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All 7 units of Ananta Apparels to merge

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Image result for All 7 units of Ananta Apparels to mergeAnanta Apparels, one of the leading garment exporters from Bangladesh, is set to merge its seven units into one with a view to bringing down operational costs and raising efficiency.

The amalgamation is expected to be complete in the next one month, said Asif Zahir, director of the Ananta Apparels.

Currently, the group, whose 10 percent shares are owned by Swedish partners and the International Finance Corporation, has seven units in Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, Narayanganj and the export processing zones. The seven units are run by different management.

The group has to maintain separate files for the seven units, which is expensive and time-consuming.

Not only that, it leads to complications in maintaining the strict lead time imposed by international buyers, Zahir said.

“Amalgamation is rare in the garment sector of Bangladesh,” he said, adding that Ananta Apparels has advertised in the newspaper on its plans to merge its units as per the requirement of the High Court.

In future, the country’s major apparel exporters might follow Ananta’s lead because of the prospect of better management and cost-saving.

In the early 90s, the local garment makers used to establish as many as units separately to get more quota and tax holidays from the government.

But, the quota system has been eliminated from the world since 1st January in 2005 after the final phase out of Multi-Fibre Arrangement.

The company exported garment items worth $240 million in fiscal 2015-16. Starting from this year, the company has targeted to hit $400 million in exports within the next two years and $1 billion by the end of 2022.

“We need massive expansion and efficient management to reach the target within the set timeframe.”

Ananta maintained 20 to 30 percent export growth over the last five years, so it is not impossible to reach the target, said Zahir, an alumnus of the US’s prestigious Stanford University.

Zahir is upbeat about the future of the country’s garment business as the sector has already been praised by the international retailers.

More importantly, in three and a half decades the country has become the second largest apparel exporter in the world after China.

Moreover, the sector has also gone through a massive transformation thanks to inspection by the two foreign agencies and the government initiative.

“But, we have to produce more value-added garment items to be more competitive in the business as the cost of production has been increasing every year,” Zahir said.

Currently, H&M, Zara, Gap, Levi’s and Marks & Spencer are the major buyers of Ananta Apparels, which started its journey in 1992.

The group, which employs 22,000 workers, also plans to get listed on the stock exchange to raise funds to set up a textile unit.

At present, the company, which mainly produces woven shirts, sweaters and trousers, imports 70 percent of its fabrics from China, India, Pakistan and Turkey.

“If we have our own textile factory we will not need to import fabrics. We will be able to save a significant amount of money every year.”

[“Source-thedailystar”]

The post All 7 units of Ananta Apparels to merge appeared first on Grobista.


This Is The Holy Grail of Jeep Accessories

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001 1948 Cj2a Mahl Loader

When the civilian Jeep debuted in 1945, it was presented as the ’40s version of the Swiss Army knife with four wheels. “Go anywhere, do anything” was the catchphrase. Follow that up with a look at the Willys-Overland Equipment book from the late ’40s and you’ll see the proof. Name the job and there was a Jeep accessory to help you do it. The 1948 Accessory book was 120 pages thick, and that’s only the factory-authorized equipment.

Among the many accessories listed for the CJ were front loaders. A number of them were made for Jeeps over the years, but there were two listed in the 1948 book: MAHL and Baldwin. Neither is well known today, but the MAHL garnered a lot of attention from collectors and historians because it appeared to be a high-quality, well-engineered unit. The problem is nobody left alive remembered ever seeing one, and some even doubted any had been built. That is until Glenn Byron stumbled across a MAHL in a New York wrecking yard in 2007.

002 1948 Cj2a Mahl Loader Rear View© Jim Allen 002 1948 Cj2a Mahl Loader Rear View

Glenn is a well-known East Coast Jeep collector and historian, so he had a pretty good idea of what he found. After researching it, to his great surprise, he discovered the company that had built it remains in business. Still owned by the Demeules family, Standard Iron & Wire Works (std-iron.com) has been in business since 1930. According to Rich Demeules, now running the company, the idea began in 1946 when the four founding brothers—Heine, Rola, Zez, and Chuck—noticed the popularity of the postwar Jeep. They were looking for new products to manufacture and the idea of a loader for the Jeep came to the forefront, as well as a few other products.

Standard Iron had previously established the MAHL Corporation as a holding company for real estate. “MAHL” combined the first letters in the names of the Demeules brother’s wives, Martha, Ann, Helen, and Lucy. It was decided to put the new Jeep products under that name rather than Standard Iron. The loader prototype was built in 1947 and production began soon after. Its first appearance in the Jeep Equipment Catalog was in 1948, along with a MAHL sprayer (model RJ). The Model JA loader had a list price of $343 but didn’t include a bucket. Two buckets were available: a Snow & Produce ($81.50) or a Dirt & Gravel ($46.50). Accessories were a dozer blade ($58.25), V-Type snowplow ($120), and a stacker head ($225). Arm extensions were an option, as was an energy conversion valve.

004 1948 Cj2a Mahl Loader Engine© Jim Allen 004 1948 Cj2a Mahl Loader Engine

The loader was rated for 1,100 pounds, and no doubt some of you are exclaiming: “Whoa! That’s way over what the frontend of a flatfender CJ can take.” You’re right, but the engineers at Standard Iron were way ahead of us. They built in hydraulically actuated overload wheels that operated off the main hydraulics. Attached to the main frame of the loader, it responded to the load and took most of the weight off the front of the Jeep. The framework also did a good job of equalizing the load to both ends of the Jeep.

Looking at the images and seeing the MAHL in operation shows it’s a well-designed accessory for its day. Standard Iron offered them for sale until 1953 and maintained a parts supply through 1960. Only about 300 were sold, and those low sales were directly related to the Jeep industrial accessory market as a whole. Generally speaking, purpose-built equipment did a better job than a converted Jeep, and these facts put the damper on many of the Jeep industrial accessories built during the frenzy of product debuts in the ’40s and early ’50s, including the MAHL loader.

005 1948 Cj2a Mahl Loader Interior© Jim Allen 005 1948 Cj2a Mahl Loader Interior

Once Glenn discovered Standard Iron was still in business, he contacted them about the loader and got an excited response. It’s the only surviving loader anyone knows about, and it wasn’t long before Glenn and Rich made a deal for the loader, and then Glenn found a ’48 CJ to install it on. The loader went to the Standard Iron machine shop in late 2011 for restoration. Restoration of the ’48 CJ-2A began at nearly the same time, using Vescio’s Customizing in Rogers, Minnesota, for the body while the running gear was overhauled by Rich and Al Eiden.

By early 2016, the MAHL loader and the ’48 CJ had been formally married, and the couple made their first public appearance at the 2016 Willys Jeep Rally at Heuston Woods, Ohio (mw-willysjeep.com). If you want to see the MAHL in action, check out the video on the Jp Magazine website at jpmagazine.com.

[“Source-msn”]

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4 of Miley Cyrus’ Best Hand Accessories, Including Those ‘Malibu’ Finger Flowers

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Billboard’s May cover star Miley Cyrus has just released her new single “Malibu” complete with a love-drunk and summery music video. In stride with her most recent music makeover, Cyrus leaves behind the gimmick and flash of her Dead Petz era for a sweeter, more country vibe.

But despite her casual, breezy attire, Cyrus still added a flare to the natural look of her music video with small flowers sprinkled over her fingers — a gorgeous, understated move often used by artist Maisie Cousin who has worked with Stella McCartney. Here are three other times the “Malibu” singer surprised us with her hand jewelry and nail game.

Team Miley Nails

In a promotional stint for The Voice — the reality TV show for which Cyrus coached in 2016 — the singer made a statement for Team Miley with nail art. Cyrus also included her Happy Hippie insignia on her thumb.

 

Strawberry Bling

For her appearance on the Today show on Sept. 16, 2016, the newly engaged star wore an adorable red gingham dress with a huge matching strawberry ring.

Miley Cyrus tapes an interview at the "Today Show" at the NBC Rockefeller Center Studios on Sept. 16, 2016 in New York City.
Ray Tamarra/GC Images
Miley Cyrus tapes an interview at the “Today Show” at the NBC Rockefeller Center Studios on Sept. 16, 2016 in New York City.

Dirty Hippie

Back in 2014, Cyrus was invited to collaborate with designer Jeremy Scott on a jewelry collection called Dirty Hippie. The chunky, colorful rings she designed and wore looked like something out of a kid’s toy box.

Jeremy Scott and Miley Cyrus attend Jeremy Scott during MADE Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Milk Studios on Sept. 10, 2014 in New York City. 
Brian Killian/WireImage
Jeremy Scott and Miley Cyrus attend Jeremy Scott during MADE Fashion Week Spring 2015 at Milk Studios on Sept. 10, 2014 in New York City.
[“Source-billboard”]

The post 4 of Miley Cyrus’ Best Hand Accessories, Including Those ‘Malibu’ Finger Flowers appeared first on Grobista.

GST rates: Concern over impact on exports of textiles, jewellery

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The GST rate for all branded products including textiles and jewellery will be decided on 3 June. Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint

The GST rate for all branded products including textiles and jewellery will be decided on 3 June. Photo: Hemant Mishra/Mint

New Delhi: The commerce ministry fears that a higher than expected goods and services tax (GST) rate on gems and jewellery and textiles products may make such exports uncompetitive and exporters may have to be compensated.

The two items are among six on which GST rates could not be finalized in the 14th GST council meeting in Srinagar last week and a decision was deferred for the next meeting on 3 June.

“After GST rates are imposed, if the tax rates increases on textiles and gems and jewellery sectors, then we have to evaluate how much more support they may require, because the margins in the international market are fixed and higher taxes may make them uncompetitive,” a commerce ministry official said, speaking under condition of anonymity.

