Springwise

T-shirt comes with free music downloads

2009-07-03T14:47:20Z

Much the way Webkinz pets are more than just stuffed animals, so t-shirts can be more than just t-shirts when they forge links to the online world. The conversation-starters offered by Reactee, Shyno and Augme are one type of example; now bringing a new purpose to such connections comes The Music Tee, a shirt that gives wearers the right to free music downloads.

The new offering from Invisible DJ and fashion house LnA features album art on the front of the t-shirt and a list of tracks on the back. Included on a separate hang tag, meanwhile, are a URL and a unique code that can be used to download one copy of each of the tracks printed on the shirt. The first such unisex tee features an eclectic compilation of artists from around the world, curated by Invisible DJ; with 14 tracks, it's priced at USD 60. The second Music Tee—due to become available on July 7—features The Ecstatic by Mos Def. With 16 tracks, it costs USD 39. Both are available exclusively at Ron Herman and LNAclothing.com.

Band t-shirts have long given fans a way to visibly proclaim their musical taste, but bundling with downloads adds an extra incentive for consumers to buy, and at a considerably higher price. Indeed, the OFF=ON connection is giving companies in industries far and wide new ways to connect with customers—not to mention new revenue streams. How about your brand...? (Related: Premium concert tickets come with free love — Indie download cards — Music by Groove Armada, distribution by Bacardi.)

Website: www.lnaclothing.com/musictee
Contact: info@invisibledj.com

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Stainless steel lunch containers

2009-07-03T13:45:49Z

Packing a lunch for kids tends to involve a variety of plastic packaging, bags and wrappers that are harmful not just to the environment—heading directly to landfills as they so frequently do—but also, potentially, to the kids themselves. Whereas Kids Konserve's plastic-free lunch kits were driven by environmental considerations, a new line of stainless steel lunch containers was inspired instead by concerns over bisphenol-a, or BPA.

Several studies have contributed to fears that BPA—a chemical widely used in plastics for baby bottles, beverage and food containers, and linings in food cans—may be linked with cancer, diabetes and hyperactivity, among other disorders. Though by no means conclusive at this point, such concerns were strong enough to motivate the Canadian government recently to ban the chemical's use in baby bottles. Working on the premise that it's better to be safe than sorry, California-based LunchBots now offers a line of brightly coloured, stainless steel containers for kids' food. The LunchBots Uno is a 6.25-by-4.5-by-1.75-inch container made entirely of stainless steel with a powder-coated blue lid. The LunchBots Duo, meanwhile, is the same size but features an orange lid and two compartments. Both are dishwasher-safe and priced at USD 14.99; special pricing for school fundraisers is available.

Health fears aside, of course, reusable containers are also better for the environment, and crafting them from stainless steel is bound to make them more durable and longer-lasting—all benefits that could appeal to parents around the globe. LunchBots, however, currently ships only within the United States; one to help bring to the little lunch eaters in your part of the world?

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

Spotted by: Brian Ghidinelli

Awareness avatars signal charitable support on social networks

2009-07-03T09:54:20Z

Over the past few weeks, thousands of Twitter users tinted their profile pictures green to show support for protesters in Iran. In a similar vein, UK-based Lovebox encourages charity-minded social network users to replace their current profile picture with one of its digital Lovebox icons and then make a donation to the charity it represents.

A different charity is selected for support each month, represented by an icon of a different colour, making it the digital equivalent of silicone 'awareness' bracelets/wristbands. The green Lovebox, for example, supports WWF-UK, while the pink one signals support for Cancer Research UK. As the site explains, "social networks and the internet help us share information quickly. Lovebox is a simple but effective way for you to show your support for charities." Recently Lovebox also launched #charitytuesday, a Twitter-based effort to mobilize supporters one day each week.

Will Lovebox icons become as ubiquitous as awareness bracelets? Time will tell. Meanwhile, it's an interesting experiment in using the power of social networks and the viral effects they can create—both for commercial or for nonprofit purposes. (Related: Users choose ads for their social web pages — One-stop-shop for creating viral promotions.)

