Parfums Divine and the art of perfume

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

Parfums Divine is a French highly selective Brand that creates fragrances for women and for men. They are based in Dinard on the north coasts of Brittany and this year they launch a new fragrance for men called L’homme infini (Infinitive Man in french).

Parfums Divine L'Homme Infini

France is the land of Perfumery and you can find there luxury brands that you might not hear about much as some of them remains at the state of confidential, others is about word-of-mouth. With Parfums Divine we are definitely talking about word of mouth as true connoisseurs only can enjoy the beauty of real creation. In France only a dozen independent brands still exists, which make encounters like this one very precious.

dinard

Founded in 1986 in Dinard, Divine is above all a story of a man, Yvon Mouchel and his dedicated passion for Perfumery. According to him: “Creating a perfume is an art, on a level with painting, music or writing. A great perfume is a work of art“.

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So with Divine, you forget about market trends, fashionable fragrances or short term launches. Each creation is unique and are established as timeless creations that do not follow trends or marketing concepts. So every single detail is taken in consideration so that you experience an elegant adventure in each flacon.

Since the launch of Divine, Mr Mouchel has gathered a team of creative people from the highest echelons of perfumery. They only work with the best people, the best ingredients and materials. Nothing is good enough to accomplish excellence at work.

Here are the different launches since the foundation:

1986 – Divine for women
2000 – L’Infante
2002 – L’Homme de Coeur
2004 – L’Ame Soeur
2005 – L’Homme Sage
2006 – L’Inspiratrice
2008 – L’Etre Aimé femme
2008 – L’Etre Aimé homme
2009 – Eau Divine for women and men
2012 – L’Homme Infini

At the beginning, Mr Mouchel started selling his creations by post and since 1997 he launched a website with e-commerce. So you can find all the brand creations available online. Distribution also evolved and Divine is present in several countries in Europe, America and Asia.

Yvon mouchel
Photo: André Durand/AFP

This year with L’Homme Infini, Divine expresses the idea that man has an infinite horizon of life before him. In a world in which we have the feeling that sometimes nothing is really possible anymore, Divine brings a positive and optimistic message. That’s L’Homme Infini.  It reminds you that if you have the will to commit to a cause, a passion or the aim to be something more than ordinary…. well you can give it a try as possibilities are endless.

Yvon Mouchel asked to Yann Vasnier, a rising star perfumer, to translate this message into a unique fragrance. Yann Vasnier is french, also originally from Brittany in France, and he is considered as one of the most talented perfumers of his generation. He knows very well Divine as he is the perfumers behind L’Homme de Coeur (2002).

When I asked Yann Vasnier, his inspirations to translate this optimistic and strong message into a scent, he told me the following: “L’Homme Infini fascinates us because he seems unreachable and yet very palpable.”

So the perfumer’s work was to craft note by note, this amazing contrast between something endless and still present. After evaluating the fragrance we can feel that this fragrance is definitely a state of art. A dazzling freshness of Coriander leaf, elemi and black pepper contrasts with the timeless strength and depth of Cedar, Agarwood and Vetyver. This alliance makes this fragrance evolves as a symphony… we know when it starts and we hope it will never end. A soft, comfortable yet intense notes of Amber, Serenolide and Benzoin wraps up this creation with an Aura of soft-energy.  It is very masculine, elegant and strong. The perfect definition of a modern gentleman.

L_homme_infini_range

Available in all official shops from november 2012 in various sizes:
– Splash flacon 50ml
– Splash flacon 100ml
– Splash flacon 150ml
– Refillable spray 50ml

Check the brand website for more information, especially about point of sales addresses:

http://www.divine.fr

Fragrances are personal and can be part of your personality, charisma and even seduction. Your allure and elegance depends often on the scent you apply as a final touch. And you definitely do not wish to miss this final touch.

LA

 

Info sourced at the Brand official press release and website. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Marilyn Monroe and Chanel N.5, legendary.

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Reading Time: < 1

Chanel just launched a mini website called Inside Chanel. Their goal is to continue the incredible story-telling around the brand. Starting with the myth of Chanel N.5 and Marilyn Monroe, here is a video about the famous question asked to the American star: “What do you wear to Bed?” Her legendary answer was “A few drops of Chanel N.5”.

