News Hub | News Direct

Retail

Bridal Cosmetics E-Commerce Luxury Office Products Supply Chain Management
Article thumbnail News Release

Jason Carris Buys Independent Print Shop and Converts Business to Minuteman Press Franchise in Red Bank, NJ

Minuteman Press International Inc

Jason Carris is the new owner of Minuteman Press in Red Bank, NJ, which is part of the Middletown Township. Utilizing the Minuteman Press Franchise Conversion Program, Jason purchased independent print shop All American Print & Copy Center, which was in business for 40 years, and took over the location in September 2021. Jason says, “ The biggest advantage of buying this business was having an established clientele. We did our research and made sure the owners were respected by their clients. There was also 40 years of history and track record as well.” What is it like for Jason to be a new local business owner in Red Bank? He says, “Once you make that leap, it’s a very exciting experience to own your own business. We have a vibrant community here and I see the long-term growth potential. I am looking forward to making Minuteman Press a real pillar and trusted business partner in Red Bank / Middletown Township.” Jason further explains, “I think we have a tremendous opportunity to expand our wide format printing business with banners, posters, and signage remaining in high demand for our clients. I am also looking forward to bolstering our in-house mailing and direct mail services to help other local businesses reach their target audiences.” Prior to franchising, Jason worked in medical publishing and digital marketing. He also ran a number of small consulting businesses in his career. He says, “A combination of things – including the pandemic and economic forces – made me decide to go fully into business ownership. My wife Renee has an entrepreneurial spirt as well.” He adds, “ Minuteman Press International and our Regional Vice President Jim Galasso guided us through the purchase of the business step by step. Jim made the process easier to manage and I couldn’t have done this on my own without the help from the team at Minuteman Press.” Why Minuteman Press? Jason answers, “We did a lot of research and Minuteman Press jumped out to us on a number of levels. They were on a lot of top franchise lists, they appealed to people who hadn’t owned a business, and the business seemed easy to learn. In addition to being a highly respected franchise, Minuteman Press had a reasonable cost of entry and I appreciate their cap on royalties.” He continues, “The support has been wonderful. Because there is a 40-year history of the independent print shop we purchased, we have been transitioning the business. It’s great to have the training and support especially since I had not run a business of this scope before.” When asked about the keys to making that leap and becoming a business owner, Jason shares, “I think the two biggest keys to owning a business are to really make sure you feel 100% comfortable with the business model, and to believe in your products and services. Also, it is important to be proactive but also have patience after buying the business. Think about growth potential, and understand there is a learning curve. That’s normal for everyone.” Minuteman Press in Red Bank is located at 518 Route 35, Red Bank, NJ 07701. For more information, call 732-758-6200 or visit their website: https://minuteman.com/us/locations/nj/red-bank. Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. For more information on the Minuteman Press Franchise Conversion Program, visit https://bit.ly/minutemanpressconversions. Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