Website: www.lovebox.org.uk
Contact: info@lovebox.org.uk

Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann

Online shopping meets curbside pickup at French E.Leclerc

2009-07-02T08:47:47Z

Earlier this year we wrote about Sears' MyGofer experiment blending online shopping with curbside pickup, and recently one of our spotters alerted us to a like-minded effort that's already well underway across the ocean. At French hypermarket chain E.Leclerc, customers can order online and have their purchases loaded into their car two hours later at no extra charge.

Leclerc's initiative began in late 2007, when it opened its first Express Drive in Roques sur Garonne near Toulouse. With a selection of nearly 3,000 available products, customers then could place their orders online—or via touch terminals in the local Leclerc store or parking lot—and then go to a curbside pickup area to have it loaded into their trunk. Today, many more products are available through the service—including groceries, fresh produce and frozen goods—for curbside loading at more than 20 Leclerc stores. The prices of all products ordered via Express Drive are the same as those in-store; customers simply arrive at their local store two hours after they place and pay for their order online, and it will be loaded into their trunk free of charge. A standard shopping list can even be saved online to speed ordering on subsequent visits.

After years of separation of online and off, it's a sign of maturation that retail is beginning to blur those lines, blending the best of both worlds. The same is happening in consumers' own lives too, of course, so they increasingly expect it everywhere. Any company hoping to win their business had better deliver! ;-)

Website: www.expressdrive.fr
Contact: www.e-leclerc.com/c2k/portail/conso/plus_services/service_conso/plus_services_contact.asp

Spotted by: Florent Lesauvage

Open restaurant night showcases aspiring chefs

2009-07-01T13:38:57Z

Photos by philafoodie

If the underground restaurant known as Charlie's Burgers departs from the norm in part through its secrecy and its constantly changing venue, Open ChefAMe is in some ways its opposite, featuring instead the creations of different aspiring chefs at each of its well-publicized monthly events.

Through the participation of a few Philadelphia restaurants, Open ChefAMe offers what it calls an "open mic night" for local aspiring chefs on one Monday each month. The chosen culinary talents for each event get to pick the menu for a three-course meal, take over the kitchen at the participating restaurant and then cook dinner for a crowd. The dinner in May, for example, featured the talents of local food blogger Felicia D’Ambrosio and pastry arts student Alyssa Shilliday; the menu included sweet corn soup with chives and bacon garnish, gougéres with dry-cured ham, watercress and Dijon cream, Moroccan spiced braised lamb shoulder with lentils and minted yoghurt, Thai watermelon soup, sake-poached halibut with marinated cucumber salad, and Korean style skirt steak with pears. The next event—the fourth so far—will be on July 27; tickets are USD 35. (Open ChefAMe is accepting menus until July 3rd at 5:00pm.) After each event Open ChefAMe donates more than 25 percent of its profits to at least one charity, chosen by the night's chefs.

It's not hard to see why aspiring chefs would want to cook for an Open ChefAMe event, since the opportunity would provide both exposure and a chance to try their hand at cooking in a commercial kitchen for a real crowd. For consumers, though, the potential benefits are equally compelling: fabulous food, creatively conceived and delivered; a novel, one-of-a-kind experience sure to inspire status stories aplenty; and the chance to be able to say, "I met [insert chef's name here] back before she was famous!" Hospitality entrepreneurs: a concept to try out in your hometown?

Website: www.openchefame.com
Contact: hellothere@openchefame.com

Spotted by: Cass Oryl

Pop-up cabins designed for stargazing

2009-07-01T12:19:34Z

Pop-up hotel rooms and luxury camping are both concepts we've written about on numerous occasions, but it wasn't until recently that we had seen a variation on the theme designed specifically for stargazing. Sure enough, French tourism company Bocages has created a pop-up cabin for four that features a transparent dome in the roof, a telescope and a sky observation kit.

Carré d'étoiles are portable and reversible cube-shaped structures crafted with recyclable wood. Included in each parquet-floored cabin are a double cabin bed, a sofa bed for two, a kitchenette with refrigerator and hot plates, shower, toilet, wardrobe, electric heating, a bio-ethanol fireplace and cast-iron garden furniture for outside. In addition to modern conveniences like flat-screen TV and connections for MP3, phone and internet, Carré d'étoiles cabins also come equipped with bedding and towels, and extra services such as cleaning and breakfast can be added. Black-out blinds, meanwhile, facilitate use of the telescope and stargazing kit.