Also Read: India is making its biggest tax reform far too complicated

The official said there cannot be uniform rates for textiles and gems and jewellery items as the products vary widely.

“For example handloom cannot be taxed on par with technical textiles as you need to encourage the labour intensive handloom sector. For handloom products, it should be zero,” the official said.

At present, taxes on textile products vary from 4% to as high as 60%.

Rahul Mehta, president of the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India in a note posted on its website wrote that from all the informal feedback the association has received, government is likely to impose 12% GST rate on the sector. “It is a pity that the government has not considered the industry fit to be taxed at the lowest slab of 5%, which would have given a tremendous boost to the industry. However, I do hope that our recommendation that the entire industry be taxed uniformly is accepted; failing which there will be huge issues of compliance, if not total chaos,” he added.

The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council has demanded to fix GST rate at 1.25% for the sector with continuing exemptions for diamonds. The council, in a representation to the finance ministry, said the government should not let go the pre-eminent global position the industry has achieved by imposing a higher GST rate.

At present, most of the jewellery items are taxed between 2.5-3% and differs from state to state.

Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac said in Srinagar that the state wants jewellery to be taxed at 5% against 1.5% that the industry has been demanding.

Also Read: GST impact: Hold back price hikes till rollout, Hasmukh Adhia tells companies

“Gold is a luxury product. It is not a necessity. Price of gold has quadrupled in the last one decade. Nobody had any problem. What is the big trouble with a 5% tax on jewellery. We are very reasonable people (at the Council). We will discuss,” said Isaac.

The government has aligned most of the goods and services in the five slabs of taxation—5%, 12%, 18%, 28% and 28% plus cess.

Revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia in an interaction with CNBC TV18 said the GST rate for all branded products including textiles will be decided on 3 June. Though he said a final decision is yet to be taken on whether branded products should be treated differently from non-branded products, he suggested that manufacturers of branded products will benefit if a GST rate is imposed since they will be able to claim input credit.

[“Source-ndtv”]

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The Future of Fashion? For U.S. Graduates, It’s All About Sustainability

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Image result for The Future of Fashion? For U.S. Graduates, It’s All About SustainabilityFor the first time ever, the CFDA is presenting a showcase of graduates of five fashion schools in the United States under one roof. Deemed the CFDA Fashion Future Graduate Showcase, the event culls together top talents from Parsons School of Design, the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Pratt Institute, the Academy of Art University, and the Rhode Island School of Design at midtown’s Center415. Each recent graduate has been equipped with a small square of space they can deck out in their own designs. Some, like Pratt’s Erik Goldberg, collaged their mood boards all over for an immersive experience, others opted for a more unobtrusive take. Personal preferences aside, the collective showed some undeniable trends about the future of fashion.

The biggest takeaway is that young designers are concerned about sustainability—very concerned, in fact. A vast majority of graduates made their collections from upcycled materials that ranged from repurposed Joe Fresh sweaters (Parsons’s Panisa Busayanont) to dollar hosiery from vintage bins (Pratt’s Mila Sullivan). “I used vintage fabrics because collecting vintage textiles is a passion for me, but also because sustainability is extremely important right now, because our resources are quickly depleting, so it’s important to reuse materials like worn fabrics,” Sullivan told Vogue.

Image result for The Future of Fashion? For U.S. Graduates, It’s All About Sustainability

Her creations have a magpie-like sensibility; on the other end of the upcycled spectrum is the work of menswear designer and former marine Eden Slezin. Based in San Francisco, Slesin doesn’t use chemical treatments on his sustainable denim, instead finishing and wearing the pieces by hand. “Fashion is the number two polluting industry in the world. If I am to be part of such a large industry, I think it is important to do no further harm,” he said. “As a professional outdoorsman, nature is so important to me. I want my work to highlight issues, like environmental destruction, that have global implications.”

The environmental bend of the collections was seconded by the graduates’ penchant for mining their own backstories and cultures for inspirations. Cen Si, a Finnish-Chinese designer from Parsons, combined her heritages for a smart take on Fair Isle knits and ski culture, while her classmate Chia Lee explored her family’s Chinese history in Malaysian coffee shop culture to create fantastical Perspex-beaded tops and dresses with kitschy appeal. FIT’s Zoe Whelan whipped up a pastel pink fantasia based on her youth obsessions, while Academy of Art University’s Aastha Shah drew inspiration from Indian traditions for a vibrant collection of silk-screened prints and handprinted tassels. One of the smartest collections came from Parsons’s Jeremyn Lee, who married his mother’s Chinese history with Western apparel. A red sport knit with her name intarsia’ed along color-blocked stripes could hang in Opening Ceremony. Same for his plastic pants with doily patterns, although those will be a bit harder to wear if your name’s not Rihanna.

Image result for The Future of Fashion? For U.S. Graduates, It’s All About Sustainability

Other standouts included Joy Douglas of Parsons, who worked with incarcerated people on a collection that challenges perception, and Parsons x Kering Empowering Imagination winners, Emma Cleveland and Ji Won Choi, that latter of whom’s unisex clothing is at the fore of the genderless fashion movement. Same goes for Olivia LeBlanc’s inspired workwear that, while technically menswear, could sit nicely on a woman’s frame. LeBlanc knows a thing or two about gender-spanning appeal—she worked most recently at Hood By Air—but like all the grads is in the market for a new gig. Said Pratt’s Mila Sullivan of her future, “I’m going to show my collection in London at graduate Fashion Week and after that, I need to find a job, like, real quick.” Employers, take note.

[“Source-ndtv”]

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GST rollout: Traders seek special slab of 1.25% for gold jewellery

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Image result for GST rollout: Traders seek special slab of 1.25% for gold jewellery

BENGALURU: While tax rates on gold jewellery in the upcoming Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime are still undecided, jewellers here are gearing up to make a case before Union revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia who will visit Karnataka on May 29 and 30.

They are seeking a special GST slab of 1.25 % for jewellery .At present, gold jewellery attracts 1% value added tax (VAT), 1% central excise duty and 10% customs duty in case the yellow metal is imported. “Gold jewellery is a high-value commodity and it should be taxed below two per cent in the GST regime,” said G V Sridhar, immediate past president of All-India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation. Sridhar, managing director of Srirama Jewellers, said they have already sent a representation to the Centre.

Hasmukh Adhia will meet trade bodies and industrialists ahead of the GST rolloutexpected on July 1. He will meet traders and tax payers in Mysuru on May 29 and is scheduled to address a meeting at Town Hall in Bengaluru on May 30.

“Meeting various stakeholders as a precursor to the GST rollout is a welcome move by the Centre. It would help resolve issues and address concer ns ahead of the new taxation system,” said B T Manohar, taxation committee chairman of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FKCCI). He will lead the traders’ community during the interaction with Adhia.

The GST Council that met on May 18 and 19, classified most of the goods and services under five GST slabs, including 0 %, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28 %. The GST rates on jewellery , biscuits (confection ery), footwear and a few other commodities are yet to be finalized and the council is expected take a call on June 3.

The jewellers are concerned about higher tax rates that could hinder their business which has already taken a hit due to the demonetization drive.

“High rates on jewellery will help only some of the rich and defeat the cashless concept. It may even give rise to a rampant grey market. To avoid these, the rate must be kept at 1.25%,” said C Vinod Hatagriv, managing director of C Krishniah Chetty Group of Jewellers.

In the GST regime, sweet condiments like laddu will be taxed at 5% while spicy items like khara boondhi made of similar ingredients will attract 18%. The condiment traders want Adhia to ad dress this anomaly . This apart, both vehicles and spare parts have been put under 28 % GST slab, and the auto industry wants spare parts to be classified under lesser tax rate at 18%. Hotels to shut down on May 30 Opposing the decision to levy 12% GST on non-AC restaurants, hoteliers in Karnataka will observe a bandh on May 30.The food served in AC restaurants will attract 18%, while star hotels have been put under the 28% slab. At present, restaurants, irrespective of their turnover, are being taxed at 4%.

“Since eating out is going to be very expensive even at small eateries, we are seeking 5% GST for non-AC restaurants,” said P C Rao, vice-president of Bangalore Hoteliers Association.

[“Source-ndtv”]

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Essential Phone With Modular Accessories Launched by ‘Father of Android’ Andy Rubin

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Essential Phone With Modular Accessories Launched by 'Father of Android' Andy Rubin

HIGHLIGHTS
The Essential Phone has two magnetic pins at the back
The company also launched modular accessories alongside
The smartphone is up for pre-order in the US
Andy Rubin, popularly known as the ‘Father of Android’, and his company Essential Products has launched a new phone, an intelligent home smart speaker, and a 360-degree camera. The Essential Phone offers top of the line specifications, looks beautiful with respect to design, and comes in four colour options. The device is up for pre-order in the US, however there is no word on when it will go on sale as of now.

The Essential Phone is made available in Black Moon, Stellar Grey, Pure White, and Ocean Depths colour options. The price of the smartphone starts at $699 (roughly Rs. 45,200), but you can buy it with a 360-degree camera for $749 (roughly Rs. 48,400).

ALSO SEEAndroid Co-Founder’s Smart Speaker Rivals Amazon Echo, Google Home

Design-wise, the Essential Phone boasts of a futuristic aesthetic with an almost edge to edge display, a dual camera setup, and a fingerprint scanner situated at the back, and no signs of a visible logo. The display is worth noting as it is edge-to-edge, with only a thin bottom bezel. The flushed camera design keeps the phone free of any unsightly bumps, and there are two magnetic pins at the back for modular attachments as well. The metal edges house the volume keys and power button on the right side of the smartphone. The Essential Phone is made of titanium and ceramic which the company claims gives it the highest durability score compared to any other smartphone out there.