January 24, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

Shekel Technology Drives its First US Autonomous Store

SHEKEL

SHEKEL (ASX: SBW), the Israeli-based leader in artificial intelligence-based (AI) electronic weighing systems, will see its groundbreaking product identification technology implemented in the world’s first fully first autonomous store opening shortly in Fayetteville, Georgia. Nourish + Bloom, a new retail chain which aims to offer healthy food to communities across the United States, will feature Shekel’s smart solutions for accurate and real-time identification of shelf products in its flagship store due to open on January 21. Developed for the global retail and healthcare services sectors, the technology enables the rapid implementation of autonomous shopping at reasonable costs, while completely maintaining the buyers’ privacy. Shekel’s technology will combine with Hitachi’s consumer tracking technology in the Nourish + Bloom chain. Customers will use a mobile app, developed by UST, make their purchases from product-aware shelves, and have payment channeled directly to their payment systems, completely eliminating waiting in line at checkouts. The store also includes a bistro offering a wide range of healthy fresh food to order, where the customer can sit in a café to eat on the spot or have delivered. In addition to the autonomous shopping experience, customers can have their purchases delivered to their homes by dedicated robots. The N+B chain, which has a social and environmental agenda, promotes a unique concept that it says redefines the "traditional corner store in the neighborhood" by focusing on the personal connection of the neighborhood retailer while introducing sustainability and autonomous checkout technology. The highest priority is given to local brands to reduce the carbon footprint. In addition, fresh food products and the importance of care and health are high on the chain's priorities while adhering to the highest standards. The new store is the first expression of its kind worldwide, resulting from the unique collaboration of three advanced technology companies, Hitachi, SHEKEL, and UST who have partnered to create an innovative and advanced system for the retail world: SHEKEL's product identification technology enables accurate and real-time product recognition technology; Hitachi's 3D LiDAR technology, enables monitoring customers and linking products to their personal shopping cart without compromising the customer privacy; while UST developed the in-store management systems and the store app. UST also manages the project, integrates between all three and makes the application accessible to the store customer. Jamie and Jilea Hemmings, founders of Nourish + Bloom Market, are excited to redefine what the future of grocery shopping looks like: “Through our partnerships with UST, and Shekel for autonomous and smart shelf technologies, we will be able to increase access to healthier food options as we continue to expand around the United States." Rami Bahar, Chief Business Development Manager of SHEKEL stated: “We are proud to partner with a new retail chain that promotes and operates on the values of innovation, sustainability and community. SHEKEL is at the forefront of retail tech with an outstanding combination of patented IoT sensors and artificial intelligence-based algorithms, resulting in the best product recognition technology available today. Our groundbreaking technology enables a scalable implementation of autonomous shopping, at reasonable costs, without operational limitations while completely maintaining the privacy of the shoppers. The partnership with Hitachi and UST, each a leader in its field, enables us to offer a holistic and complete product, with an attractive return on investment model that allows, for the first time, a profitable rollout of autonomous store networks." How it works To buy in the autonomous store, the customer downloads an app and enters the means of payment only once. When the buyer arrives at the store, a barcode is used for identification. Selected products are placed in the shopping cart, and at that moment the smart shelving system identifies the purchase, knows how to refund returned products and informs the retailer of what was taken, anything that may be missing, and what was not returned to its place. On the successful transaction, the buyer exits the store, and the receipt is sent to the app. Following the launch of the flagship store in Fayetteville, GA the chain intends to develop a network of franchise branches across the US with the same concept over the next few years. SHEKEL and the other partners will be contracted as providers of the autonomous store platform. About Shekel – Doing Magic with Gravity SHEKEL has been at the forefront of the digital weighing industry for the past four decades. Thanks to a unique combination of innovative technology, sophisticated software, artificial intelligence models and advanced algorithms, SHEKEL's weighing systems have proven their ability to provide weighing solutions with maximum precision, as well as gaining recognition of their products and indicative solutions for a wide range of industries, from retail and medical to science and security. SHEKEL strives to help its partners reach their goals and serve their customers in the best way, and to improve the lives of millions all over the world. Leveraging many years of experience and countless success stories, our aspiration to preserve SHEKEL’s status as a leader in the digital weighing industry is embodied and defined in our basic principle: the customer is at the center of everything that we do. That magic solution that blends many years of thought leadership, combined with a mindset of entrepreneurship and innovation, is what motivates our team to continue to develop differentiating technologies, and in this is the source of SHEKEL'S appeal. The protected combination of SHEKEL patents, which combine weighing technologies with artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies has led to the development of our "product-conscious technology". SHEKEL is committed to continue to innovate and expand into global markets. Our website: www.shekelonline.com About N&B Nourish + Bloom Market is the first autonomous grocery store with robotic delivery in the United States and the first African American owned autonomous grocery store in the world. Nourish + Bloom is on a mission to make eating healthy and convenient. We believe that everyone deserves to eat healthy. Nourish + Bloom offers locally sourced craft items, such as produce, meats, baked goods, dairy and prepared meals, alongside everyday convenience items with no checkout. The benefit of autonomous shopping, vending, and robotic delivery means you have 24/7/365 access to real food and environmentally friendly products anytime. All products provided at Nourish and Bloom Markets are made with the highest quality ingredients that are minimally processed. www.nourishandbloommarket.com / About UST Born digital, UST have always believed in the power of technology to engineer a better future/ UST helps the world’s best companies succeed through transformation. Using a nimble, creative approach UST works together from start to finish to realize their customers’ vision for tomorrow. With the right talent and tools, UST crafts disruptive solutions, and provide the resources and expertise clients need to bring them to life. About Hitachi Vantara Hitachi Vantara, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., guides our customers from what's now to what's next by solving their digital challenges. Working alongside each customer, we apply our unmatched industrial and digital capabilities to their data and applications to benefit both business and society. More than 80 percent of Fortune 100 companies trust Hitachi Vantara to help them develop new revenue streams, unlock competitive advantages, lower costs, enhance customer experiences, and deliver social and environmental value. Visit us at www.hitachivantara.com. Contact Details SHEKEL Ifat Yoffe +972 54-345-6250 ifat@shekelonline.com Company Website https://shekelonline.com/

