Inventive fun in the snow

Alongside the snowboards and expensive looking sledges, makeshift toboggans seen in Primrose hill today included: pizza boxes, road signs, ironing boards, inflatable mattresses, paddling pools, lilos, and even a toilet seat! We were very kindly offered the use of some bin liners, which was a much better option than removing the very last marking on the surrounding roadworks!

Filed under: stuff, just-for-fun, London

WANT TO HIRE A COW?

We’ve seen cars, bikes, bags, even dogs as part of ever-expanding popularity of rental schemes, but this is the first cow-rental plan I’ve encountered! New Zealand agricultural provider and finance company PGG Wrightson have launched a new livestock leasing plan to help farmers combat the rising price of dairy cows.

PGG Wrightson finance general manager Peter Engel said New Zealand had 3.92 million cows, worth about $7.83b. In the last 12 months, the value of a single dairy cow has risen from $1250 to $2000, making the capital value of an average dairy herd worth around $700,000.

The option could be used by farmers wanting to convert to dairy and those wanting to buy more land, who needed to free up some capital, or sharemilkers looking to expand quickly. It could also attract equity partners who wanted to buy out other partners.

The plan is based on a five-year lease, at a cost of 2.7% per cow per month. The cows go back to PGG at the end of the lease. Farmers would own the progeny, letting them build their herds.

read more here

via Stuff.co.nz

Filed under: stuff, economy

Sensitive Shoes give pedi-pleasure

Reflexology as you walk? That’s the idea behind the Sensitive Shoes, created to give “emotional wellbeing” through stimulating pressure points on the soles of your feet so that the act of walking becomes “healing”. If these prototypes go into production, designer Steve McIntyre may well become every woman’s best friend- taking the pain out of wearing heels and even replacing it with pleasure!

via Trendhunter

Filed under: stuff

BHV Homme: Men-only shopping in Paris

Manchic has some pics of BHV Homme, an impressive newly-opened menswear emporium in Paris. The concept store stocks over 150 menswear labels, offering everything from shoes to shirts from both established names and up-and-coming designers. At 4 floors and 43,000sq ft, BHV Homme aims to be the one-stop shop for mens fashion- the question is, will this be attractive or intimidating to male shoppers?

BHV Homme
via Manchic

Filed under: stuff, fashion, men

Nike AF1 25th anniversary reaches London

As part of Nike’s ongoing 25th anniversary celebrations they have launched a very limited edition range of crocodile-skin Air Force One trainers, retailing at £1,400. Unveiled this weekend at Niketown in London, the trainers are part of a series of 5 updated AF1 designs, each of which have been hand-crafted in Italy in the finest materials and with impeccable attention to detail.

However, the use of crocodile skin (and Anaconda which is used on another shoe in the range), has angered animal rights groups and, as Brand Republic reports, is bringing a new wave of negative press to the Nike brand.

Check out the AF1 site and watch the making of the trainers- ‘crafting the perfect one’ at nike

Filed under: brand extensions, Luxury, stuff, Nike

Fashionable Prayers

Seen in Kitson, LA – ‘O God’ women’s prayer necklaces. A ‘holy wood’ or stone pendant on a gold chain disguises a capsule that holds a prayer scroll inside. The necklace is available with a choice of both prayers and pendants for the ultimate in religious customisation, with a perfect selection of prayers for the store’s celebrity shoppers. Try ‘Peace on Earth’ in Emerald, or ‘Happiness’ in Ruby, and you too can be fashionably religious for only $275!

Available online

Filed under: stuff