Tuesday 30 September 2008

asos.com Enlists Experts To Create Limited Edition Products For Sale.

Rare or hard-to-find denim, vinyl, trainers and sunglasses to form part of asos.com ’s innovative ‘Untitled’ initiative.

London: ‘Untitled’ is the innovative new menswear project initiated by online retailer asos.com. Developed from the idea that limited edition products captivate men, ‘Untitled’ invites experts in denim, vinyl, trainers, sunglasses and new designers, to collate, and then offer to asos.com, a series of rare, hard-to-find or limited edition products for sale. The project propels menswear forward on asos.com and highlights some of the current creativity in men’s fashion and lifestyle products.

Denim expert Neil Christopher was eager to offer his services to asos.com. As a denim addict, Christopher has traveled America sourcing denim for hip stores in New York and Japan. Having worked for denim giants Boxfresh, Carhartt, North Sails and Levi’s, he now develops garments for radical denim brand Kato. For ‘Untitled’, Christopher has hand-selected exclusive Kato pieces especially for the collection and all are offered numbered and in small quantities.

Kato 5-pocket jeans: £240

Limited edition sunglasses always cause limited edition envy, so asos.com invited expert Fraser Laing to offer his vision for the project. Archiv, Laing’s company was set up in 1997 to sell exclusive vintage eyewear. As Laing explains, “Since then there have been two main rules in pursuit of that goal. One; always keep eyewear which is emblematic of Arckiv’s style, and two; never sell anything which isn’t well designed or well made.” For the ‘Untitled’ project, Laing has selected contemporary limited edition styles along with vintage frames such as the 5317, which was worn by iconic jazz musician Herbie Hancock in1986.

Vintage Carrera sunglasses: £95-£450

Rare vinyl has become something of a style status symbol and vinyl authority Jim Henderson threw his support behind the ‘Untitled’ idea. Owner of the world’s largest independent record store Amoeba, Henderson offers music lovers every kind of music from the top 40, to the best in underground rock, hip-hop, soul, electronic, new and classic jazz, from his stores in San Francisco and Hollywood. “As with our amoeba stores and amoeba.com,” explains Jim Henderson, “asos represents a local and global culture with style, drawing from, but not flaunting, its expertise. This particular project is introducing its users to new concepts and ideas, bringing an awareness of others who strive for expertise in their fields.” Amoeba’s leading vinyl-buying expert, Rick Frystak, selected the records for the project, choosing rare vinyl albums from multiple eras, genres and styles.

“Some Girls” vinyl by the Rolling Stones: £10

London-based fashion writer and author of ‘Modern Menswear’, Hywel Davies approached new international menswear designers, and commissioned them to design limited edition garments especially for the 'Untitled' project. Swedish Patrik Soderstam, a graduate from Central Saint Martins, who describes himself as a clothes maker and multi-talent, has designed 5 different limited edition graphic t-shirts which are both bold and dynamic. Berlin-based Carola Euler offers a grey pleat front sweatshirt combining her utilitarian design approach for this project. Another Berlin designer, Frank Leder has handmade wool scarves and combined his obsession with historical Germany but applying vintage enamel badges. London-based Jean-Pierre Braganza contrasts with expertly cut patterns that emphasise the human figure and offer unexpected detailing – he offers low crotch, slim leg black wool trousers with leather panel detail for this project. Deryck Walker completes the group with his new take on the white shirt, utilising his intricate pattern cutting and attention to detail.

Patrik Soderstam t-shirt: £50

On-line trainer store Crooked Tongues has been selling hard-to-find trainers since 2000, and was enlisted to attract all trainer geeks. Highlights of their selection include the Adidas 35th Superstar, which was the culmination of the celebrations surrounding 35 years of the Shelltoe. As Charlie Morgan from Crooked Tongue explains, “It's an iconic design that's timeless and needs little introduction, but as the final release of 35, only a tiny run was released to friends of Adidas. The materials and packaging are incredible, and while few pieces maintain their original appeal, these are still something of a benchmark in how you present a premium, rare release.”

Nike SB “What The Dunk” trainers £750

asos.com is going to radical measures to offer directional and exclusive products for their customers. The project confirms asos.com menswear as a trend-setting and opinion-forming brand, offering exciting and cool products to their style-savvy shoppers. The Untitled collections launch on 16th October, but act quickly, as product is, of course, strictly limited edition.