January 20, 2022 10:45 AM Eastern Standard Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

iTradeNetwork Launches Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) Solution to Enable Faster, More Collaborative, Data-Driven Food and Beverage Supply Chains

iTradeNetwork

iTradeNetwork, the industry’s largest perishables network with over 8,000 food and beverage trading partners, proudly announces the launch of its Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), a new way for companies to collaborate, transact, and drive more profitable supply chains. Network-as-a-Service quickly establishes trading connections between any two companies in the food and beverage industry to meet the evolving and timely demands of today’s environment. In the last two months, more than 60 new enterprises—including industry giants Trader Joe’s, Aldi and MBM/McLane—have joined iTradeNetwork’s industry-leading network to trade with the thousands of companies already on the network. NaaS offers more than just trading connections. It includes capabilities for buyer-mandated Advance Ship Notices (ASN); allows adherence to regulatory mandates in the U.S. and Canada like the recent Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard and the Safe Food for Canadians Act; provides superior quality via fresh inspection and reduces transportation costs through enhanced freight capabilities. To remain competitive and improve resilience, buyers and sellers need the simplicity of one trading network and a single supply chain analytics hub. This eliminates second-guessing and back-office rework. Network-as-a-Service provides all this and more: Immediate connectivity to any retail grocer or foodservice distributor. Get paid faster and reduce back-office rework: benefit from industry-best invoice matching rates in excess of 97 percent and eliminate manual reconciliation that delays payment. Be more responsive: quickly meet emerging regulations or buyer mandates such as Advanced Ship Notices, the U.S. Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard, Safe Food for Canadians Act, FSMA 204 and more. Analytics and insights: take decisive action with supply chain health monitoring, opportunity and trend identification, anomaly management, and contract and pricing evaluations. Collaboration with trading partners: communicate with in-app real-time messaging instead of phone calls and emails. Act quickly on P.O. changes, complete with audit trails. “Today’s supply chains are more complex than ever, but they should not require equally complex tech stacks to manage them. Network-as-a-Service not only connects suppliers and buyers quickly so they can start transacting, but it also provides add-on modules for traceability, freight and other solutions to help suppliers compete and achieve supply chain resiliency,” said Nathan Romney, Chief Product Officer of iTradeNetwork. To learn more about Network-as-a-Service, contact sales@itradnetwork.com. ABOUT ITRADENETWORK iTradeNetwork, Inc. (ITN) is the leading global provider of supply chain management solutions for the food and beverage industry. Built upon deep industry expertise, a rich data foundation and the industry’s most extensive trading partner network, iTradeNetwork’s collaborative solutions allow distributors, manufacturers, operators, retailers, suppliers and wholesalers of all sizes to reduce cost, grow revenue and strengthen trading partner relationships. Today, iTradeNetwork’s growing customer list includes thousands of global companies. For more information, visit: www.itradenetwork.com. Contact Details Landis Communications Inc. Robin Carr +1 415-971-3991 itn@landispr.com Company Website https://www.itradenetwork.com/