ALSO SEEEssential 360 Camera Can Be Attached to the Modular Phone
As mentioned, there’s also a pair of magnetic back pins for a modular accessory system that will “keep your phone cord-free, future-proof, and always up-to-date.” The pins will act as a click cordless connector that will hook up to Essential’s two modular accessories launched alongside – the 360-degree camera and its Essential Phone Dock. This modular system reminds us of Moto Mods – Lenovo’s efforts at creating modular accessory category in the market. There’s no 3.5mm audio jack on the Essential Phone (though it ships with a USB Type-C adapter), so we can expect Rubin and company to launch more such modular accessories to specifically amp up the audio game.

ALSO SEEEssential Products Is Part of Andy Rubin’s Playground Global Incubator

Coming to the specifications, the Android 7.1.1 Nougat based Essential Phone sports a 5.7-inch edge-to-edge QHD (1312×2560 pixels) display with 19:10 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. It is powered by the 64-bit Snapdragon 835 octa-core (2.45GHz Quad + 1.9GHz Quad) processor with Adreno 540 GPU and 4GB RAM. Internal storage option is at 128GB.

There’s a 13-megapixel dual camera setup at the back with RGB and monochrome capabilities in each lens, with hybrid autofocus, phase detect, IR Laser Assist Focus, and 4K video support. At the front there is an 8-megapixel selfie sensor with f/2.2 aperture, 16:9 aspect ratio, and 4K video support here as well. The battery is at 3040mAh with fast charging support. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Bluetooth v5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, GPS, USB Type-C port, Nano-SIM support, and GLONASS. The dimensions of the Essential Phone are at 141.5×72.2×7.8mm, and the smartphone weighs less than 185 grams.

As mentioned, the company also launched a miniature 360-degree camera alongside. It sticks to the Essential Phone with the help of the magnetic pins at the back, and lets you record 360-degree content from your smartphone. The tiny accessory can be bundled with the smartphone purchase for $749 (roughly Rs. 48,400). Alongside, Rubin has also launched the Essential Home – a smart speaker with a big round display that runs on the brand new Ambient OS.

Essential Phone
Essential Phone

KEY SPECS
NEWS
Display
5.71-inch
Processor
1.9GHz octa-core
Front Camera
8-megapixel
Resolution
1312×2560 pixels
RAM
4GB
OS
Android
Storage
128GB
Rear Camera
13-megapixel
Battery Capacity
3040mAh
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Tags: Android, Andy Rubin, Essential Phone, Essential Phone Features, Essential Phone Specifications, Essnetial Phone Price, Mobiles

[“Source-ndtv”]

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Cannes Film Festival: Sonam Kapoor’s Fashion Game Of ‘Fire And Ice’

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Image result for @sonamakapoor in a @HouseofMasaba dress and Loreal Makeup. #LifeAtCannes #SonamAtCannes

Sonam Kapoor at Cannes Film Festival. (Image courtesy: Rhea Kapoor)
NEW DELHI:
HIGHLIGHTS
Sonam Kapoor is experimenting with traditional attire this year
She started her second day in a feisty Anamika Khanna ensemble
She changed into a white dress paired with Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla kaftan
Actress Sonam Kapoor is determined to outdo herself at Cannes Film Festival.

Image result for @sonamakapoor in a @HouseofMasaba dress and Loreal Makeup. #LifeAtCannes #SonamAtCannesThe 31-year-old actress is blending traditional and chic like never before. Sonam’s first ensemble of the day is designed by Anamika Khanna and Apala by Sumit. Sonam Kapoor looked brighter than sunshine as she posed for the cameras barefoot on the beach in a lovely mustard and red outfit. The headband and clunky jewellery added a bohemian touch. In contrast, her second appearance was cool as breeze. Sonam wore a white dress with a summery kaftan designed by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla. Now, for her third appearance Sonam Kapoor picked up a one-shoulder outfit designed by Masaba Gupta. Sonam Kapoor looks absolutely stunning in the mint green pant-wrap-skirt paired with a one-shoulder crop-top.

Here are Sonam Kapoor’s various looks on the second day at Cannes as a L’Oreal brand ambassador and we hope to see many more.
Image result for @sonamakapoor in a @HouseofMasaba dress and Loreal Makeup. #LifeAtCannes #SonamAtCannes

Sonam Kapoor told media before she left for the French Riviera that she hasn’t prepared much this year. And that’s sort of true. Sonam Kapoor is not as swift in changing outfits as she was last year. Nonetheless, Sonam Kapoor has so far pleased us with her appearances for L’Oreal. She started her first day in Cannes with NorBlack NorWhite sari and ended with a bang on the red carpet in Elie Saab.

Sonam Kapoor told news agency PTI: “This year, since we are busy doing so many other things, I have not prepared much for Cannes. Usually, my sister Rhea styles me and she is busy making the film Veere Di Wedding. I was busy shooting for two films and promoting our fashion brand Rheson.”

Sonam Kapoor was last seen in Neerja for which she won a National Award. Her next film is R Balki’s Padman with Akshay Kumar.

 

[“Source-ndtv”]

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For The Love Of ‘Cheap Thrills’: Desi Bride’s Dance Video Is Trending

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For The Love Of 'Cheap Thrills': Desi Bride's Dance Video Is Trending

Unlike most brides, who sit patiently as they get their makeup done, this bride danced with her friends.
NEW DELHI: Brides-to-be, if you are looking for hatt-ke ideas to make your wedding day more fun, take a look at what this bride did. A video, currently trending on YouTube, shows a desi bride putting on the coolest dance party to Sia’s Cheap Thrills as she gets dressed for her big day. Since being shared on May 4, the video has collected over 2.3 million views on YouTube – and counting.

Unlike most brides, who sit patiently as they get their makeup done, this bride chose to dance with her friends. The video shows bride Amisha Bhardwaj and her three friends grooving to the dance number. Even while the makeup artist does Amisha’s makeup, she can be seen singing along to the song and grooving to it. The video also shows all the women dressed in casual clothes, holding their lehengas, as they put on the special performance.

On Facebook too, the video has received a lot of love with over 6,300 reactions and more than 1,200 shares.

“Wow this is something new and the bride is damn cool,” says one commenter on Facebook. “Can’t get enough of watching this video… again and again… it’s really superb and the bride is undoubtedly gorgeous and amazing. Would love to take this concept for my wedding as well,” says another.
Watch the video below:

 

[“Source-ndtv”]

The post For The Love Of ‘Cheap Thrills’: Desi Bride’s Dance Video Is Trending appeared first on Grobista.

Overdose of accessories can make you joke

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Overdose of accessories can make you joke

It should be said that if there is a desire to be different from the crowd in almost every girl, then maybe it will not be wrong. Every girl takes care of her accessories to fulfill her wish. But in this desire, most girls sometimes make some mistakes which, instead of increasing their beauty, make their personalities eclipse. Here we will tell you about some of the mistakes that you can save by looking at your different looks in jokes.

Wearing
More Accessories By wearing more accessories you can look at Unitei and Messi. There are two or three accessories to look attractive, which you can wear in hair, throat, hands or feet. Try to match your accessories to the dress.

Wearing Multi Colors
If you are wearing a lot of colors at the same time, So keep in mind these are not a very good idea. You can also look good by wearing matching colors or contrasting colors. Try the dresses by mixing and mixing. They seem quite stylish.

Extra or over make-up,
though very few people like to apply make-up in the summer, but if you are doing your make- up trials then be aware that this is an art. With heavy make-up you can look overdressed. Keep in mind that your makeup should always be according to the face. It is enough to apply light eyeshadow, mascara and lipglos in the daily routine. Yes, a party or a little more makeup can be done in the function.
Always choose accessories, colors and your makeup according to your color combination and personality. Everyone knows what color fits on it. You can also look good by wearing matching colors or contrasting colors. Try the dresses by mixing and mixing. They seem quite stylish. Extra or over make-up, though very few people like to apply make-up in the summer, but if you are doing your make- up trials then be aware that this is an art. With heavy make-up you can look overdressed. Keep in mind that your makeup should always be according to the face. It is enough to apply light eyeshadow, mascara and lipglos in the daily routine. Yes, a party or a little more makeup can be done in the function. Always choose accessories, colors and your makeup according to your color combination and personality. Everyone knows what color fits on it. You can also look good by wearing matching colors or contrasting colors. Try the dresses by mixing and mixing. They seem quite stylish. Extra or over make-up, though very few people like to apply make-up in the summer, but if you are doing your make- up trials then be aware that this is an art. With heavy make-up you can look overdressed. Keep in mind that your makeup should always be according to the face. It is enough to apply light eyeshadow, mascara and lipglos in the daily routine. Yes, a party or a little more makeup can be done in the function. Always choose accessories, colors and your makeup according to your color combination and personality. Everyone knows what color fits on it. Extra or over make-up, though very few people like to apply make-up in the summer, but if you are doing your make- up trials then be aware that this is an art. With heavy make-up you can look overdressed. Keep in mind that your makeup should always be according to the face. It is enough to apply light eyeshadow, mascara and lipglos in the daily routine. Yes, a party or a little more makeup can be done in the function. Always choose accessories, colors and your makeup according to your color combination and personality. Everyone knows what color fits on it. Extra or over make-up, though very few people like to apply make-up in the summer, but if you are doing your make- up trials then be aware that this is an art. With heavy make-up you can look overdressed. Keep in mind that your makeup should always be according to the face. It is enough to apply light eyeshadow, mascara and lipglos in the daily routine. Yes, a party or a little more makeup can be done in the function. Always choose accessories, colors and your makeup according to your color combination and personality. Everyone knows what color fits on it. Keep in mind that your makeup should always be according to the face. It is enough to apply light eyeshadow, mascara and lipglos in the daily routine. Yes, a party or a little more makeup can be done in the function. Always choose accessories, colors and your makeup according to your color combination and personality. Everyone knows what color fits on it. Keep in mind that your makeup should always be according to the face. It is enough to apply light eyeshadow, mascara and lipglos in the daily routine. Yes, a party or a little more makeup can be done in the function. Always choose accessories, colors and your makeup according to your color combination and personality. Everyone knows what color fits on it.