Marilyn_Monroe_chanel_5

By answering this, Marilyn Monroe just placed the Chanel’s fragrance in orbit for ever. In deed, nothing could be more glamorous than that.  She was 26 years old, she had one of the most promising future in Hollywood and the legend was made. See here the video Chanel shared .

If you wish to learn more, connect to the Brand dedicated website: http://inside.chanel.com

When I rising star meets a rising perfume legend, the world get filled with Glamour.
LA

 

Info sourced at the Brand official website and on luxurydaily website. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

50 shades of Grey: get dirty… at least in your mind.

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Reading Time: 6 minutes

It is the new big thing: 50 Shades of Grey. Written by E. L. James, of her real name Erika Leonard.

fifty-shades-of-grey-trilogy-covers

Today it reaches almost 60 million of sales worldwide. The original english version sold out for more than 40 million units. In Switzerland, the success is huge, especially in the french part. According to Mr François Duvaut, Litterature responsible at Payot book stores, 50 Shades of Grey became number one after the first day !

It all began with E L James and her frustration around the saga Twilight. For her, this vampire saga in which Edward (the vampire) has a impossible love for the young Isabella, was missing a little of “spice”. Too pinky cheese for her taste. So, she decided to write a “fan-version” of it in which we would discover a much more “hot” version of the Twilight characters relationships. This version is called Master of the Universe, or MOTU. It was released first of all as a e-book and the buzz started. If you wish to read this first version of what would become 50 Shades trilogy, you can see the PDF version here below. Enjoy.

Master of the Universe – Complete I
(this link will stop working after November 28th. Post me a comment below and I will send you the file)
Please note this text belongs to E L James, you should use it only for your personal “pleasure”.

Facing the huge success of this fan-version, E L James took out this story from online and created the famous trilogy :

50 shades of Grey
50 shades Darker
50 Shades Freed

The first book, 50 Shades of Grey got a huge success by being considered as “mummy porn”. In deed the first readers were considered to be mothers, over 30 and that this book would represent some sort of escapism.

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The book was initially sold as an e-book. Thanks to the development of smartphones and tablets, everyone could read 50 Shades of Grey in a complete discreet way. Amazon annouced that 50 Shades of Grey was the first book to reach 1 million downloads on Kindle.

sexy couples

What is the story? 50 Shades of Grey is the first instalment in a trilogy that traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business magnate, Christian Grey. It is notable for its explicitly erotic scenes featuring elements of sexual practices involving bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism.

50 Shades of Grey images

50 shades of Grey is part of what we call Universal Novels. These are books that you can easily read, that appeals to common values shared by a specific society at one similar point. Many other sagas got to this level of universal reference. See here the key sagas:

Click on the image to enlarge:

Sagas_history

1934 to 1940: The Count of Monte Cristo
1954 to 1956: The Creature of the Black Lagoon
1954 to 2012: James Bond
1958 to 1965: The Fly
1972 to 1990: The God Father
1977 to 1983: Star Wars – The Trilogy
1979 to 1985: Mad Max
1979 to 2009: Star Trek
1981 to 2008: Indiana Jones
1997 to 2007: Harry Potter
1999 to 2003: The Matrix
1999 to 2005: Star Wars – The Prelogy
2001 to 2003 : Lord of the Rings
2005 to 2012: Twilight

What all these sagas have in common? They probably cross different lines and bring a specific theme or genre, into another audience dimension. Can be science fiction, magic, vampires and now with 50 Shades of Grey, Porn and  dominance/submission, sadism/masochism (BDSM). There is a sort of democratization of subjects. Science fiction went from Isaac Azimov towards Star Trek or The Matrix. 50 Shades of Grey brings a very taboo subject on the mouth and the minds of every person. Almost if now it was ok to read pornography. Nevertheless, we can see that it is not tomorrow that a nice mum, accompanied by her children will be calmly reading this book in the park. It is still a kind of hidden activity but the democratization of sexuality and of this book, gives you a sort of acceptance in a restricted comfort area. This shows that little by little literature dares to talk about certain things but society is still blocked.

sexy_image

That is why 50 Shades of Grey is a sort of escapism on women’s daily lives. Although we call it “mummy porn”, which might have been the case at the beginning, today the audience are definitely women, under 30 years old, urban, in a relationship or not. So this book allow women to project themselves to become someone else, Anna, and enjoy the freedom of getting involved in such a sulfurous relationship.