January 19, 2022 06:01 AM Pacific Standard Time

Article thumbnail News Release

Osmo From BYJU’s Names Peter Glovin Senior Vice President of Educational Sales

Osmo for Schools

Award-winning STEAM brand, Osmo from BYJU’S, announces Peter Glovin’s appointment as Senior VP of Educational Sales, effective immediately. In this role, Glovin, a seasoned senior edtech sales executive, will develop and implement a U.S. sales strategy for the brand’s educational sales division, Osmo Education, as well as expand its sales team, targeting the Pre-K to Grade 5 education market. Osmo Education celebrated its fifth anniversary last March. “Peter’s proven background in edtech sales and business development will undoubtedly help open doors for Osmo in the education field,” says Cherian Thomas, Senior Vice President of International Business at Osmo from BYJU’S. “While we’ve seen tremendous support from kindergarten and elementary teachers in the past five years who individually purchased Osmo to use inside classrooms across the country, we’d love to build sales and begin support for the education community at the district level.” Glovin’s remarkable track record of success and longevity in sales is defined by his expertise in creating and implementing innovative sales programs, and providing targeted solutions for high-level customers. He was previously Senior Vice President of Sales at MIDAS Education where he led sales efforts for K-12, Higher Ed and Workforce development markets. “I see enormous growth potential for Osmo in the education market,” says Glovin. “The combination of tactile exploration and innovative technology is a powerful package that will help transform the way students learn while in school, and I’m energized by the shared vision that its learning system will be used by many more school kids in the near term, in addition to the focus and dedication of the team leading Osmo. I’m very excited to be part of the worldwide growth of BYJU’S.” Prior to MIDAS Education, Glovin was Vice President of District Relations at BrainPOP, where he led sales efforts for the K-12 supplemental content segment, increasing sales 500% between 2008 and 2019, and helping to expand the company’s domestic K-12 market share to 35%, plus building presence in key states like Texas, New York, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and California. He was also closely involved in STEM-related product launches and liaising with industry advocacy groups. Before BrainPOP, Glovin held a number of business development roles for educational technology companies. In his early career, he held marketing roles with a number of media and publishing companies. Glovin has a B.A. from Hobart College. About Osmo from BYJU’S Osmo is an award-winning STEAM brand, wholly owned by BYJU’S, the leading global edtech company. Osmo from BYJU’s and Osmo Education products are used in over 2.5 million homes and 50,000 classrooms, respectively. Osmo builds a universe of hands-on, curriculum-based learning experiences that nourish the minds of children by unleashing the power of imagination. The brand brings physical tools into the digital world through augmented reality and its proprietary reflective artificial intelligence. Learn more at PlayOsmo.com and Osmo Education. Contact Details Osmo Lisa Fujioka lisa@tangibleplay.com Company Website http://schools.playosmo.com

January 18, 2022 05:00 AM Pacific Standard Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

iTradeNetwork Introduces OrderMaestro — The Food Industry’s Best-In-Class E-Commerce Platform That Gives Foodservice Distributors a Competitive Advantage