[“Source-ndtv”]

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Why the co-founder of Airbnb is launching a collection of designer office furniture

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"We failed you": Airbnb apologises for "offensive" ad after PR gets a little too taxing

Not prepared to settle with only being the co-founder of one of the 21st century’s most disruptive startups at the age of 35, Airbnb’s Joe Gebbia has taken on a new challenge: designing office furniture.

FastCompany reports Gebbia has partnered with Amercian furniture designer Bernhardt Design to launch a range of modular office furniture called Neighborhood — a 42-piece collection of lightweight cushioned office furniture that can be easily rearranged and snapped together in different configurations. Each piece of furniture is also sound-absorbent.

Gebbia studied industrial and graphic design prior to co-founding Airbnb and launched Airbnb’s design and innovation lab last year to expand the company’s scope beyond property bookings and hospitality.

Since its launch in 2008, Airbnb has gained a userbase of over 150 million and is reportedly projecting profits to exceed $US3 billion ($4 billion) by 2020.

The drive to return to furniture design and production stemmed from Airbnb’s rapid growth. Gebbia told FastCompany the company’s constant expansion meant its offices were constantly being rearranged and reorganised, leading Gebbia to form the idea for the Neighborhood modular furniture.

Image result for Airbnb's Designing Furniture Now — And It's Modular

“I’ve been working every day out of the [Airbnb] offices for over nine years now,” Gebbia said.

“I have a firsthand perspective on companies that want to be fluid — have flexible IT systems, work from the cloud, use cordless devices — with nothing tethering you to a desk. We haven’t adapted furniture to the new fluidity of how companies work.”

“As the nature of an organization changes it should never be held back by the furniture that you use.”

All of the money earned from the Neighborhood range will be donated to Gebbia’s design school’s scholarship fund.

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[“Source-smartcompany”]

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The Benefit x Wonder Woman Makeup Kit Is Here For The Superhero In All Of Us

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For many of us, breaking out our favorite makeup products is our equivalent to putting on a superhero cape — it makes us feel strong, confident, and ready to take on the world. Now, there’s a collection that’s even more geared toward unleashing our inner badass. Inspired by the new DC Comics movie starring Gal Gadot, the Benefit x Wonder Woman makeup kit is here to save the day.

The kit, available now on the HSN website, includes four of Benefit’s cult favorite products: They’re Real! mascara, Benetint lip & cheek stain, High Beam liquid highlighter, and They’re Real! Double The Lip dual lipstick and liner, in the fitting shade of Revved Up Red. It all comes in a Wonder Woman cosmetics bag that reads “Love Truth Beauty” over the classic logo.

The best part? All five pieces of the kit are just $49. The four Benefit products on their own would add up to exactly $100 (not including the case).

If you do end up investing in the kit — after all, all four fan-favorite products are seriously versatile — might I suggest serving some face with it at an all-female screening of Wonder Woman? Just a thought. Here’s a look at what’s in the kit:

Benefit Cosmetics Love, Truth, Beauty Set, $49, HSN

If you don’t need all five pieces to complete your Wonder Woman look, you can also buy ’em individually.

1. Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara

Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara in Black, $24, Sephora

This highly awarded mascara is only rivaled by the brand’s Roller Lash mascara.

2. Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain

Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain, $30, Sephora

This matte lip and cheek color is the ultimate multitasker.

3. Benefit Cosmetics High Beam Liquid Highlighter

Benefit Cosmetics High Beam Liquid Highlighter, $26, Sephora

This is one of the original obsession-worthy liquid ‘lighters.

4.  Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Double The Lip

Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Double The Lip in Revved Up Red, $20, Sephora

You’ll never lose the lip liner to this lipstick, and vice versa.

[“Source-ndtv”]

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The High Cost of High Fashion

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New York, NY. purpletwinkie / Flickr

The high cost of cheap fashion”: there’s no greater cliché in the popular discourse about ethics and fashion. Countless books, articles, documentaries, and online social spaces are devoted to presenting and reinforcing this idea.

For its purveyors, the phrase is meant not only as a wake-up call but a call to action. “The high cost of cheap fashion” alerts consumers to the degrading labor conditions and environmental practices that are involved in the production of cheap trendy clothes, or so-called fast fashion. It implores consumers to quit shopping at fast-fashion retailers, to stop being duped by cheap prices and the short cut to fashion trends.

What may feel like a fashion steal, we’re told, is actually robbing workers of a living wage and safe working conditions, and robbing legitimate designers of their creative property. Like fast food’s convenient but empty calories, fast fashion offers a quick but ultimately empty fix. Paying more for clothes, fast fashion critics insist, is not only the ethical thing to do — it is the fashionable thing to do.

Opposing fast fashion is intuitively appealing. It often springs from a genuine desire to make the world a better place, to limit exploitation, and foster creativity.

But it’s critically flawed. To decry this low-level, already stigmatized market is to either misunderstand or intentionally ignore the structural relationships and realities of the larger fashion system. Anti–fast fashion stances give rise to racist, class-biased, and ahistorical myths about garment workers, budget fashion consumers, and luxury fashion. And in doing so, they leave intact the very practices they’re intent on decrying.

Fast fashion is only one market within a massive apparel industry. While it’s undeniably a commercial powerhouse, its cultural influence is negligible. Its business model is based on seeking out — not defining — cultural trends and then producing and delivering them months or sometimes days before peer and upmarket competitors. In this way, fast fashion markets play an important, if under-recognized, role in sustaining the larger apparel industry. Mass-market versions of luxury designs compel elite consumers and brands to search for new trends in order to distinguish themselves from the mass market.

Despite their crucial role, however, fast-fashion designs generally don’t capture headlines or public attention unless: (1) they’re accused of copying a luxury brand; (2) a luxury brand is caught replicating a fast fashion garment (as with Saint Laurent’s recent knockoff of a Forever 21 dress); or (3) they’re the subject of an anti–fast fashion news story.

The central myth of anti–fast fashion discourse is that low prices signify low standards of production (and a lower-quality product), while high prices indicate high standards of production (and a high-quality product). This is what economists call “the Veblen effect,” named for Thorstein Veblen, who in 1899 theorized that expensive goods appealed to elites as status symbols.

Today, more expensive fashions are still associated with higher-status consumers whose tastes are not just “better” but also morally superior, ethically discriminating, and knowledgeable about the “high costs of cheap fashion.” Anti-fast fashion campaigns urge consumers to avoid budget retailers to show that they stand against the exploitation of fashion workers and intellectual property theft. Those who don’t heed their call and switch to buying more expensive goods are complicit in the horrors of fast fashion.

Yet it isn’t just fast fashion brands that copy other designers or use sweatshop labor. These practices exist across the industry, from budget to luxury fashion. It’s not uncommon to find workers in the same factory producing both fast fashion and luxury fashion garments, or to find them making both the “original designs” and the fast-fashion versions.

And severe worker abuses and health and safety violations have been repeatedly reported in factories making clothes for the likes of Prada, Burberry, Valentino, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karen, and Tommy Hilfiger. The presence of a high-end fashion label does not automatically mean that labor rights have been observed.

In fact, the working conditions in some mass-market companies are actually better than those in some upscale companies. A journalist citing an online consumer resource called GoodGuide finds that “Levi’s and Nike got much better overall scores than Givenchy and Céline. H&M fared better than Donna Karan.”

What fast-fashion critics miss is that all apparel companies are enmeshed in a system of global capitalism, and all are subject to its profit-driven logic. Worker exploitation and health and safety violations plague the entire industry.

Invectives against the amorality or stupidity of fast-fashion consumers (predominantly but not exclusively working-class and poor people) misses this entirely, while giving a pass to elite consumers whose clothes are just as likely to be produced in deplorable conditions. Anti–fast fashion messages end up blaming poor people — the victims of global capitalism — for the ills of global capitalism.

Urging working-class and poor people to shop at Barney’s instead of Forever 21 suggests that the least powerful consumers are responsible for fixing the depredations of capitalism. But buying more expensive clothes based on some misguided code of ethics does nothing to reduce global capitalism’s racially gendered divisions of labor, opportunities, and rewards. Fashion cycles — crucial for turning the wheels of capitalism — will roll on even if poor people go into (more) financial debt.

Often, shaming fast-fashion consumers takes on a racist cast. In contemporary anti–fast fashion campaigns, black, Latina, and especially Asian women and girls are represented as passive and powerless victims of sweatshop fashion. This one-dimensional stereotype obscures the years of labor activism, organizing, and protest and replaces it with a savior narrative in which wealthy, enlightened, American and European consumers are rescuing poor, immigrant, and/or Third World women of color from the sweatshop — all just by shopping. But garment workers have never been just passive witnesses.

From the Triangle Shirtwaist Strike in New York City in 1909 (the largest work stoppage in the United States at the time) to the massive Chinese Ladies Garment Workers strike in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1938 (which lasted fifteen weeks) to more recent actions by workers in and from the Philippines, Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, garment employees have long resisted oppressive conditions.

And as active agents, they’ve engaged with the very fashions they produce. Garment workers, the vast majority of whom are women and girls, are some of the first people to see fashion trends emerge, evolve, and die out. They’re structurally, if not socially, positioned ahead of the fashion cycle curve. Their embeddedness in the global apparel and fashion media systems also means they’re surrounded by the cultural meanings and significance of prevailing aesthetics.

The actual and promised pleasures of shopping, getting dressed, and feeling beautiful, sophisticated, and hip are not confined to the consumers of the advanced capitalist world or to elite fashion markets.