Traditionally speaking, it was always easier to talk in literature about suffering rather than pleasure. But recent evolution and the new generation of writers are more obsessed with pleasure.

The story of 50 Shades is merely quite cliché finally. A story about luxury, power and sex. But all critics agree to say that it is really well written. It allows many women to cross the line of a certain literature and probably to become more adventurous in bed.

We can do it woman

According to Ms Catherine Robbe-grillet, erotic writer and fan of BDSM, 50 Shades is not that pornographic. There is a lot of buzz around it because many things are suggested and some of the scenes of course are a little more daring than normal. And that is the key of this success. It brings you into an extreme universe but still in the safe side. Anastasia had to sign a contract with Christian Grey, he did not need to submit her.

There is currently a big buzz around the casting for the film adaptation. Some people say that Christian Grey will be played by  Ryan Gosling but lately the name of Matt Bomer came on the table. What do you think?
 Ryan Gosling
bowman

So until the film get out on theaters in 2013, you all have probably the time to read the 3 volumes, so that you get updated on the adventures of Christian Grey and Anastasia.

So, ready to become a little “shady” ?
LA

Mango
Info sourced at E L James website, wikipedia, Allocine and many others. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. 

Munna, when design becomes an Art.

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

This week at luxury activist we are discovering a few portuguese treasures. This time meet Munna. Munna is a furniture Brand specialized in Upholstery. It was created to be part of these atmospheres, with their appeal to elegance, uniqueness and freedom. Established in Oporto, in 2008, Munna’s mission is to transform emotions into products. The pieces result from the combination of traditional techniques and creative innovation. Portuguese experts, among craftsman, designers and joiners, who are committed to deliver only the highest quality, set out to develop armchairs,loveseats, sofas, ottomans and screens that never lose their power of amazement and allure. See here a video from the last Oporto show.

Munna | Oporto Show 2012 from munnadesign on Vimeo.

Discover here a special limited edition called the Heritage Revisited armchair by the jewelry designer Susana Martins.

heritage_armchair_4

Heritage Revisited celebrates the club and the fraternity. Its silver back is totally handmade, with inspiration on the traditional Portuguese filigree. This technique is very ancient. Its origins are probably in India and China. It was around the XVII century that the actual traditional art of portuguese filigree, “filigrana”, got its origins. Gold and silver is currently used since then. Many folkloric dresses and ornaments shows this traditional technique. The designer took her inspiration in this tradition to create an unique emotion. When tradition meets modern art. Very inspiring.

This is a pure timeless inspiration. It makes this armchair a piece of heritage, a story that needs to be told from one generation to another. This is what the designer of this amazing armchair says about her work. Susanna Martins:

My idea was to create this Heritage armchair as a reflection of one of the oldest Portuguese goldsmith crafts – filigree. I wanted to pay an homage to our history, to our hand crafts. In the end, to what is ours, to what is truly Portuguese

heritage_armchair

heritage_armchair_2

heritage_armchair_6

This beautiful jewelry work reveals 5,236 pieces of silver filigree and 187 modules, all applied by hand. Only 12 armchairs were produced, all numbered.

heritage_armchair_details

What makes the success of such piece of design is the attention to the small details. The stitching finish are just perfect and the blend of materials play in a harmonious alliance.

DIMENSIONS
Width: 83 cm | Depth: 85 cm | Height: 99 cm

To learn more about this armchair, please check the brand website:
http://www.munnadesign.com/en/limited-edition/dress-me/heritage

After the reign of Italian design, would it be the time for Portuguese heritage to finally express itself at international level? Yes in deed.

LA

 

Info sourced at brand press release. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Robbie Williams takes the crown… new album.

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

This fall, Robbie Williams is releasing his ninth studio album called Take the Crown. Here are the details.