iTradeNetwork

iTradeNetwork, the food and beverage industry’s largest network with over 8,000 food and beverage trading partners, is proud to announce the launch of OrderMaestro for distributors — a mobile e-commerce solution that automates and streamlines the ordering process for their customers. OrderMaestro enables distributors to create powerful loyalty programs, easily promote specific products, increase sales opportunities and deliver a best-in-class mobile ordering experience that customers love. Over the last 18 months, distributors have had to evaluate business operations to survive in an ever-changing foodservice climate. Small and independent restaurants have closed their doors for good, forcing distributors to pivot to find new customers and explore different channels for revenue. Meanwhile, COVID-19 has accelerated digital transformation and technology adoption by three to four years 1, pressuring distributors to quickly adapt to new technologies to meet customer needs. Customers are expecting more — and faster — than ever before. In order to compete with the thousands of distributors on the market, they need to deliver a seamless mobile ordering experience that will attract customers — and keep them coming back. Introducing OrderMaestro OrderMaestro is a branded e-commerce platform that catapults distributors into the digital age and allows them to do more with less. iTradeNetwork designed OrderMaestro to offer a personalized experience for customers. Distributors will not only grow sales revenue, but they will also provide an intuitive and scalable ordering experience for their customers. This best-in-class solution provides clear order guides across units, auto-generates orders from past purchases and offers configurable workflows to streamline purchase order (PO) approvals — but that scratches the surface of what OrderMaestro is capable of doing: Create Powerful Loyalty Programs That Attract and Engage Customers: Build a loyal customer base and increase revenue with in-app promotions. With OrderMaestro, distributors can create loyalty programs, drive volume to specific products, get rid of excess inventory quickly, run holiday and seasonal promotions and more. Gift Your Customers with Effortless Onboarding in an Easy-to-Use Mobile App: With widespread labor shortages, onboarding and ease-of-use is top of mind for distributors and their customers. OrderMaestro is simple to manage and requires no formal training — customers can submit POs from their mobile devices in minutes. 3-Touch “Scan-To-Search'' Smart Barcode Scanning: Now, customers can place an order or take inventory in as little as three taps. OrderMaestro’s barcode scanning and voice recognition functionality allow users to auto-populate product information right from their mobile devices. Collaborate In Real-Time and Increase Customer Satisfaction: With alerts, distributors can notify their customers about when to expect delays based on weather conditions, changes in account cut-off times and more. Gain Visibility into Customer Purchases, So You Can Grow Your Business: With barcode scanning and voice recognition technology, collect rich, comprehensive data on the products customers are purchasing from other suppliers. “In a very competitive foodservice distribution market, OrderMaestro is the key to differentiating yourself,” said Wills McMahon, senior product manager at iTradeNetwork. “Distributors will be able to increase sales through our in-app promotions while delivering a best-in-class mobile ordering solution to their customers. It’s a win-win.” The OrderMaestro mobile app is currently available for foodservice distributors on the Apple and Android app stores. About iTradeNetwork iTradeNetwork, Inc. is the leading global provider of supply chain management solutions for the food and beverage industry. Built upon deep industry expertise, a rich data foundation and the industries’ most extensive trading partner network, iTradeNetwork’s collaborative solutions allow distributors, manufacturers, operators, retailers, suppliers and wholesalers of all sizes to reduce cost, grow revenue and strengthen trading partner relationships. Today, iTradeNetwork’s growing customer list includes more than 8,000 companies globally. For more information, visit: https://www.itradenetwork.com/. 1 https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/how-covid-19-has-pushed-companies-over-the-technology-tipping-point-and-transformed-business-forever Contact Details Landis Communications Inc. Robin Carr +1 415-971-3991 itn@landispr.com Company Website https://www.itradenetwork.com/

