CH Carolina Herrera launches Fall/Winter 2015 Collections

CH, a Carolina Herrera brand, has released Fall/Winter 2015 collections for both men and women. The Women’s Collection features reds, sky blues, and fuchsias which add a touch of color, while white and ivory contrast against a darker colour palette.

Evening looks figure in fine silks, lace and jacquard for ultimate femininity, with CH Carolina Herrera's signature details such as bows and ruffling.

The Men’s Collection sees navy blue, grey, and camel dominate, juxtaposed against pops of hunter green and bright blue. Tartan plaids and polka dots evoke a sense of playfulness while a nautical influence appears in striped tops and navy coats featuring gold buttons engraved with anchor motifs.

*Images from CH, Carolina Herrera.

New Balance adds to men's and ladies' collections in Singapore this February

Source: New Balance. The M1500.

For Summer 2015 New Balance is introducing the Flying The Flag collection, its latest Made in UK themed pack, to Singapore.

The Made in UK Flying The Flag collection is available in the men’s classic 1500, 577 and CT300 in February 2015 with a suggested retail price range of S$229 to S$289. As its name suggests, the Made in UK Flying The Flag collection’s colour story and material execution are inspired by the Union Jack. Each shoe in the pack will come with a New Balance branded drawstring bag featuring the Union Jack and “Flying the Flag” text.

The shoes are done in pigskin with a perforated pigskin vamp and collar. Additional distinguishing details include a “Flying The Flag” liner and the standard woven label to highlight 'Made in UK'.

Source: New Balance. The Fresh Foam
Zante.

For the ladies, New Balance will add to the Fresh Foam collection with the Fresh Foam Zante, an everyday running shoe for runners seeking a smooth underfoot feel and a fast feeling transition through their stride. Applying the same software aided design process as the Fresh Foam Road and Trail, the New Balance design team took Fresh Foam Zante to the next level by studying foot strike and impact tendencies of runners, while running at a slightly faster pace. 

Engineered on a new, more form fitting last with a 6mm midsole offset, Fresh Foam Zante aims to provide runners with a more aggressive toe spring while bringing them slightly lower to the ground compared to its Fresh Foam 980 counterpart. A bootie construction delivers a smooth, sleek wrap on the foot with no-sew overlays and a breathable air mesh to complete the clean, technical upper design.

The soft, lightweight and flexible Zante will launch in February 2015 with a suggested retail price of S$169. 

Customisable cufflinks for men available on Indiegogo

CuffloCs, customisable cufflinks for men, are currently undergoing a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The cufflinks consist of a hollow area in which small items can be securely placed. According to entrepreneur Josh Jablonski, CuffloCs are designed to work with small objects such as jewelry charms, pebbles, or a photograph.

Source: Indiegogo.

"The screw/on off design keeps your items securely inside the double sided glass and (the cufflink) can easily be taken apart to change the design," states Jablonski on his Indiegogo page. "Being able to change the charms or even put your own picture in them makes them the only pair of cufflinks you need. You can create your own unique piece to match any outfit... and any occasion."

For US$40, backers receive a pair of CuffloCs and a pair of charms, one for each cufflink. Available charms include a buffalo, anchor, eagle, American flag, clover leaf, breast cancer ribbon, American football, soccer ball and basketball. International shipping costs an additional US$5. 

Crowdfunding revenue will go towards growing the business and establishing CuffloCs as a brand, Jablonski said. The campaign ends September 7, 2014. View the associated video here.

Men and women react to office temperatures differently: Andrews Sykes

A survey in the UK has found that less than a quarter of office workers find the temperature in their office comfortable, with more than a third suggesting they take at least 10 minutes out of work each day due to temperature alone. 

One Poll surveyed 2,000 people on behalf of heating and ventilation specialists Andrews Sykes in a bid to discover how much the temperature affected workplace efficiency and output. The results suggest that around 2% of office hours are wasted due to the temperature alone*.

• Only 24% agreed that their office was an ideal temperature for working throughout the year.
• Women wasted an average of 33% more time (around 9 minutes, compared to 6.5) than men trying to acclimatise themselves to inadequate office conditions.
•  70% of women have needed to bring in additional clothing to the office to keep warm, and 50% resorted to excessive cups of tea, while fewer men; 44% and 28% respectively, needed warm clothing or a hot drink.
• Surprisingly, nearly 10% of women have resorted to bringing in a hot water bottle to work.

The ramifications of this are larger than may be expected: 29% of people surveyed estimate they spend between 10 and 30 minutes each workday not working due to an uncomfortable office temperature.  A surprising 6% believe they spend more than half an hour each day not working well for this reason.
This means that an office of 100 people will have at least 8 hours wasted each day, due to the temperature alone. The full figure could be more like 18 hours - the equivalent of more than 2% of staff members never turning up to work.

Helen Pedder, Head of HR for ClearSky HR, said there are various steps that an employer can take to prevent a dip in productivity and performance. "Relaxing dress code requirements where appropriate and providing heating and/or cooling devices are effective methods that help to regulate thermal comfort," she said.

Some further findings:

• 27% of women have complained to management about the temperature, compared with 17% of men
• 48% of women have complained to a colleague about the temperature, compared with 31% of men

*Assuming a 228-day working year.