About asos.com
asos.com is the UK’s largest online fashion and beauty store, attracting over one million visitors a week. With over 9,000 products available and 500 new lines added each week, asos.com is the online shopping destination. Since launching in June 2000, asos.com has won numerous awards including ‘Retail Week Online Retailer of the Year’ 2007 & 2008, ‘Cosmopolitan Retailer of the Year 2008’ and ‘In Style Best Online Shop 2008’.

For further information, images and samples please contact:

Rob Davies
asos.com
2nd floor, Greater London House
Hampstead Rd
London
NW1 7FD

020 7756 1027
press@asos.com
http://www.asos.com


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Monday 29 September 2008

Award-winning Photographer, Michael Huggan, Releases his 2009 African Wildlife Calendar

Calendar comprises a collection of spectacular photos taken during Michael’s recent trip to the Masai Mara, Kenya

African Wildlife 2009

Alton, Hampshire: Michael Huggan , the gold medallist and Associate of the Royal Photographic Society (APRS) proudly announces that his African Wildlife Calendar 2009 is now available.

The calendar comprises 13 breathtaking shots - one for each month of the year plus the cover photo.

Front cover of African Wildlife 2009

“The images chosen for my 2009 calendar are from a trip to Kenya, early in 2008. This was a turbulent time for Kenya as political unrest and riots resulted in a huge impact on visitor numbers to the country. However, determined as ever to go, my wife and I travelled to the Masai Mara, staying once again at Governors main camp.

African Buffalo (March)

“This was the first time I had ever experienced the Masai Mara with green grass, not brown! This was a result of the tremendous rain and thunderstorms that frequently deluged the plains, and our tent!” recounts Michael.

“Fortunately for us, the heavy rains came at night. However, during the day the build up of storm clouds dispersed with sunshine bathing the plains and animals in a truly spectacular light. January’s image of the hippo and November’s image of the tree and elephants show the quality of the outstanding light.”

Hippopotamus (January)

Michael Huggan’s 2009 African Wildlife Calendar – the ideal Christmas gift - is exclusively available here: http://www.michaelhuggan.com/salesarea.php . It measures 42 x 29 cm (A3), is priced at £10 plus postage & packing (only £3 for delivery to UK addresses) and includes stunning shots of lions, cheetahs, African buffalo, hippopotamus, giraffe, elephants, leopards and impala.

“Africa has a special place in my heart and I hope some of the passion I share for this magnificent country is conveyed through the images in my 2009 calendar. Each month tells a story, and I trust you will enjoy the journey throughout the year ahead!”

About Michael Huggan
Michael, a long-time Nikon user, lives in Hampshire. His photographic experience covers a wide range of subjects from the natural world, lifestyle and business to Michael’s passion of wildlife photography for which he is most well known. His interest in wildlife photography heralds from many visits to the African continent. In 2003 Michael gained his Associate Distinction (ARPS) in nature photography with the Royal Photographic Society and in 2007, he was awarded the Royal Photographic Society’s Travel Group Digital Section Gold Medal. In 2008, he received the Photographic Society of America’s Honorable Mention Ribbon. His photography, available as limited edition pictures, calendars, note cards and exhibition-range framed pictures, can be viewed and purchased at http://www.michaelhuggan.com/salesarea.php . Michael is a supporter of the Born Free Foundation.

For more information, please contact:

Michael Huggan, ARPS
Michael Huggan Photography
Cranford House
Alton Lane, Four Marks
Alton
Hampshire
GU34 5AJ

01962 773697
michael@michaelhuggan.com
http://www.michaelhuggan.com


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Thursday 18 September 2008

Back to School - Use of Software Shelf’s Print Management Software Means Real Savings For Schools



Award-winning software allows schools and colleges to reduce their printing by 50% or more


School printing; a major drain on school finances unless tightly
controlled.
Image by http://voelectronicsclub.org

Clearwater, Florida and London, United Kingdom: Print Management Software firm Software Shelf International, Inc. announced today, at the beginning of the new academic year, a reminder to schools, colleges and universities that its print monitoring and limiting software offers a workable way for them to substantially reduce their operating costs. In these times of looming recession and financial instability, tight cost control is the key to the future of any organisation. Print Manager Plus 2008 Standard Academic Edition provides a practical and environmentally-friendly way for educational establishments of all kinds to do just that.

The award-winning software allows secondary schools, K12 schools, universities, colleges and non-profit organizations to track, control, quota and restrict student and staff printing across the network. Case studies have shown that this software can reduce printing by 50% or more.


William Feeley, Software Shelf CEO

“It’s really easy to use and is 100% software based, so no additional hardware is needed at all,” says Software Shelf CEO, William Feeley. “It runs on Windows Server or Workstation NT/2000/XP/2008 and can track printing from any operating system, so any school could install this software tomorrow and start reducing its paper and ink costs immediately.”