Just launched this year, Carré d'étoiles have now been installed in several holiday spots in France. Pricing is EUR 25,000 per unit, according to a report on Forum Eco; structures are delivered fully equipped and ready to use, with an ROI ranging from at least 10 percent in the first year of operation to 30 percent or more in following years, Bocages says. One to set up under the starry skies in your neck of the woods...? (Related: Elqui Domos geodesic astro lodges — Farm camping in cottage-style tents.)

Website: www.carre-detoiles.com
Contact: info@carre-etoiles.com

Spotted by: Patrick Moizo

Leather jackets remade into designer bags

2009-07-01T12:05:24Z

Durable and malleable, leather is an ideal material for reusing and upcycling. Seizing that potential, reMade USA just launched a line of stylish handbags made from used and scrap leather. reMade's bags were initially made from leather jackets found in charity stores, with details based on the original garments. The company now also gets cast-offs from the furniture and automotive industries.

reMade has around 10–15 different bags available for order on its website at any time, currently ranging in price from USD 125–365. If they'd like to breathe new life into a garment they no longer wear, customers can also supply their own leather jacket and request a design based on one of reMade's models. Hand-crafted in San Francisco, stamped with its own unique serial number, and lined with a recycled silk scarf, each bag is inherently unique.

reMade isn't the first to make leather jackets into bags. But as planet-friendly products jostle for attention, it's not enough just to be green. How to stand out and create a sustainable business on top of a sustainable product? reMade's founder, Shannon South, demonstrates the importance of building a brand: using good design and photography; showing the process and telling a story; and adding charming and recognizable details like a silk scarf lining. (Related: Luxe upcycling: from cashmere sweaters to (very) soft toys — From 1950s pommel horses to 2008 gym bags.)

Website: www.remadeusa.com
Contact: shop@remadeusa.com

Spotted by: Edward Cotton

Bumper stickers recruit Twitter followers in traffic

2009-07-01T08:41:53Z

If a Twitter user tweets, but no one is following them, do they really tweet at all? Aiming to make such philosophical gymnastics less necessary, Tweet My Bumper helps Twitterers recruit new followers by targeting one of life's few remaining captive audiences: drivers in traffic.

Twitterers seeking followers need only visit Tweet My Bumper, enter their Twitter user name along with the usual other basic information, and Tweet My Bumper will print and ship them a bumper sticker that shows their Twitter name along with the tag line, "Follow me in traffic. Follow me on Twitter." A standard bumper sticker—which also shows the Tweet My Bumper URL—is priced at USD 5; without the promotional URL it costs USD 6.

Offroad, Twitter users already have StickyTwits; now, courtesy of BlakeMakes.com's Blake Killian, Tweet My Bumper makes the most of onroad audiences as well. It's all part of the OFF=ON melding of the offline and online worlds. What can *your* brand do to include, support and further the efforts of the Twittering masses? ;-) (Related: Food blogger turned intermediary and purveyor.)

Website: www.tweetmybumper.com
Contact: www.tweetmybumper.com/contact.htm — @tweetmybumper

Londoners share lifts to Luton airport

2009-06-30T21:59:49Z

A few years back, we covered ride-sharing site Hitchsters, which matches travellers to help them cut down on cab fare to airports in New York and San Francisco. Now, in the UK, Luton Airport has now joined forces with ride-sharing enterprise Liftshare to connect commuters en route to the airport.

Interested passengers and airport employees can register to access a database of other commuters, dropping a line to those heading to the airport at a similar time. The site never reveals the user's email or other contact information, and suggests that ride-sharers meet in a public place for the first trip just to keep things safe. The program, which is the first of its kind in the UK, is a smart move by Luton Airport. Not only does it improve its less-than-stellar transportation links to London, but it can ease its negative impact on the environment by helping to reduce the numbers of cars on the road. Key, of course, will be to make it easy and safe for travellers to share, and targeting frequent flyers seems like the way to go. Other airports to follow?

Website: www.londonlutoncarshare.com
Contact: londonluton.carshare@ltn.aero

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

Magazine produced in 24 hours

2009-06-30T13:09:20Z

Hard on the heels of our coverage of Kult—the vintage-arcade-machine-turned-3D-magazine—comes word of another paradigm-busting publication. Rather than breaking the mold on its form, however, this one shatters the norm by virtue of the fact that it was created and produced in 24 hours.