January 12, 2022 06:02 AM Pacific Standard Time

Article thumbnail News Release

Kenny Clark Grows Minuteman Press Printing Franchise in McKinney, Texas

Minuteman Press International Inc

Minuteman Press in McKinney, Texas is located at 1502 W. University Drive, Suite 111. Owner Kenny Clark has owned the local printing franchise since August 2014. Operating as an essential business over the past two years, Kenny has consistently grown his sales and helped other local businesses meet their ever-changing needs for custom design, print, and marketing services. Kenny says, “We have worked hard to serve our customers with anything they have needed over the past two years and that hard work has paid off. I was born and raised in Texas, and one thing I did was remain open. I went to work every single day because I wanted to be there to answer the phone when other businesses weren’t. If you could hear the relief in their voices when I answered the phone, you would understand just how huge that personal touch and human connection was at that time.” “I was fortunate enough to remain open as an essential business, and by being there for new and existing clients at a time where they needed me most, that really was a big key to growing our business. Today, I am stronger than I was before the pandemic, and our client base is stronger as well.” -Kenny Clark, owner, Minuteman Press franchise, McKinney, Texas. With eight years of business under his belt including two years of operating under unprecedented circumstances, Kenny is able to share his insights and keys to growth for Minuteman Press in McKinney. He says, “We have many products that are in high demand, and the key to our success is that we sell ourselves through our actions. We offer speed and service, and a job done right, no matter what our clients need.” He continues, “We offer custom graphic design services with fast turnaround, which then leads to fast production of banners, signs, blueprints, business cards and stationery, and anything our clients need or want to grow their business through increased brand awareness and visibility. Direct mail has also been a growth point for us.” Why direct mail? Kenny explains, “I find printing to be one of the absolute core essentials of any marketing strategy. More than ever, we see that there are thousands of emails that get lost in the shuffle and deleted. When you have something in your hand that you can physically hold and touch, you are more likely to take a closer look at it. Emails can get swallowed up by spam filters and deleted with one click, while direct mail has that unique ability to capture someone’s attention because it’s right in their hands.” “Right now, one of my biggest clients is doing direct mail campaigns with us more than any other types of products and services. They have found that direct mail really works for them, and that Minuteman Press is the perfect local partner to help them design, print, and deliver their messages to best reach their target audience.” -Kenny Clark When it comes to marketing his business, Kenny takes a multi-faceted approach. “I tell my team all the time, we don’t just get out there and market for the sake of marketing. I like to say, ‘We quote it to win it.’ We have really focused on marketing ourselves on speed and service, and direct conversations with our clients. We are not the cheapest printer in McKinney, Texas, but if you want and need the job done right, I am your guy.” Kenny has also taken advantage of the proprietary Minuteman Press FLEX software as well as the Internet marketing resources available to him. “We used the FLEX software all of the time when quoting jobs for clients, and it’s a valuable tool to make sure we are managing pricing and production correctly. Specifically, I have been using the CSSP function that helps me see how to properly price orders for quotes based on current pricing trends. A year and a half ago, I really started bolstering our Internet marketing, and that has really paid off as well in generating new business.” “The support from Minuteman Press International has been exactly what it was promised to be. My Regional Vice President Pete Scaglione and the local field team are there for me. When I call them, they will jump through hoops to help me out. If I email the IT team at World Headquarters with a question about the FLEX software or anything else I need, I always receive quick replies that contain precise, detailed answers. We all have the same mindset, and we are all in this together.” -Kenny Clark Prior to franchising with Minuteman Press, Kenny saw his job in the electronics industry take him traveling around the world. “I had a working background in electronics, manufacturing of circuit boards, and business development. Flying everywhere was getting really old really fast and I wanted to be there for my kids. Minuteman Press helped me do that.” When asked about additional reasons Kenny chose to buy Minuteman Press in McKinney, Kenny answers, “At the end of the day, the cost to buy a Minuteman Press franchise was reasonable and cost less than most other franchises. The majority of franchises have the philosophy of ‘the more you make, the more we take.’ Essentially, you are punished for having a successful franchise, but that is not the case with Minuteman Press International. Their royalty cap was the deciding factor for me in joining Minuteman. I am allowed to keep more of my well-earned money and invest it back into the business as I see fit.” Kenny continues, “The other thing that other people don’t realize is the benefit of having low turnover due to the fact that we hire skilled workers. I looked into the fast food industry, and there just seemed to be too much turnover due to the nature of the work as well as other headaches that would carry over into weekends such as staffing as well as food supply.” He adds, “Not having to worry about the business on weekends and having that freedom is huge. You can’t put a price on that.” For those who are researching businesses including Minuteman Press, Kenny’s advice is this: “Ask yourself if you see yourself running the business you are buying Also, are you willing to do the work? The biggest mistake people make is that they open the business and hope that clients will just walk through your doors and automatically come to you. If you don’t get out and market, if you aren’t hustling, you are not going to make it. You have to want it and follow the business model, get out there and go get it. All of your marketing efforts will come back to you and pay off. I can attest to that.” For more information about Minuteman Press in McKinney, Texas, visit their website: https://minuteman.com/us/locations/tx/mckinney. Learn more about #1 rated Minuteman Press franchise opportunities at https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