The Limits of Ethical Consumerism

My intention isn’t to defend fast-fashion brands. My point is simply that any critique of fast fashion’s exploitation, inequality, and abuse must indict elite markets as well.

Critics should also be cognizant of the limits of ethical consumerism. Calls for change that emphasize individual rather than systemic reform are, at best, empty gestures, and at worst, sanctimonious moralizing. Any meaningful consumer activism must work in solidarity with garment workers. It must organize its efforts around the explicit demands of garment workers themselves. Consumer activism that focuses on shaming fast-fashion buyers, or rashly calls for boycotts of specific companies, risks undermining workers’ organizing efforts.

International unions have been urging fashion brands around the world to sign onto legally binding agreements for living wages and worker safety. Two of these agreements are the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety and ACT (Action, Collaboration, Transformation), an initiative launched by the global union IndustriALL.

Who are the current signatories of both agreements? Predominantly fast-fashion brands (including H&M, ASOS, Inditex [Zara], Primark, Target, and TopShop). Luxury goods conglomerates Gucci Group and LVMH are conspicuously absent.

[“Source-ndtv”]

The post The High Cost of High Fashion appeared first on Grobista.

Snap up Pippa Middleton’s designer wedding look for a fraction of the price

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Image result for Snap up Pippa Middleton’s designer wedding look for a fraction of the price

DO you have Pippa Middleton-wedding envy?

The high society bride walked up the aisle in a classic lace dress by designer Giles Deacon for her wedding to James Matthews.

The beautiful lace detailing, capped sleeves and cut-out back were the stand out details on the bespoke gown.

Pippa Middleton and her husband James Matthews. Picture: Justin Tallis — WPA Pool/Getty Images

“I thought it was beautiful. It was classic and elegant,” Neutral Bay bridal store owner Helen Rodrigues said.

“I thought that it showed off her arms and shoulders beautifully … it was a modern twist on a classic style.”

Her store is having an EOFY sale and brides can pick up their dream designer dress for a discount price.

The sale includes an Alon Livne gown, which has similar features to Pippa’s stunning gown.

This Alon Livne dress is in the sale. Picture: Adam Yip
It has a cut-out back and lace detailing. Picture: Adam Yip

Other designers in the sample sale include Jenny Packham, Oscar de la Renta, Monique Lhuillier and Zuhair Murad.

The dresses have not been worn for a wedding but have been tried on in the store or taken to fashion shows or photo shoots. The dresses will be bought straight off the rack at the sale event.

“There’s only one of each dress,” she said.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to wear your dream designer gown and not have to pay designer prices.”

Model Nicole Rossetto looks stunning in the dress. Picture: Adam Yip

Ms Rodrigues said the trend of buying a designer sample was on the rise. Some women are getting married quickly and don’t have the time to invest in multiple fittings — and others want a second gown to change into during their ceremony.

The sales at the store attract huge queues.

More than 100 dresses will be for sale ranging from $2000 to more than $10,000.

The sale takes place on June 22-23 at the sister store Sincerely.

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[“Source-ndtv”]

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41 Most Unnecessary Consoles and Accessories of All-time

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Putting hand to formed plastic as you try out a new video game controller or peripheral that works well—one that really clicks—is a magical experience. Gameplay melts into you as your body becomes an extension of the console, this humble device fusing with your hands into a single new, exciting umbilicus.

Or now it’s just a lot easier to use the joystick without getting repetitive stress disorder.

Whatever the reason, a good gaming device is indispensible. I’m sure most of us can’t imagine playing a Gamecube without a Wavebird Controller, shaking a Wiimote without the MotionPlus firmly attached, blazing through a classic on the Sega Saturn without the 3D Controller, or facing off against a competitor that isn’t via an online network. Many of these additions even become synonymous with a console or game they’re so fundamental. And sometimes these efforts plummet into the lava instead of saving the princess and are virtually forgotten and never spoken of again. That’s what this list is interested in; the products that didn’t need to happen or were utter failures. But let’s break this up a little bit and start with the unnecessary installments in the retro era before moving onto contemporary uselessness.

RETRO SYSTEMS AND ACCESSORIES

SEGA ACTIVATOR

It’s kind of unbelievable that decades before people were complaining about extraneous motion controls on the Kinect and Move, the Sega Genesis was quietly setting the (low) bar for full body motion control.

The Sega Activator was a peripheral for the Sega Genesis in the ‘90s that was meant to facilitate motion controls in its games, particularly fighting titles. The setup: the player would stand in this octagonal grid that used infrared lights to detect movement in over 16 different areas.

While the Activator was designed specifically to work with Mortal Kombat, Comix Zone, and Eternal Champions, it was heralded to be usable with every game, which is certainly true if you’re liberal with the term “usable.”

What made this a bust was that while the commercials showed gamers rapidly doing martial arts in the octagon, as they pleasantly watched their digital counterpoints do the same, the way the peripheral actually operated was that each section was essentially mapped a button that was detected as you waved your hand into said section. Only the product was extremely temperamental in addition to this, seldomly bearing results, even for the three games it was programmed for (plus the hefty $80 price tag it came with).

I suppose that’s what happens when you base a game product off of a musician’s idea (Assaf Gurner’s Light Harp) rather than a game developer’s.

SUPER NINTENDO MOUSE

While a perfectly fine mouse peripheral in its own right, the onus here more so falls on its purpose. Gamers may tend to jump to the conclusion that the mouse was only used with Mario Paint, a title that the two-button peripheral was even packaged with. In fact, the mouse was compatible was a surprising number of games, but this felt more like the system trying to shoehorn a functionality that wasn’t there onto a product.

For instance, while the mouse was made usable for a bunch of games, does anyone really want to be evading dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, or destroying cyborgs in T2: The Arcade Game with one? With so little purpose, it makes you wonder why they even bothered. At least the even less remembered PlayStation mouse peripheral made good use of a real-time strategy and point-and-click adventure library at its disposal.

PLAYSTATION LINK CABLE

A link cable that allows multiplayer gaming is nothing new here, yet many were unaware that the original PlayStation even offered such a capability. What’s slightly different in this version of multiplayer gaming is that in console-to-console linking, you’re not forced to share a split-screen experience. At last you can have a whole screen’s worth of space without the frustration of it being squished down.

The catch?

Oh, you know, because you’re linking console-to-console, to actually use this feature, you’re going to need two PlayStations, two copies of the game you’re playing (in like 98% of the cases), and two televisions that are near each other.

Sure, it’d be nice to play Twisted Metal 3 in a true multiplayer environment, but it shouldn’t involve the prerequisite of owning a cloning machine to be practical.

NES POWER GLOVE

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know about this thing; I get it. You’ve seen The Wizard a thousand times; I hear you. But there’s more to this peripheral than it being prime meme fodder.

Part of the problem here could have been that Nintendo, in spite of licensing this product/clothing item, outsourced the development to six different people/teams, continually switching and amending the work they had done, and it very well could have been a case of too many e-cooks in the e-kitchen.

Controlling the glove consisting of using the basic NES controls that were on the glove, inputting commands to the labeled 1-9 buttons (nine buttons), as well as utilizing hand motions to control your character, too.

After you’ve incorporated all of this excess into the peripheral, you’re now free to play your selected game in a much, much more complicated, precarious way than before! Sure, the idea of controlling a video game with a glove seems cool, especially back in the ’80s, but a core concept in that idea working is that the glove has to actually control the video game effectively. However, if you are desperate to see just how frivolous this device is, I suggest you start with Super Glove Ball, Glove Pilot, and Manipulator Glove Adventure (hmm, do you see a pattern here?).

SATELLAVIEW

Exclusive to Japan, the Satellaview for the SNES (or, more accurately, the Super Famicom), was a satellite modem that, naturally, facilitated access to online gaming all the way back in 1995, or at least a version of it.

The way that this very complicated system worked is that via the Satellaview, your Super Famicom would pick up satellite TV stations. There would then be a designated hour (The Super Famicom Hour, natch) that would air content like contests, magazines, data, and of course games.

The games were actually distributed in a pretty interesting fashion, usually airing in parts each week, with a password being involved, or yourself needing to unlock access to the next part before the subsequent episode aired; almost like radio plays, but for video games.

In spite of this novel idea, and fun things like contests being offered through the service, the support and games behind it were minimal. The fact that Satellaview was roughly retailing for around $150 USD (which didn’t include you also picking up the BS tuner that was necessary for the service, as well as Nintendo’s additional subscription fees) certainly didn’t help move or justify the product either.

MASTER SYSTEM GIRL

Okay, here’s the litmus test to see if the Master System Girl is unnecessary: Have you heard of the Master System? Yes, you have? Okay, well then this offshoot is entirely redundant. All that this is is a regular Sega Master System, but colored pink, and with a feminine avatar slapped onto the packaging.

The product was produced by Tectoy in Brazil as a means to increase the amount of female gamers on the system, but not only is the system needless, but it’s pretty much enforcing gender stereotypes and entrenched sexism in youth (because of course a female would play a video game system if it was pink, and of course a female would give something a chance if it now had “Girl” in the title).

Bottom line, there was nothing stopping girls from playing the original Master System (especially with prominent titles like Phantasy Star even featuring a female protagonist), and if they had to play some co-opted gender confused console, couldn’t it have a slightly less clunky name, like Mistress System, instead of Master System Girl?

FAMICOIN

Another product that never made it overseas from Japan (perhaps because we were seen to have enough common sense that such a product wasn’t seen as necessary), the Famicoin (ohhhh, I see what it did there) was a rubber pad that you’d put over your controller’s D-Pad…

Oh, you want to know why you would do this? You mean in all the photos or videos you’ve seen of people playing Nintendo, they’ve never been doing so with the aid of a Famicoin? Surprising!