The clock began at 3 pm Central European time on June 27, when an all-volunteer team of designers, photographers, writers and others began to work nonstop on 24Hour Magazine, beginning from scratch with no design and no content. Twenty-four hours later—at 3 pm on June 28—the magazine was ready for the printing press, featuring articles, photos and illustrations on topics including lifestyle, fashion, music and design. The point was not just to create a product, however. Rather, the concept focused heavily on the experience of the process as well. With that in mind, the Kortrijk, Belgium-based team meticulously shared the day’s experience with the world through a variety of social media and other online avenues, including live video feeds, Twitter updates, continuous blog posts and a behind-the-scenes Flickr stream. The 47-page magazine itself was produced using Issuu—the publishing platform we covered last year—and is now available online. The 24Hour team expects it will soon be available in print as well, both for order online and through select bookstores, priced somewhere between EUR 20 and EUR 30. Also on the way is a “making of” DVD and music created specially for the experience.

No word yet on a next issue—or, indeed, on reactions to the magazine-cum-experience—but in the meantime, 24Hour Mag is actively seeking sponsors and advertisers. One to get involved with?

Website: www.24hourmagazine.com
Contact: tuffer@24hourmagazine.com

Twitter-powered truck sells ice-cream sandwiches

2009-06-29T15:16:16Z

There's a new truck roaming the streets of LA—just in time for summer—and it's being followed by legions of devotees who track its whereabouts via Twitter. It's not Korean barbecue tacos on the menu this time, however—rather, it's gourmet ice cream sandwiches.

Much in the manner of Kogi Korean BBQ, which we covered earlier this year, Coolhaus sells handmade ice cream sandwiches from a pink and chrome converted postal jeep. Featuring local and organic ingredients whenever possible, Coolhaus sandwiches are 2-by-2-inch confections, about 1 inch deep, assembled to order using two cookies and a scoop of ice cream. Five architecture-inspired, "prefab" flavours are currently available from Coolhaus's two-woman team (for example: the Frank Behry, made from sugar cookies and strawberry ice cream; the Mies Vanilla Rohe features chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream), but customization is also possible, they say. The sandwiches are also available with an edible, rice-paper wrapping that can feature a brand, name or logo in edible ink. Pricing is about USD 3 per sandwich, or USD 3.50 with the edible wrapper, according to LAist.

In addition to broadcasting information about its whereabouts via Twitter (@coolhaus), Coolhaus actually partners with Kogi in Venice on Saturdays, LAist reported; coming soon from its truck are edible spoons and popsicles shaped like famous buildings.

Have we ever mentioned that everything can be upgraded? Well here it is again! Both Kogi and Coolhaus are perfect examples. Then of course there's the fact that recessions tend to make people value little luxuries more. What's next? How about mobile restaurant rows, like the one at Dwell on Design '09 two days ago, which included the new Sprinklesmobile alongside Coolhaus, Kogi and others. (Related: More high-end dessert trucks — Sprinkles Cupcakes: Betty Crocker, upgraded.)

Website: www.eatcoolhaus.com
Contact: freya@eatcoolhaus.com

Spotted by: LAist via Judy McRae

Free mags for hotel guests via digital newsstand

2009-06-27T19:04:01Z

Digital publisher Zinio has teamed up with Starwood to offer guests free digital copies of their favourite magazines. As of last month, a variety of well-known titles can be downloaded at Starwood's Element hotels, with Aloft and Four Points by Sheraton joining at the end of the year.

Zinio's 'digital newsstand' can be accessed on guests' laptops in their rooms, or via a kiosk in the lobby. After logging on to the Starwood portal and registering with Zinio, guests can select as many single titles as they wish, choosing from a wide range of popular publications like Caribbean Travel & Life, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, Field & Stream and Ski Magazine. (Prices for magazines purchased through Zinio are normally similar to those paid for paper copies.)

With editions that can be read online or off—and that are identical to their printed brethren—travellers are freed from schlepping around a bag full of paper. Zinio gets the chance to demo its service to new users, and Starwood can offer its guests magazines they actually want to read, instead of a standard selection. And there's an environmental benefit too, of course, which is fitting since Element is Starwood's new 'green' brand. Reminds us of another download service for travellers we spotted recently: airline alliance offers free audiobook downloads at airports.

