features someone who has experienced the power of the team personally – the iconic basketball legend Magic Johnson. In the film, Johnson shares his reflections and insights into what truly makes a great team. 

“As part of the ‘Dream Team,’ I experienced first-hand the power of people coming together to achieve great things,” said Johnson. “I’m pleased to celebrate the power of teams in Champion’s 100th anniversary campaign.”

Love is in the Air - in the world of Jan Constantine

Jan Constantine launches new pop art collection

British textile designer and entrepreneur Jan Constantine, renowned for her unique collection of hand embroidered textiles, has launched a new range full of LOVE boldly appliqued with graphic letters and motifs onto cushions, wall hangings and throws, in black, cream and bright rainbow colours.

“I want to create something that will bring joy to people and be handed down, just as the embroidery skills of my artisans have been handed down through many generations," says Jan.

Jan says: “ I’m delighted with the vibrant colours of my new Pop Art Collection and how the word “Love” plays a major role.  I also love the jungle animal cushions on bright colours and how they mix in so well.”

Inspiration for individual designs in the Constantine Collection comes from favourite things and traditional hand-embroidery, according to the designer, whose work are hand-done on quality natural cottons, linens and wools. 

Year of the Pig celebrations in Hong Kong

Hong Kong welcomes  the Year of the Pig with a colourful parade featuring festive floats and various performing groups representing local and the Mainland as well as other parts of the world, including  world-class performers and world record holders, according to organisers at the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB)

Photo: Hong Kong Tourism Board

The 2019 Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade was staged on 5 February (the first day of the Year of the Pig) in the popular shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui.

Themed ‘Best Fortune. World Party.’, the parade featured 34 floats and performing troupes from over 11 countries and regions. It consisted of a number of world-renowned performing teams and world record holders, including Junior New System from the Philippines, which gained fame in the American talent show “America’s Got Talent”, Face Team Acrobatic Korfball from Hungary, which holds 10 Guinness records, Hiplet Ballerinas from the US, whose videos have achieved overwhelming popularity on social media platforms, and multi-award-winning Austrian acrobatic troupe The Freaks Acrobatic Show.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Wishing everyone a fantastic Year of the Pig filled with blessings! Good Health and prosperity!

祝大家 新年快樂!  豬年行好運!  身體健康!   萬事如意!

All Photos © Lucia Carpio 2019.

Waitrose launch Plan Plastic - The Million Pound Challenge

“Plastics” is today a hot topic.  Or should I say a major concern.  Hailed as a valuable invention of the 20^th Century that served so well in our daily lives , plastics however has become today an environmental problem - especially those made for single use only.  

David Attenborough’s Blue Planet TV series woke up the world  to the plastics problem directly affecting and polluting our oceans.  Since then we have seen on our screens and online metres of footage of vast islands of plastic waste floating in our open seas that have shocked us to this rude awakening that all fish are now contaminated with  some degree of micro plastics, according to environmental experts.   

SEAQUAL ™ converts plastic waste to filament yarns.
Photo © Lucia Carpio.

It is somewhat comforting to learn that a growing number of retailers are announcing their plans to do something about it, from sustainable sourcing to working towards plastics-free packaging and various efforts to reduce plastic pollution.

UK supermarket chain Waitrose & Partners have just launched a scheme called Plan Plastic - The Million Pound Challenge to award grants of between £150,000 and £300,000 to a ange of organisations using money raised from 5p carrier bags.

Tor Harris, Partner and head of corporate social responsibility, health and agriculture for the supermarket, said: “We hope the fund will help new and effective ways of accelerating action to rethink how we all use and dispose of plastic now and in the future.”

Applications could be from projects encouraging and enabling recycling, campaigns raising awareness and changing behaviour, or initiatives inspiring new ways of shopping and consuming.  Schemes focusing on fining alternatives and increating reuse of plastics in the food, agriculture and farming industries are also welcomed, along with those aimed at preventing micro-plastic pollution.

Trewin Restorick, founder and chief executive of environmental charity Hubbub, which is working with the retailer on the fund, said: "We'll look out for entries that show a tangible impact and have a longer-term legacy beyond the grant funding stage."

Applications will be accepted at planplasticfund.com until 24 February and the chosen grantees will be announced in May.

So if you are taking action to reduce plastic pollution, your project could benefit from the £1 million fund launched this week by Waitrose.