Obviously ,the Famicoin is used to give yourself better, enhanced grip and protect yourself from the dangers of repetitive strain injuries, dumbie. Just a thin layer of extra rubber to make gaming easier on your hands. Besides, the Famicoins even come with fun stickers that you can put on them! How can you not have confidence in a product that hides behind stickers?

NES SPEEDBOARD

Here’s a peripheral that is absolutely going to change your life.

You’re going to view gaming from this point on in a “Pre-Speedboard” and “Post-Speedboard” sense, that’s how fundamental this thing is. The Speedboard for the Nintendo—and brace yourself now—is a piece of plastic that is meant to hold the NES controller for you, so you are therefore able to press buttons faster.

Do you need some time now so you can go scour the electronic bay for the cheapest, most accessible copy?

In all seriousness though, this thing is the worst (it’s actually widely considered to be the worst gaming peripheral). It’s really doing nothing at all, let alone help you game any faster here, and feels like the definition of the most useless, cash grab-y, grandmother-ignorantly-buying-you-for-the-holidays sort of peripheral.

It is the only NES accessory endorsed by a NASCAR driver, Kyle Petty though, so if that’s something you’ve been looking for, hesitate no longer.

It also goes without saying that it’s safe to assume that if you were to try using the Speedboard and Famicoin in conjunction, you’d be gaming so fast that the world would just collapse in on itself.

NINTENDO U-FORCE

Basically Nintendo’s equivalent to the Sega Activator, the U-Force was a rudimentary, infinitely persnickety attempt at motion gaming on the NES, way ahead of its time, biting off way more than it could chew. Rather than being an octagonal shape like the Activator, the U-Force instead goes in the next logical direction, a laptop-like setup that reads your hand movements and translates them onto the screen.

With a bunch of crazy stuff in the middle!

Ideally, this feature was billed to work with games like Punch-Out!! and offer a real advantage to the player. In reality though, the peripheral ended up being less responsive and more restrictive than the Activator, and also offered up a smaller range to play with. Just looking at the ridiculous setup going on here; almost looking like some David Cronenberg kind of creation, tells you that this wasn’t a desirable, necessary way to enjoy video games.

SEGA NETLINK

Sega was far from done with experimenting with online gaming in its earlier years. The Sega Saturn in fact eventually had a modem made for it allowing gamers to compete against each other.

While such a luxury was desirable at the time, the Saturn’s Sega NetLink modem retailed for $199 (or, bundled with the Saturn for a cool $400; there was even a Sega Pluto prototype made that was an Internet-ready Saturn out of the box) which was a pretty steep price tag.

The NetLink modem allowed players to use the Internet, e-mail, and even used a modified version of the XBAND technology that was implemented to give the Genesis and SNES online access. Saturn’s online play was actually somewhat refined, the larger problem was that only five games in the Saturn’s library could go online (with Daytona USA, Saturn Bomberman, and Duke Nukem being some of the highlights).

In the end, it largely wasn’t deemed worth it for what the NetLink modem cost, and there already being such a limited base of an already limited base of gamers that were interested in it.

SEGA SCOPE/FAMICOM 3D

When the Sega Master System and original Nintendo were flailing to come up with flashy peripherals to justify their expensive systems, one of the more interesting efforts made were the SegaScope 3D glasses and Famicom 3D glasses which were released in the late ’80s. Utilizing Field Sequential 3D with the aid of some pretty severe Ray Charles-esque LCD glasses, you could experience your titles with the magic of three dimensions.

Games like Space Harrier 3D were being played in a whole new way, and even though the tech being used here was a far way away from where we are now (using that double-image syncing idea), it still bore results and Field Sequential 3D even began to be used in movies at the time.

The issue again here was that not enough people were even aware these peripherals existed, and due to the rudimentary forms of 3D being offered here, in spite of the thrill, it might have been more fruitful to just wait a few generations longer.

GAMEBOY CAMERA AND PRINTER

In 1998, Nintendo developed a digital camera and corresponding printer for its GameBoy handheld. The smallest digital camera of the time, the device allowed you to shoot pictures, view and edit them, and also a “play” option featuring a number of Game and Watch-esque mini-games you could, incorporating your photos in it.

The games and set-up here are a lot like the camera options that were eventually offered decades later on the Nintendo DS. This camera was largely seen as a luxury for children and more of a toy.

The camera itself worked fine, but it was the eventual dwindling support that was the issue, not to mention that if the GameBoy printer was a major selling point for you, it would be exceedingly difficult to acquire more thermal printer to actually print your images (and would be drastically more difficult to do now).

Any product where you can run out of “fuel” for it, is certainly problematic.

N64 TRANSFER PAK

Nintendo seemed ever eager to always try to be linking together its GameBoy with the Nintendo 64, with this being one of the later attempts at the synergy.

How the Transfer Pak worked was that you would put a GameBoy game into the pak, and it would use data from this to unlock something in the corresponding N64 title. The most prominent, functional example of this technology was in the Pokemon Stadium titles (they even came packaged with the peripheral), but Mario Tennis and Mario Golf also made meager attempts at using the science.

The 64’s Perfect Dark had large plans with the device, with the intention being to link up with the GameBoy Camera to transpose faces onto your enemies. However, after the Columbine High shootings took place, suddenly the idea of shooting enemies that resembled your family and friends was no longer as desirable.

This tech was always find of seen as a frivolity rather than something fundamental to gaming. When you then consider the embarrassing amount of titles that actually supported the hardware, this endeavor seems even less necessary. Releasing the N64 from the start with this sort of reading ability in place, would have been the ideal move.

3DO’S EIGHT-CONTROLLER DAISY CHAIN

The gaming population at large is fairly ignorant of the 3DO in general (home of Gex!), so it makes sense that some of its weirder features would be equally unrecognized.

Many inclusions on this list have been about enhanced multiplayer gaming, but the 3DO truly goes the farthest here, with its ability to link together eight controllers.

The 3DO controllers had a port in the back that could be connected to another one. This meant that you didn’t need some multi-tap or additional controller ports at all; these controllers were self-sufficient.

While a reasonably smart idea in its own right, if you could actually find eight willing 3DO players, the bigger issue became actually tracking down titles that supported the feature. A progressive idea, but one that could barely ever be implemented and enjoyed.

GAME BOY COLOR/GAME BOY ADVANCE/NINTENDO DS RUMBLE PAK

Our video game controllers vibrating and sending minimal shockwaves to our hands to better “feel the game” are expected and understood components of consoles these days. I suppose it only makes sense that someone would try translating this technology over to handheld gaming where your hands are playing a much more crucial role in the experience.

Nintendo developed a number of rumble pak enhanced titles, that came with the peripheral built right into it, rather than selling it separately. The first instances of this were seen with Pokemon Pinball for the GameBoy Color (and there being a steady decision to use this power for pinball games down the road, like Metroid Pinball for the DS), and occasional, minimal support continued to be seen. It’s not as if the rumbling technology was too powerful here and ruining gameplay as a result.

No, what was more the concern was the languishing support to use the feature (why not just put it in all titles starting with the GameBoy Advance, rather than a seemingly random selection system). If Nintendo couldn’t fully embrace it, why should we? And while aesthetics are not a crucial area here, the fact that rumble-enhanced games were bulky, ugly mutations of cartridges may not have helped either.

NINTENDO 64/DREAMCAST MICROPHONES

The natural progression to incorporate voice into video gaming was only a matter of time before the transition was made. While online gaming now has a rich, accomplished microphone and speech system in place, some of the earlier attempts at the idea were not nearly as fluid.

For instance, the Nintendo 64 tried their hand at the idea, creating a bulky microphone peripheral which would only end up being used for the game, Hey You, Pikachu!. Voice tech was far from perfect yet, but to design an entire compatible microphone and then only make it implemented in one title, is a definite waste.

The Dreamcast didn’t learn much from this either, creating an arguably sleeker, more refined mic, it was also only used for a handful of titles (most notably Seamon and Alien Front Online), with the rest being a random grab bag of the titles that worked with it.

The temptation to get into this stream was obviously large for these companies, but they should have waited until voice tech was more of a fundamental, required gaming aspect.

Even the Gamecube released a disastrous microphone peripheral that really only seemed to stand out as extraneous Mario Party hardware.

JAGUAR CD

The Jaguar CD was Atari’s CD-based add-on for their already existing Jaguar system that worked much in the same way as how the Sega CD locked onto the Genesis.

It’s no surprise that a lot of failed systems have come and gone through the years, and while updating the Jagaur with disc-based games might have seemed like a good idea at the time, it was largely a floundering result. Only eleven games were created for the system (the highlight of which was Primal Rage, to illustrate just how much you weren’t missing here). And even if eleven titles was still enough of a library to keep you entertained, pricing the add-on peripheral at roughly $150 would be enough to dissuade you.

With the efforts being put out here, and the bulk of these titles available on other systems, the reasons that the Jaguar CD has to exist become fewer and fewer.

BLEEM! FOR DREAMCAST

A rather bizarre, unusual idea here that you don’t see very often at all, Bleem!’s goal was to allow you to play PlayStation games on a Dreamcast or PC.

The idea of playing a competitor’s title on its rivals system is pretty ballsy (imagine if there was some peripheral that allowed you to play Wii games on the PS3), and its exactly this ballsy-ness that led to Bleem!’s bankruptcy and closure.

Bleem! was essentially a built-in, official PlayStation emulator. It’s use was meant to further popularize PlayStation titles on other systems, and even had slick control mapping to make the transition as easy as possible.

While all of this may sound too good to be true, it more or less was, as Sony took great exception to what was going on here, and their continual lawsuits soon took the company under (but it should be mentioned that they didn’t outright win their case, or succeed in removing Bleem! from stores, which sets interesting emulation precedent).