The benefit the software provides schools and colleges is best expressed by its customers themselves:

“We couldn’t afford technology upgrades for our school. After installing Print Manager Plus we cut our printing costs in half - from £24,000 to around £12,000 and are now able to afford upgrades.” — Kevin Bowker, The King’s Academy, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, UK.

“Print Manager Plus gave us the ability to make students and teachers accountable for what they print and how much. Users are now pausing before they print and with the ability to set limits to print jobs, the 100-page books that were being sent are a thing of the past. Print Manager Plus is a great product for taking back control over spiraling print costs and saving the environment from wasteful printing.” — Administrator, Wesley Chapel High School, Florida.


Print management software, Print Manager Plus

The product is also very ‘green’ in that it reduces paper wastage, thereby saving trees, energy (in the production of paper and its distribution) and water; the manufacturing of paper is a very thirsty process. Based of average paper savings per client and the total number of its clients worldwide, it was recently calculated that Print Manager Plus is responsible for saving 200,000 trees globally every month!

About Software Shelf
Software Shelf is the worldwide leader in tightly integrated Windows Print Management solutions. Established in 1994, its flagship product, Print Manager Plus, is used by thousands of organizations worldwide and is available in over 60 countries. It was awarded the Hewlett-Packard Outstanding Partner of the Year Award in 2007 and is listed in GuideMeGreen, the online directory of environmentally-friendly products and services.

For further information, please contact:

Danny Byrnes
Software Shelf International, Inc.
601 Cleveland Street
Suite # 710
Clearwater, FL 33755
United States
Phone: +1 727 445 1920
Phone: +1 800 962 2290
Fax: +1 727 445 9223
Email: sales@softwareshelf.com
Website: http://www.softwareshelf.com

Tatjana Kunze
Software Shelf International, Inc.
Vitality House
2-3 Imberhorne Way
East Grinstead
West Sussex, RH19 1RL
United Kingdom
Phone +44 1342 310950
Fax +44 1342 302405
Email: sales@softwareshelf.co.uk
Website: http://www.softwareshelf.co.uk

Source: Enterprisewire® News Service © Enterprisewire News Service

print management software, print monitoring, print limiting, paper saving, saves paper, reduces wastage, saves trees, reduces costs
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Monday 15 September 2008

Nicola de Main Launches Exclusive Capsule Collection for asos.com

Nicola de Main Launches Exclusive Capsule Collection for asos.com

“We’re Eclectic and Anything Goes” collection designed exclusively for asos. New designer collaborations proving a great success.

London: Following on from the success of previous Premium Brands Boutique collaborations, fashion e-tailer asos.com has launched an exclusive capsule collection by designer Nicola De Main.

Nicola de Main launched her own label in July 2004, winning her the prestigious ‘Fashion Futures Young Designer of the Year’ award. Known for her wearable catwalk fashions, Nicola works alongside James Millar (formerly of Jonathan

Saunders) to create stunning bold prints which have become a key element of her collections.

Belted A Line Dress

Launched on the 8th September 2008, the capsule collection, named “We’re Eclectic and Anything Goes” comprises six dresses which have been designed exclusively for asos.

Lace Overlay Ballerina Dress

Inspiration comes from magpie-like fashion where East meets West in a fusion of oriental fabrics, delicate lace overlays and colourful modern prints.

Silk Printed Mini Dress

A rich colour palette of hot pinks, navy and gold work with various dress shapes - from the simple but classic 60s shift through to the 80s high glamour cocktail dress - create a collection which is a rich tapestry of styles, entirely individual and ultra wearable.

“Working with ASOS has been really fun. It's really exciting to make a collection that will have a wider appeal. I have also enjoyed seeing how the other end of the fashion world works and applying it to my own label. I am looking forward to see what happens next...” Nicola de Main.

Nicola de Main, award-winning fashion designer

Nicola de Main for asos.com, launched Sept 8th 2008. Price range: £75-£95.
http://www.asos.com/Women/A-To-Z-Of-Brands/Nicola-De-Main-For-Asos/Cat/pgecat...


Note to Editors:

Nicola de Main
As a rising name in the London fashion scene, Nicola de Main is now in her 7th season and designs Womenswear clothing that is simple and well cut, with colour and intricate print remaining key to each collection.

Trained in Leeds, Nicola took her first job at internationally acclaimed fashion designer Hussein Chalayan. Since then, Nicola has gone on to work on projects with other leading fashion names such as Jane How, Jodie Barnes and Adele Clark.

