Billabong x White Mike Spring Collection

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Billabong has teamed up once again with world-renowned photographer Michael Muller for an expanded range of pieces inspired by Michael's breathtaking photographs of not only sharks, but other wildlife. 

Muller visionary images involves a unique approach to underwater photography, where he uses professional studio lighting below the surface. The results have produced some of the most jaw dropping shark portraits seen to date, and have been used in everything from Red Hot Chilli Pepper album covers to successful gallery exhibits all round the world. These new images are now the basis for the Billabong x White Mike collection which boasts the Carnivorous and Wild boardshort and Jungle King and Freebird tee designs.

The Billabong collaboration has further highlight Muller’s charity's whitemike.org. This is a non profit organisation that brings awareness to the devastation created by commercial long line fishing that is decimating the shark population at a rate of seventy to ninety million sharks a year. "This is un-sustainable, unacceptable and unconscionable," said Muller.

As well as aiding White Mike, the collection will also raise funds for earthecho.org - EarthEcho International, a non-profit organization whose mission is "to empower youth to take action that restores and protects our water planet."  EarthEcho was founded by Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau, grandchildren of the great explorer Jacques Cousteau. 

Macys creates largest NFL shop in super bowl history at herald square

Macys herald square, nyc, transformed all their windows and their 4th floor if the broadway building into the latgest nfl sb shop ever. The shop was 36,000 square feet of super bowl XLVIII branded gear including exclusive NY/NJ themed product, customizable merchandise, home goods and NFL gear from all teams. They included great props and displays to truely enhance the experience.! At the end of the 2 week run they had done 5M in sales!!!

Macy's Future- RIDF

Macy's Ala Moana is moving into the future with the RIDF system.  RIDF stands for Radio identification Frequency.  This new system allows the operator to scan an entire fixture or area with a scanner picking up the radio frequency stamp located on hang tags.  According to store associates this new system helps with more efficient replenishment orders and inventory; pin pointing exact styles, colors and sizes.  The store will be able to not place replenishment order faster but they will also be able to adjust assortment buys according to what styles, color and sizes are selling the best. 

RIDF stamp can be seen on the left side of the tag.

Are You a Pinner, or a Doer?

    
        A perfect example of cross-promotional marketing; Michael’s Craft Stores are taking advantage of the pinning craze, and have teamed up with Pinterest.com to encourage customers to “not just pin it, but make it your own.”  The store has set aside prime floor space along the main aisles for the Pinterest displays, where the customer can pick up all supplies needed for featured DIY’s.  The customer is then encouraged to log onto Pinterest.com/MichealsStores to get the tutorial for completing the project. 

     For those not familiar with Pinterest.com, it is online tool for collecting and organizing images, crafts, recipes, etc. (think online inspiration boards).  The service is free, but does require creating an account.  As of July 2013, Pinterest has 70 million users with 80% of these are women.  The typical Michael's customers are also women and both businesses are built around the creative and craft industries, so it would seem it was only a matter of time before these two teamed up.

Jessica Simpson Swimwear: Inspired by L*SPACE?

Showing up this spring in swim shop in Macy's nationwide is the Jessica Simpson swimwear line.  Although this division of Jessica's line isn't new to her brand or Macy's the product has given their designs a revamp from the prior year and look to have taken a cue from designer swimwear brand, L*space in both their product styling but not in price. 

Flutter style tops by Jessica Simpson are similar to trends currently in the marketplace including L*space, retailing for around $64.00

Jessica Simpson is also offering a fringe top at $62.00 and tab side bottoms retailing for $42.00 as compared to L*Space who retails their tops for $86.00 and bottoms for $59.00

Quiksilver gets a shout out on This American Life podcast

This American Life, WBEZ Chicago, is a public radio broadcast that airs weekly, sharing stories to around 2.1 million listeners over more than 500 stations.

On the most recent episode, 517: Day at the beach Quiksilver board shorts received a shout out for the outstanding durable quality of their product.

The story can be found in  Act Two: Long talk on a short pier, a story told by comedian Sam Mullins; remembering back to his teen years, throwing a beach birthday party for his best friend at the time who happened to be a girl.  By the end of Sam finds himself quite embarrassed, half naked, and yelling for his Mom, and as Sam puts it "...because the good people at Quiksilver make too fine a product, and my trunks didn't rip..."

"...I had enough momentum from my heroic sprint that I was now sliding on the surface of the dock.  Now, had I just slid off the edge and into water that would have been totally fine, I would have been like, pshhh, that didn't even hurt I'm going to go get the ball now.  But that isn't what happened because, there was a nail up, and the nail cut me from here to about here, and about here it caught onto my bathing suit.  Now, had the bathing suit ripped and I fell in it would have been okay, even if it fully caught my suit and it ejected me from the suit naked into the lake I truly believe that I could have brought it back, and I would have been okay.  I would have been like, wow! What a freak accident, could you pass me my trunks I'm going to go get the ball now.  But, that isn't what happened, because the good people at Quiksilver make too fine a product, and my trunks didn't rip, so what happened was.."     --Sam Mullins, as told on This American Life
                 

Matthew McConaughey's new line of clothing- 'Just keep Livin' sold at Dillard's

New from Matthew McConaughey: JKL

Posted by Lamor W.

When he’s not on the red carpet, actor Matthew McConaughey is known for his free-spirited often hippy-ish style. Recently, he’s translated that aesthetic into the new JKL just keep livin clothing line.

“JKL stands for just keep livin. In 1992, my father moved on, and just keep livin came to be,” McConaughey said in a release about the brand. ”It was about keeping his spirit alive and continuing to get incentive from the things he taught me. The tag line is a compass for me and serves as an approach to life: No matter where we’re headed, where the road takes us, what’s up ahead or what’s behind us, we’ve got to ‘just keep livin.’ That’s the philosophy. There’s a ‘just keep livin’ choice in everything we do and I’ve been the most satisfied in life when I’m on this frequency. It’s a big part of what we try to show the kids through our foundation and it’s the DNA of the JKL brand.”

Casually stylish with subtle functionality, each piece in the clothing line features proprietary AdvantEdge™ technology that may include:  fabrics that are  brushed for extra comfort or treated to be oil- and water-repellent; moisture controlling and quick-drying fabrics; UV protection; stretch fabrication for ease of movement;  secure and well-placed utility pockets or mesh insets and grommets for air ventilation.

And in addition to function, there’s philanthropy behind the brand. A portion of sales revenue goes to support the just keep livin Foundation, a nonprofit group McConaughey founded in 2008 to support after-school fitness and wellness programs, in inner-city high schools.

Tshirts retail around $35

And denim $90