January 10, 2022 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

Luxury Outerwear Brand Cape de Coeur Moves into the Metaverse with 1st NFTs

Cape de Coeur

Vancouver-based elevated, technical outerwear brand Cape de Coeur, in tandem with digital artist Tony Murray & renowned creative director Isabel Martinez (Isabelita Virtual), is excited to announce the launch of their capsule collection of three, one-of-one edition NFTs, linked to three of their Guardian capes - their signature cape design. Cape de Coeur, Murray, and Martinez worked together to visualize, design and produce a special digital artwork video, titled “The Guardian”, that they then used to create the unique non-fungible tokens. Bettina Mueller Reichl - Founder and Creative director of Cape de Coeur - met Isabelita Virtual during the last months of 2020. Bettina had been a dedicated follower of Isabelita's work, admiring different projects and partnerships Isabelita had participated in with some of Bettina’s favorite brands and publications, such as Delpozo, Viktor & Rolf, and Vogue Italia. Bettina reached out to Isabelita in hopes of partnering on a digital activation that could introduce Cape de Coeur to the world and build awareness around it. Isabel loved the concept, innovation, technology, and creativity behind Cape de Coeur. She understood what Cape de Coeur is at its core: a high fashion luxury brand, designing waterproof capes. She wanted to produce a piece of digital art that would break boundaries, as the product does itself - through technology. She suggested contacting Tony Murray, a digital creator with specific expertise working in the fashion industry, to design a ‘universe’ that represents all that is Cape de Coeur. Murray’s efforts resulted in a surprising piece, complete with a surreal outdoors built into a futuristic world, where even among the 3D ‘women’ featured in the video, the rain remains the main character. It starts raining - but the rain doesn’t touch the women, as if they are protected by invisible, unseen umbrellas. “The first thing that struck me about Cape de Coeur was the striking silhouettes of the capes. I wanted to model the capes in the realm of the unreal, but in a virtual environment that highlighted and didn’t distract from or compete with the capes...The design of the environments was quite minimal, letting the reflective materials and the dynamic skies do the work of spotlighting and quite literally reflecting the capes. The Cape de Coeur pieces are truly the merging of fashion and function with waterproof performance fabric, so the images of water droplets beading up on ther surface sparked the use of orbs throughout the scenes. And of course, rain became an important graphic element." - Tony Murray, Digital Creator Cape de Coeur, Tony Murray and Isabelita Virtual’s digital art video aims to ‘conquer’ the weather in an experimental way. The characters in the work are identifiably ‘women’ but remain ambiguous in all other characteristics - a purposeful choice to help build a connection between the brand and the viewers. ‘ The Guardian ’ is a futuristic and romantic universe, a unique piece of artwork linked to an exclusive product - Cape de Coeur’s first NFTs. “Cape de Coeur is a perfect example of a contemporary brand that talks to its audience in a contemporary way. Today’s most advanced brands are fully engaged through technology. Most of them use it to develop new products, but some also to build culture and share values with their audiences. Cape de Coeur is a disruptive label that brings fresh air to the rainwear landscape, merging reason and emotion.” - Isabelita Virtual, Creative Director The values of the Cape de Coeur brand - innovation, creativity, romanticism, technology, futurism - immediately aligned with the values of Tony and Isabelita’s respective worlds. Bettina, Tony and Isabelita wanted to create a piece of ‘communication’- but also a piece of digital art, one that would make a long-lasting impact. All three creatives share the same ambition - to break boundaries in their work through technology. All Cape de Coeur pieces are available to purchase online, directly from the brand’s website. Prices range from $995-$2,195 Click HERE for more information on ‘The Guardian’ NFTs For more information on Cape de Coeur, please visit https://capedecoeur.com and @capedecoeur ABOUT Cape de Coeur: Cape de Coeur is luxury technical outerwear designed to redefine your wardrobe and your lifestyle. The brand is the brainchild of Austrian-born designer Bettina Mueller Reichl, who has lived and breathed European design culture, having worked in the luxury design industry there for most of her life. She has more than 20 years of experience in technical apparel design, working with the most renowned international design teams of technical performance wear. Crafted in the brand’s proprietary wind, rain, and snow-proof CoeurTex™ fabric, Cape de Coeur capes blend functional freedom with uncompromising beauty. The focus on the cape silhouette comes from the brand’s emphasis on fashion meeting function – as capes allow the wearer to shield handbags from rain and snow, and wear statement sleeves, boxy silhouettes, and easy-to-wrinkle pieces underneath their outerwear. ABOUT Isabel Martinez / @IsabelitaVirtual – Creative Director: Isabel Martinez is a Creative Director with over 12 years helping brands to establish meaningful relationships with their audiences by explaining stories that connect with them. She has collaborated with brands and cultural institutions such as Tiffany & Co, Delpozo, Hermès, Coach, Apple, Sony, Vogue, Other Stories, Tous, Viktor&Rolf, Dior, Inditex, Louis Vuitton Foundation and The Moscow Ballet. In 2015 she moved to NYC to try new things in digital environments, such as blending VR with Photography & developing digital content for luxury brands in collaboration with W Magazine. In 2018 she was named the WEBBY AWARD HONOREE for BEST SOCIAL CONTENT in ART & CULTURE on Instagram. She was the only individual to achieve this recognition along with two of the biggest cultural institutions in the world, The Metropolitan Museum and LACMA Museum. Isabel is the first Spanish woman featured in the Times Square Midnight Moment - the longest and largest public digital exhibition, synchronized on electronic billboards throughout Times Square. Other names featured in the past years were Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Björk, JR or Alex Prager. She is part of the new creator’s economy- she is a featured artist on Superrare and Foundation NFTs Marketplaces. In 2021 she joined Meta (Facebook) to work in the luxury vertical at Creative Shop Paris. ABOUT Tony Murray / @to.mu.lab – Digital Creator, 3D Artist: Tony Murray is a San Francisco-based designer, digital creator and fashion vet who’s creating some of the most vital and vibrant 3D style available, pointing the way forward for a new discipline that borrows from the past but is never backward. Rooted in physical garments, Murray’s latest work shows that the most open-minded among the traditional fashion community are finding fertile new ground in software, creatively and commercially. Contact Details OGAKI Amber Cardullo ACARDULLO@OGAKIDIGITAL.COM Company Website https://capedecoeur.com