Nicola’s vision is to create wearable catwalk fashion, which is luxurious and desirable. This design ethic has gained her some of the most prestigious and luxurious international stockists such as PUB Stockholm and Birbs’s Italy - and now online with asos.com

asos - Premium Brands Boutique Collaborations

asos.com continues to boost its fashion credentials with an impressive portfolio of Premium designer brands and exclusive design collaborations with some of the industry’s best fashion designers.

The Premium Brands Boutique was launched in September 2007, with exclusive collaborations from PPQ and Sara Berman.

The PPQ for asos.com collection comprised re-issued iconic designs from the PPQ archives, whilst By Berman for asos.com, now in its third season, continues to showcase the designer’s signature styling across clothing and accessories.

Collaborations between designers and asos.com are growing into 2008 with the launch of the Nicola de Main for asos.com collection.

About asos.com
Launched in 2000 by Nick Robertson, asos.com is firmly established as the UK’s leading online fashion store.

asos.com offers an extensive range of own brand women’s and men’s fashion, designer labels, lifestyle accessories and cult beauty brands. asos.com is the second most visited on-line clothing store in the UK attracting over 3.3 million unique visitors per month, and has received numerous awards such as Drapers E-tailer of the Year 2006, Retail Week Online Retailer of the Year 2007, and Business XL Company of the Year 2007, to name a few.

For more information, please contact:

Susie Young
asos.com
Greater London House
Hampstead Road
London
NW1 7FD

0207 836 1284
press@asos.com
http://www.asos.com


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Saturday 13 September 2008

WorldWidePR.net is New Name for Online PR and Promotion Firm


Formerly UpTone PR, WorldWidePR.net is one of the first companies to be hosted on ShareNow.com


East Grinstead, West Sussex, UK: The online PR, promotion and marketing firm, UpTone PR, established in 2000, has changed its name to WorldWidePR.net and has hosted its new website on the new social network and file-sharing site, ShareNow.com

“We felt that WorldWidePR.net was a little more self-explanatory as to the services we actually offer,” said Michael Kennard, newly appointed partner in the firm. “We’ve also decided to take advantage of ShareNow.com and host the site there because of its ease of use and because we thought it was a good idea to be part of a larger online community, and so give even more online exposure to our clients.”


John Wood, founder

John Wood, founder of WorldWidePR.net, which sends press releases to a range of online PR sites and online bookmarking or news aggregation sites on behalf of its clients, is pleased with the length of time his firm has been operating. “Eight years in business and going strong is quite an achievement for an online firm in today’s economic climate,” says John. Now, with the appointment of Michael Kennard, WorldWidePR.net is poised for growth.

About WorldWidePR.net
WorldWidePR.net sends press releases to a range of online PR sites and online bookmarking or news aggregation sites on behalf of its clients, on an outsourcing basis. Its services include press release writing, press release search engine optimization, and general online promotion in the form of blogging and commenting. Clients include print control software company Software Shelf International, Inc., the online clothing store asos.com , the waterless carwash company Miracle Drywash , and mobile technology company The Media Power Group, Inc.

For more information, please contact:

Michael Kennard
WorldWidePR.net
197 Garden Wood Road
East Grinstead
West Sussex
RH19 1SH

+44 (0)7702 343596
pr@worldwidepr.net
http://www.worldwidepr.net/
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Somaya Reece, the No 1 Latina on MySpace, Finds a New Home at www.missreece.com

Somaya debuts her first independent music video "Ooh baby baby", produced by Scoop De Ville, on ShareNow.com


LOS ANGELES, CA - With over 21 million views and more than 700,000 friends, Somaya Reece, the #1 Latina on MySpace, debuts her own website: http://www.missreece.com/ in association with ShareNow.com (http://www.sharenow.com/), a lifestyle social networking and file-sharing website.

Somaya Reece, hailed as "The Next Sophia Loren", is a voluptuous vixen with 38D-28-46 dimensions. It's easy to see why this Salvadorean beauty from South Central was recently named the Hottest Latina in Music by “Maxim” en Español, UK and Philippines. The ultimate triple treat, Somaya has already proven herself as an actress, a model and a musician. As an actress, she has participated in “American Psycho” (2002), “The Scorpion King” (2002), “Ride or Die” (2003), “Miss Cast Away” (2004) and in the hit television shows “Girlfriends” and “Entourage”. In 2008, Somaya was nominated "Internet Hottie" By Spike TV’s Guys Choice Awards; Telemundo called her "The Latina Jessica Rabbit”; and she was voted "Hottest Woman on the Web" by E! As a model, she has appeared in high-profile campaigns for Ralph Lauren, DKNY, Colgate, Pepsi, Budweiser, and Coors Light.