If this legal grayness wasn’t enough to keep this peripheral behind, the fact that Bleem! could only operate Gran Turismo 2, Metal Gear Solid, and Tekken 3, was another nail in its ambitious coffin. And while playing heavy hitter titles like this on the Dreamcast, even with slightly beefed up graphics, the fact that Bleem! also required you to own the original PlayStation game disc, was a little too much effort for the gamers that were on board with the idea.

R.O.B.

Everyone’s favorite peripheral/robot! R.O.B. (or, the Robotic Operating Buddy, but why should we be so formal with the little guy) is a pretty ridiculous peripheral when you stop to consider that this is a controller in the shape of a “conscious” robot.

Nintendo was throwing a lot of ideas at the wall in these earlier days, and while R.O.B. was only supported on two titles (Gyromite and Stack-Up), the peripheral certainly made an impression (hey, you don’t make it into Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart DS as a playable character by being unknown!).

It’s somewhat comical that R.O.B. was produced by Nintendo as a means to fight against the “video game crash of ’83” and assure retailers that video gaming was still very much alive, when this thing looks like the biggest knee-jerk panic attack decision that could be made. R.O.B. worked by receiving optical flashes from the TV that would correspond to his LED eyes. R.O.B. was then capable of completing six commands, which would correspond to the game.

There some attempts to update R.O.B. so he could function with the SNES, or at least have a wider support system would have been crucial, but didn’t even seem to be what Nintendo was interested in doing with the thing.

Arguably, this was all clunky at best (imagine if a Furby or something was added as a Xbox peripheral), expensive, and with limited software support, but at the least, it left you with a robot in your room to play with, which is more than what some useless fishing controller would leave you with.

VIRTUAL BOY

The little system that could!

Or at least could for thirty minutes before you needed to put it away before those spider eggs in your skull hatched.

Seeming even sillier now that Nintendo has produced the beyond viable 3DS, the Virtual Boy was the company’s much, much earlier attempt at the technology. The problem here was that the clunky headset of a system would actually begin to make you feel nauseous or dizzy after extended use, which is kind of a serious issue. It also didn’t help that the system sold for $180 (the 3DS quickly retailed for $170 after its release).

In spite of there actually being some worthwhile titles on the system like Virtual Boy Wario Land and Teleroboxer, and the 3D effects occasionally impressing and doing their job, the console was on the market for less than a year before Nintendo silently killed it.

They didn’t even issue a press release on the matter, they wanted it to be over with so badly. By the end, only 22 games were released, only 14 making it to North America, and if you’re getting headaches to work through only a dozen some odd games, this thing likely should have stayed as a prototype.

NINTENDO 64DD

Much in the same vein as the Sega CD, or other lock-on peripherals, the 64DD was a disk drive that connected to the bottom of the console. These disks would act as expansions for games, allowing you to edit and create, and have a network at your disposal, while also releasing games upon itself, boasting an impressive launch line-up of SimCity 64, Mario Artist, Pocket Monsters, and Mother 3, the majority of these of course didn’t happen.

In actuality, under ten games were released for the add-on, but there was a large list of nearly fifty titles that were scrapped, due to the unexpected failure of the idea. The attachment was delayed three years on and off, and when it eventually was released in Japan, it was seen as a commercial failure to the point that it wasn’t even attempted to be released over here.

The bulk of the games ended up being re-designed for the Gamecube. The lesson here being that this idea, which had been in place before the N64 even came out, should have been around from the launch, rather than coming out in the system’s nadir before it truly had a chance, and was only appealing to a niche crowd.

NAMCO NEGCON

One of the absolute weirder controllers that was out there for the PlayStation. The NeGcon (pronounced “neh-gee-con,” obviously) was meant to be used with racing games, and while a clunky steering wheel controller might seem weird to some people, the approach in place here was that there was a swivel joint in the middle of the controller, and you’d twist the respective halves of the thing, like you’re wringing out a towel almost, to control the acceleration and brake of your vehicle.

The controller actually worked pretty decently and was even available for the low price of five dollars, but the design was too weird for most, and didn’t prove to be popular or viable enough to continue on past its generation.

PALMTOP CONTROLLER

Okay, don’t you love those dance rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution? Aren’t they a great way to work out your body and blast through a video game at the same time? But isn’t the worst thing about those dancing games is that we, as humans, dance with our feet? Wouldn’t the world just be perfect if we danced with our fingers, and could let our tired legs rest at last?

Well, the Palmtop Controller answered these prayers and then some. Here, you could work through your favorite rhythm games, with the pleasure of your fingers, an entirely unnecessary endeavor that kind of defeats the purpose of these games entirely.

Unsurprisingly, you likely haven’t seen these things being used in wide support.

ROLL ‘N ROCKER

If you were ever one of those kids that wished that their Nintendo was more like a skateboard, or that skateboarding was more like a video game, then you might have been one of the few lonely souls who happened to pick up the Roll ‘n Rocker for the NES. The skateboard-like peripheral involved the player standing on the device, controlling the D-Pad with their feet and by tilting their weight distribution, as they tried to successfully make magic happen and work the game properly.

If you can picture an even clunkier, more problematic version of Nintendo’s Power Glove, you can maybe begin to fathom what this controller was like. But at least with the Power Glove no one was falling to the ground, getting hurt.

AURA INTERACTOR

A preliminary attempt at rumble pak technology back in the Genesis and SNES days, except only instead of the rumbling coming out of your controller, the aura interactor was a vest that you would wear (and eventually a cushion that would go against the back of your seat too).

The system had a tiny speaker inside of it that would provide the “feedback” and vibrations that made you “feel” the game, as punches and kicks took place. The vest was expectedly faulty, and with it and the cushion both retailing for $99 each, most people were skeptical to jump on the bandwagon.

With that money you could buy a handful of new games, and bounce your hands and controllers around just fine. Push the speaker up to the back of your chair if you’re that desperate; it might even work better.

PLAYSTATION/NINTENDO 64 CONTROLLER GLOVES

Surprisingly even more rare than the NES Power Glove, but about equally as troublesome, Reality Quest made a series of controller gloves for the Nintendo 64 and Playstation (as well as the PC).

The mechanism worked by steering or controlling your character with the movement of your wrist, and your fingers working the keys. This design honestly wasn’t the worst, and allowed you to play your games one-handed, but it felt, just like it looked, like an unnecessary idea being crammed in where it didn’t need to be; a novelty cash grab to offer something new to those who didn’t know better.

While it was possible to work a game with this peripheral, it never gave a more preferable experience or simplified the game any.

At tournaments, you don’t see people busting out the controller glove for Super Smash Bros. or Silent Hill, though. And with the device being as hard to find as it is, it seems like the world is slowly eliminating its existence all on its own.

NYKO HIP CLIP

It’s hard to believe that this piece of garbage came out in the 2000s, and not the gullible time of the ‘80s or ‘90s. What you see here is what you get: a holster for your GameBoy Color, that couldn’t be a more uncool way to carry around your gaming device. Not to mention that the GameBoy Color was already at a certain sleekness that it could fit in most pockets as it was. It didn’t need this attachment at all, and even if you thought you did require it, it surely wouldn’t have stayed on you long after the constant stone throwings and insult assaults you’d be open to.

NES LOCKOUT

Now here’s a peripheral that actually prevents you from playing your video games, the NES Lockout is one for the parents, everyone! This was a self-setting combination lock that would clip onto the front of your Nintendo, and act as a vise, holding the system together, preventing gameplay.

While something like this does serve a purpose and the idea of children overindulging on video games can be a serious problem in some cases, this product just felt like a lazy cash-in.

The lock wasn’t that strong, and was simple enough, that if parents really wanted to keep their kids from playing games, it would have been a safer idea to just hide their games, rather than having the tempting locked box right in front of them.

[“Source-ndtv”]

The post 41 Most Unnecessary Consoles and Accessories of All-time appeared first on Grobista.


University of Johannesburg introduces first short learning programme

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The University of Johannesburg is excited to announce it’s first short learning programme titled Ukuluka: Artisanal Weaving Techniques in Contemporary African Jewellery Design.

The programme, which starts on 26 June and runs over three weeks, aims to use specific weaving techniques as a basis to produce contemporary African jewellery.

A couture collection by a leading South African fashion designer will also showcase the pieces made during the programme.

READ: UJ raises R147 million for missing middle students

Head of the jewellery design and manufacturer department, Farieda Nazier said this year’s programme consists of a dynamic line–up involving extensive cultural tours in preparation for designing and producing unique jewellery.

“Mariambibi Khan, a specialist in the technique of French bobbin–lace weaving, has been approached to facilitate this workshop. Khan will be accompanied by world-renown fashion designer David Tlale, who will provide the stimulus for the programe,” said Nazier.

The international nature of the Short Learning Programme (SLP) is reflected in combination of the first group, 15 international students and one South African student. The programme is dedicated to learning specific skills and methodologies each week. During the first week, the focus will be on a design brief and basic techniques; week two will be on design and manufacturing; and week three on resolving and exhibiting.

“The intended outcomes of the short learning programme are to generate and develop jewellery design concepts, understand technical processes, apply techniques to produce a jewellery piece and to understand safety rules related to jewellery manufacture,” said Nazier.

 [“Source-northcliffmelvilletimes”]

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Check Out Nyko’s Stellar Selection of New Nintendo Switch Accessories

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If you keep track of the various gaming accessories floating around the market, chances are you’ve run into a Nyko product once or twice. The manufacturer creates a wide variety of different accessories like controllers, chargers, battery packs and more.  They’ve already released a few products for the Nintendo Switch since the console launched in March, but there are more on the way.

During E3 2017, Nyko showed off its selection of Switch accessories including ones that have recently been revealed and will be released throughout the remainder of the year. These include: an entry-level Pro Controller, charging accessories, a glass screen protector, a super thin Switch case, a battery pack, and an ultra-portable Switch Dock.