January 06, 2022 09:01 AM Eastern Standard Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

Breakthroughs in roofing for residential clean energy, non-flammable safer batteries, people struggling with hearing loss coming to ShowStoppers press event during CES

ShowStoppers

Tech and business journalists will see breakthroughs in roofing for residential clean energy, safer batteries than lithium ion, and medical-grade hearing earbuds, at ShowStoppers® at CES, the press event scheduled for 5 Jan. 2022 during the CES tradeshow in Las Vegas. For press registration, please contact Steve Leon, mailto:sl@showstoppers.com, +1 310-936-8530. “The world’s first true solar residential roof” is coming to shake up the entire industry. Nanotech Energy, https://nanotechenergy.com, a CES 2022 Innovation Award Winner and the only producer of non-flammable, graphene-based batteries on the market, will show batteries that are infinitely safer and higher performing than the industry-standard, highly-flammable lithium-ion batteries that power consumer electronics and electric vehicles but can suddenly catch fire or explode. Jabra, https://www.jabra.com, a world-leading audio and video pioneer, flexes its engineering excellence with several new products, including the Jabra Enhance Plus, a medical-grade hearing solution with advanced audio engineering for better conversations, music, and calls. Also, their latest True Wireless Earbuds will be on display. The ShowStoppers press event organizes product launches, sneak previews and hands-on demonstrations of new tech for work, home and play for journalists, industry and financial analysts, venture capitalists and business executives -- from AI to 5G to cloud, VR to digital health; to better, safer, healthier tools for working from home or going back to the office; to future mobility and autonomy, robotics or smart cities; to apps and hardware that drive mobile and desktop innovation; to wearables, IoT, appliances, entertainment, and more. About ShowStoppers Now in its 26th year, ShowStoppers, https://www.showstoppers.com/, is the global leader in producing press and business events spanning the U.S., Europe and Asia. Each event organizes product launches, sneak previews and demonstrations for selected journalists, bloggers, industry and financial analysts, venture capitalists and business executives. Industry leaders, innovators and startups exhibit to generate news coverage and product reviews, make new connections, promote brand and open new markets. ShowStoppers produces official press events at CE Week, IFA and NAB; partners with CTA, IFA, GSMA and CEATEC; and produces events during CES, IFA, MWC, NAB, CE Week, CEATEC and other tradeshows. ShowStoppers streams online, broadcasting live events, month after month. To learn more about how you and your company can meet the press at ShowStoppers press events in person and online at ShowStoppers TV, contact Lauren Merel, m a ilto:lauren@showstoppers.com, +1 908-692-6068, or Dave Leon, mailto:dave@showstoppers.com, +1 845-821-6123. Contact Details Steve Leon +1 310-936-8530 sl@showstoppers.com Company Website https://showstoppers.com

December 28, 2021 09:45 AM Eastern Standard Time

Article thumbnail Digital Asset Direct

Selling a Printing Business Explainer Video for Print Shop Owners

Minuteman Press International Inc

Contact Details Minuteman Press International Chris Biscuiti +1 631-249-1370 cbiscuiti@mpihq.com Company Website https://minutemanpressfranchise.com

December 27, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Video
1 ... 7778798081 ... 94