Talented beauty Somaya Reece - the "The Next Sophia Loren"

As a musician, Somaya has had over 3.6 million spins in just ten and a half weeks for her debut single "Mira mi pum pum" and was the first unsigned artist to reign 18 weeks on the "top ranked" music charts as a "featured artist" on imeem.com

Somaya has proven to be a successful viral/internet marketing powerhouse. Who knows? Maybe she could be he next Lil' Wayne! "My hard work is beginning to pay off and, so far, has allowed me to purchase my first home, a beachfront house in Belize," she says happily. "Now, I am working toward acquiring my second property here in LA for my parents!"

Born and raised in South Central in a freezing garage with her family, working 3 jobs and getting no sleep, she comments, "I went through years of financial and emotional struggle to get here. No managers helped me. I did it on my own! All to help feed my family. I was once living "la vida loca." The "thug life" almost killed me a grip of times. I changed for the better of my family and to motivate and inspire you… You gotta respect that."

Somaya fans will now be able to see her on http://www.missreece.com/ where she will be debuting her "first" independent music video and will begin vlogging. Besides her website, Somaya now has a deal with iTunes and has begun working with billboard charting producers such as Scoop Deville, The Pharmacy, and Qura Rankin AKA 007 Blaq.

For additional information, please contact:

Alessandra Perez-Cirera
Bowery Media LLC
6015 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 201
Los Angeles
CA 90038
USA

+1 323 957 1600
alessandra@bowerymedia.com
http://www.bowerymedia.com/

latina, singer, artist, actress, movie star, model, musician, el salvador, scoop deville, the pharmacy, qura rankin, myspace, music, indie, hip hop


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The Media Power Group Advances Mobile Augmented Reality Research with Multimillion Dollar Grant to World Leading University




Grant dedicated to the Human Interface Technology Laboratory research center of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand

New York, New York – The Media Power Group, a leading innovator in the global mobile media market, today announced a private grant of $2 million to Canterbury University in New Zealand. The grant is dedicated to the university’s Human Interface Technology Laboratory research center with the mission of increasing the current available research and education dedicated to Augmented Reality (AR) and mobile computing technologies. This announcement comes on the heels of a recent pledge by The Media Power Group of $5 million to Georgia Tech University’s Graphic Visualisation Usability Centre.

Professor Mark Billinghurst of the Canterbury University, New Zealand, is a pioneer in Augmented Reality (AR) and is focused on creating, together with Media Power, one of the largest AR teams worldwide and plans to leverage the grant to conduct further research and develop various applications. To date, Professor Billinghurst and his team have spearheaded advances which brought Augmented Reality to mobile devices.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to collaborate with Media Power and their other academic partners. Media Power have collected together some of the best AR researchers in the world and we are proud to be able to work with them on bringing this technology into the mainstream,” said Professor Billinghurst on the announcement of the grant.

“Previously only viable in the research labs, Augmented Reality is one of the most exciting and promising technologies today,” stated Rich Jenkins, CEO of Media Power. “Media Power is commercializing the technology and plans to make it available to everyone. By leveraging AR, Media Power creates an entirely new advertising paradigm for marketers, and media buyers to reach consumers worldwide as well as enhancing user experience on the handset.”


About HIT Lab NZ
The Human Interface Technology Laboratory New Zealand (HIT Lab NZ) is a research institute at the University of Canterbury conducting research in next-generation human computer interfaces such as Augmented Reality, Visualization, and Teleconferencing. With over 40 staff and students the HIT Lab NZ is the largest AR research group in the Southern Hemisphere. The University of Canterbury is New Zealand’s second oldest university and home to its top ranked Engineering School. For more information about the HIT Lab NZ, see http://www.hitlabnz.org

About Media Power
Media Power is a unique tech company that develops consumer and business products based on Augmented Reality technology (AR) and other advanced systems. Media Power has two divisions: Magitech and GetFugu.com and provides a range of high-tech goods and marketing services for several clients.

For more information, please contact:

Rich Jenkins
Media Power Group
591 Broadway, 5th floor
New York
NY 10012
USA
Tel: +1 212 857 9000
rich@themediapowergroup.com
http://www.themediapowergroup.com/

Augmented Reality, AR, mobile computing technologies, grant, technology, cell phone, applications
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