Check out this video interview from GameStop which shows off all the new accessories:

Which of these do you plan on picking up? You can check out Nyko’s full selection of Switch accessories over on their main website.
[“Source-nintendoenthusiast”]

The post Check Out Nyko’s Stellar Selection of New Nintendo Switch Accessories appeared first on Grobista.

The Hidden Dangers of Makeup and Shampoo

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Image result for The Hidden Dangers of Makeup and Shampoo

There’s more to your makeup than meets the eye. New research shows that health-related complaints about cosmetic products like shampoo and makeup are at an all-time high since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began keeping track more than a decade ago.

That’s concerning, because when cosmetic products cause health issues, addressing the problem—or even getting a potentially unsafe product off the market—isn’t a simple process. Currently, cosmetic manufacturers have no legal obligation to report health problems from their products to the FDA. Cosmetics also do not need to go through a pre-market approval process before they are sold in stores, and regulators do not assess the safety and effectiveness of the claims on the products. Instead, people and doctors are asked to report any health complications to the FDA’s database (called the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition’s Adverse Event Reporting System, or CFSAN). If the FDA sees any increases that warrant concern, they can investigate.

 “As a dermatologist, we live and breathe cosmetics and personal care products,” says study author Dr. Steve Xu, a resident physician in the department of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, citing his motivation for the study. “I get asked every day, ‘What is safe to use?'”

In the new research letter, Xu and his colleagues looked at the number of adverse events reported to the FDA and found that over a 12-year period, there were 5,144 health-related complaints submitted due to cosmetic products.

The study authors were able to evaluate the number of cases reported to the agency because in 2016, the FDA made the CFSAN database publicly available. The new researched shows that between 2004 and 2016, an average of 396 events were reported per year, with an increase between 2015 to 2016. The three most commonly cited products were for hair care, skin care and tattoos. “This isn’t designed to be alarmist,” says Xu. Still, “we have this huge industry and there are lots of chemicals in these products that largely go unregulated.”

Girls’ Health

Relying on self-reported cases means there’s a lot of underreporting, and it can be tough to definitively determine whether a given item is causing harm—even when there’s a spike in complaints. In 2014, for example, the FDA started to investigate WEN by Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioners when the product received 127 complaints from users that it was causing their hair to fall out, among other problems. When the FDA reached out to the company, they discovered that the manufacturer had received 21,000 complaints related to hair loss and scalp problems. However, as of now, the product remains on the market.

In a corresponding editorial, three experts—including the most recent former commissioner of the FDA, Dr. Robert M. Califf—say that the challenge of overseeing cosmetic safety is “daunting” for regulators. The global cosmetics industry is expected to reach $265 billion in revenue in 2017, yet, the FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors has a budget of about $13 million for 2017. “For products that are used routinely, small effects over time within large populations can be almost impossible to detect without active surveillance,” they write. “Even when health risks are substantial, as with tobacco products, the path to identifying and interpreting those safety signals clearly enough to justify regulatory action is often long and tortuous.”

To combat the problem, the writers of both the study and the editorial argue that better surveillance is needed. Xu encourages more people and their doctors to provide thorough reports to the FDA, and he argues companies should take a greater role in this reporting, too. “I think broader reporting from all parties and mandatory reporting from manufacturers is not a controversial thing to ask for,” says Xu. Increasing the agency’s budget and oversight is another solution, and the editorial authors argue the agency is “underresourced for even the very limited responsibilities it currently has for the safety of cosmetics.” However, a bump to the FDA’s budget, at least for now, doesn’t seem likely, as the agency is facing the potential for budget cuts in the near future.

[“Source-time”]

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Designer Shall Belle Debuts With the Main Dish Collection – Captivating Handmade Journals in a Class of Their Own

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DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla.June 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Designer Shandra with Shall Belle will be launching with the brand new Main Dish Collection, and each product will be individually made by the designer Shandra herself.

The Main Dish Collection will be released on July 7, 2017.

Shall Belle is known for creating irresistible journals so that they are always cherished reminders of you.

The collection will be exclusively sold on the website shallbelle.com where the limited first editions are scheduled to sell out before the end of the season.

The journals are designed to showcase the many individual aspects that make every single one of us unique. Fashioned to be versatile, so that they bring out the beauty of you.

The journals are handmade using high-quality papers and materials so that the journals stand up to heavy usage and wear.

Shandra is also releasing two add-on collections: handmade journal wraps with The Dressing Collection, and handmade charms with The Fixin’s Collection.

Each individual journal has its own name. A few examples are:

– Heirloom Belle
– Travel Belle
– Family Recipe Belle
– Pretty Belle
– Golden Belle

The Main Dish Collection ranges in price from $102.00 to $750.00.

Shandra is excited to welcome her fans to her new handmade product line collection they’ve been requesting.

For more information about The Main Dish Collection or for an interview with Shandra, please write to shandra@shallbelle.com. Media high-res photos available upon request.

About Shall Belle
Shandra started designing journals after she was faced with a serious problem. Journals were boring and only showcased one aspect. Now with The Main Dish collection, you can showcase all the important aspects of your life, with some products holding up to twenty individual journals inside. After three years of creating journals by hand, Shandra’s products started gaining notoriety.

[“Source-prnewswire”]

The post Designer Shall Belle Debuts With the Main Dish Collection – Captivating Handmade Journals in a Class of Their Own appeared first on Grobista.

Top 10 Fashion Films of the Season

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Image result for Top 10 Fashion Films of the SeasonLONDON, United Kingdom — This season’s fashion videos were particularly strong, setting a high bar as we compiled BoF’s traditional Top 10 Fashion Films of the Season list. Some of the best films featured impressive dance moves. Some also focused on groups of people as opposed to single models, underscoring the importance of community to digital native, Gen-Z and Millennial viewers.

Gucci, our number one pick, managed to merge both. Set in the colourful dancehall of London’s Mildmay Club and inspired by the photographs of artist Malick Sidibé, who in the 1960s and 1970s captured youth culture in Africa, the megabrand’s Pre-Fall 2017 campaign video, shot by Glen Luchford, reflects exuberance and freedom of expression found in England’s Northern Soul movement — and makes for addictive viewing. Its all-black cast was also a welcome development for Gucci, whose casting has previously been criticised for its lack of diversity.

Several major sportswear brands also produced highly compelling digital videos this season, but Nike’s effort really stood out. To celebrate Pride Month and honour the LGBTQ community, the American sportswear giant tapped transgender vogue dancer Leiomy Maldonado for a video entitled ‘Be True,’ written and directed by Daisy Zhou. The film acknowledges dance as a true sport and is part of a larger commitment by Nike to address inequality under the banner of a campaign dubbed #Equality.

Adidas, too, struck a chord, racking up a staggering 25 million views for a buzzy video for its Originals division, featuring visionaries from the worlds of music, art and sport, including Petra Collins, Snoop Dogg and Stormzy. The incoming British Vogue editor Edward Enninful also makes an appearance on our Top 10 list this season with a campaign for Gap that takes the brand back to its ‘white t-shirts and blue jeans’ roots. The video entitled ‘Bridging the Gap’, celebrates the simple optimism of American style with a diverse star-studded cast that includes Wiz Khalifa, Alek Wek, Christie Brinkley, Adwoa Aboah, Yara Shahidi, Priyanka Chopra, Jasmine Sanders. Here again, dance and the power of community took centre stage.

Now, sit back, relax and watch our Top 10 Fashion Films of the Season, then let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

1. “Soul Scene” by Glen Luchford for Gucci Pre-Fall 2017
Glen Luchford’s all-black, street-cast romp through England’s underground Northern Soul scene is pure fun with wicked dance moves to boot.

2. “Be True” by Daisy Zhou for Nike
Nike’s latest #Equality video, starring the transgender voguer Leiomy Maldonado, is a bold and moving tribute to the LGBTQ community timed for Pride. The voiceover by Precious Angel Ramirez adds a particularly powerful dimension.

3. “Original is Never Finished” by Ferdinando Verderi, Wesley Phelan & Matthew Edwards for Adidas
Adidas Originals reaffirmed its position as cultural catalyst with an angsty rally for originality, featuring cutting-edge visuals and counter-culture favourites like Petra Collins and Stormzy.

4. “Music is my Mistress” by Kahlil Joseph for Kenzo 
Last season’s top pick Kenzo is back with a video by Kahlil Joseph, famous for his work with Kendrick Lamar. The results underscore, once again, the brand’s commitment to the art of film.

5. “A-Z of Music” by Sam de Jong for i-D x Marc Jacobs
In the latest iteration of its popular ‘A to Z’ format, i-D linked up with Marc Jacobs for a video on music that contains just the right mix of educational content and quirk.

6. “Movement: Queen Moves” by Sandra Winthers for i-D x New Balance
This film follows members of New York dance collective Queen Moves as they face a range of issues from politics to heartbreak. It’s winning attribute: authenticity.

7. “Bridging the Gap” by Edward Enninful for Gap
Edward Enninful’s ‘Bridging the Gap’ film showcases the brand just as it should be: fun, simple, diverse and optimistic, with a winning soundtrack by M Boney.

8. “Elle Fanning’s Fan Fantasy” by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost for American Vogue 
Resembling a scene from a Wes Anderson movie, American Vogue’s humorous take on Elle Fanning’s stardom is a riot perfectly pitched to Gen-Z.

9. “Cinéma” by Francesco Maria Tiribelli for Prada
What this film lacks in storytelling it makes up for with stunning cinematography (and return of supermodel Giedre Dukauskaite) rendered in that typically Prada way: beautiful yet witty.

10. “American Classics” by Julian Klincewicz for Calvin Klein
Raf Simons may be remaking Calvin Klein, but this video perfectly mines the brand’s history of all-American eternal youth.

[“Source-businessoffashion”]

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