Website: www.zinio.com — www.starwood.com

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

An iPhone app for Barcelona's bike sharing service

2009-06-26T13:02:17Z

We've written fairly extensively about city bike schemes already, and Barcelona's two-year-old Bicing is a shining example. Now, bringing the service into the iPhone era, Bicing recently launched a mobile application that consumers can use to get location-based information about bicycle and parking availability.

Residents of Barcelona use Bicing by applying for a personal card and then using that card to rent and pay for use of one of the service's 6,000 bicycles. Bicycles can be picked up from and returned to any of 400 stations throughout the city. With the new iBicing application—downloadable from Apple's iTunes Store for EUR 0.79—consumers can now see in advance the best place to find or bring back a bicycle. All they need do is send an SMS to "7010" for information about the availability of bikes and parking slots at the stations nearest them. iBicing taps the iPhone's GPS capabilities to pinpoint a user's location and select which stations would be most convenient, but users can also search for information about others. Google Maps with interactive navigation can be displayed as well.

Bike sharing schemes are already laudable for so many reasons, most notably their benefits for the environment and urban congestion. Making such services more convenient for consumers through maps and the increasingly ubiquitous iPhone is the obvious next step toward realizing those benefits more fully. This is "mapmania" at work, as our sister site would say, and it's one to emulate in bicycle-sharing cities around the globe! (Related: Zipcar's iPhone app will find and unlock cars — Free coffee for iPhone users at Swedish 7-Eleven.)

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

Spotted by: Daniel Rodriguez

Local bottling makes for greener wine at Waitrose

2009-06-26T11:44:58Z

Cutting both costs and carbon emissions, British supermarket Waitrose shipped its new range of ‘Virtue’ wines from Chile in 24,000 liter flexitanks and bottled them in the UK. One tank equals 32,000 bottles—or 16 tons of glass—that no longer need to be shipped. In addition, the bottles used are lightweight and made of 60% recycled material.

Besides reducing carbon emissions, this shipping and distribution method lowers end-to-end production costs by up to 40%. Waitrose claims to be sharing these cost reductions with customers, charging GBP 3.99 per bottle. Currently on offer are a Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon and a Sauvignon/Chardonnay, both from Chile. They’ll be joined by two Californian wines later this season, and Waitrose is looking to further expand the method to other countries it imports wine from.

A green innovation that saves money for both retailers and consumers? Producers and retailers: it’s time to get virtuous ;-)

Website: www.waitrose.com
Contact: www.waitrose.com/footer/contactus.aspx

Spotted by: Maria Dahl Jorgensen

Streamlined shopping for household goods, straight from manufacturers

2009-06-26T09:01:47Z

Laundry detergent, toilet paper and toothpaste are not items consumers typically buy online, as the grocery stores, Wal-Marts and big box outlets of the world can attest. A new e-commerce site aims to change all that, however, by providing free shipping, streamlined reordering and a platform that allows consumers and manufacturers to connect.

Just launched into beta this week, Alice offers more than 6,000 unique products from hundreds of different manufacturers. Its prices are 20 percent to 30 percent lower than those at other online stores, it says, and shipping is always free. US consumers begin by creating a free account and then selecting a list of all their favourite products, ordering only the items they need right then. Each shipment is bundled together in a single "Alice" box and delivered directly to the consumer’s door. Meanwhile, Alice organizes all the products on the member's list, finds coupons and deals for them, and reminds them to reorder when they are likely to be running low.

Although Wisconsin-based Alice works much like any other online retailer from the consumer's perspective, behind the scenes it is more like a marketplace, allowing manufacturers to sell directly to US consumers. Alice makes no retail margin, and instead allows each manufacturer to control product assortment and pricing in its own direct sale to the end consumer. Because no retail middleman is involved, significant cost savings can be passed on to shoppers, the company says. In addition, Alice's model allows brands to form a direct relationship with consumers, enabling personalized coupons, sampling and loyalty programs.

Alice is actively signing up manufacturers during its beta phase, with plans for a full consumer launch in the fall. Those in consumer packaged goods: better get on board now! For all others: One to help bring to consumers in the rest of the shop-weary world?

Website: www.alice.com
Contact: support@alice.com