Take_the_crown_robbie_williams

The album was already released in the UK beginning of November and it contains already a big hit with the song “Candy”. Check here the official video clipin which we can see Robbie Williams in the role of an Angel.

Candy_by_Robbie_William

It is a Pop song and the theme is about a girl who thinks she is simply great! “Candy” was written by Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow and Terje Olsen, while production was handled by Jacknife Lee.

The album contains 11 songs and here is the track listing:

  1. Be a boy
  2. Gospel
  3. Candy
  4. Different
  5. Shit on the Radio
  6. All that I want
  7. Hunting for you
  8. Into the Silence
  9. Hey wow Yeah Yeah
  10. Not like the others
  11. Losers (featuring Lissie)
The Deluxe version has 2 more songs: Reverse and the famous Eight Letters. This one was fully performed by Robbie Williams while he was part of Take That. So the fans will recognize it.
Take_the_crown_robbie_williams_2

It is already N.1 in 3 different countries and in the top 10 best sales in several. With this album, Robbie Williams delivers a true Pop album and his voice is brilliantly highlighted. A dose of good humor, elegance, sexiness and some hints of Rock give the perfect cocktail for a good album. From The Guardian, the independent, to The Daily Telegraph… all experts agree on a quite positive opinion about this album. They all say it is a good album for the fans and for those who have one or 2 albums from the british singer.

You can legally buy the album here:

Itunes

Amazon

 

So if you are looking for some color in this fall, you need this album.
LA

 

Info sourced at Robbie Williams official website, wikipedia, iTunes and Amazon. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Boca do Lobo,Design made in Portugal.

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Meet Boca do Lobo, a portuguese brand founded in 2005 with the goal to become the best in furniture design and production. It was in April 2005 that Boca do Lobo was founded in Rio Tinto – Portugal. Since then, they achieved international recognition thanks to their presence in Design fairs like the Milano Design show,  the 100% Design in London or the Architectural Digest show in NYC.

See here how the Brand describes itself: “BOCA DO LOBO was created to bring excellence in furniture design. Since 2005 we have been working to share the best Portugal has to offer: the knowledge of its people who design and create furniture art, the tradition of working with the noble material of wood, and the artisans and joiners who create the pieces with their years of wisdom and experience and their love and dedication to the art that they perform. We strive to present our admirers with the most innovative designs and highest quality works of art which bring emotion in to their interior environments.”

Mr Amândio Pereira, CEO of the brand, declares: “Our clients want an experience, we design for surprise and to move them, it is like a culture.

The Design director is Mr Marco Costa. For him the different inspirations are put together by placing emotion as the key figure of daily life. The goal for each furniture and object is to evoke a good-feeling. Check here a video about the brand during the last Design show in Milano.

In the recent highlights there is the NEWTON table Limited edition. Amazing design for a luxury cutting edge. Inspired by Isaac himself, the table is composed of lustrous spheres and semi spheres amassed one on top of the other; linked side by side by gravity itself. The liquid orbs can be crafted from myrtle burl veneer, walnut root veneer, or gold plated brass. While artisanal techniques of casting, lacquering, or varnishing, solidify the table into becoming a central masterpiece in your home. The table is ideal for 8 to 10 people but upon examining the piece, further seating might become the only issue. Check some chosen images:

newton-black-gold-dining-table-large-size-table-limited-edition-boca-do-lobo_02

newton-black-gold-dining-table-large-size-table-limited-edition-boca-do-lobo_03

newton-black-gold-dining-table-large-size-table-limited-edition-boca-do-lobo_04

newton-black-gold-dining-table-large-size-table-limited-edition-boca-do-lobo_05

Black lacquer brass spheres with high gloss varnish finishing and some gold plated spheres on the base and the top of the table is composed by brass circles carved with a golden texture similar to a  wood texture.

Check here for more details: http://www.bocadolobo.com

Boca do Lobo has an amazing Design philosophy and you should definitely check it out for your future furniture.
LA

 

Info sourced at Brand’s official press release and the brand website. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. 

Le Printemps Paris – Dior for Christmas

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Today was the reveal ceremony of the Christmas windows of Le Printemps, Luxury department store in Paris. This year, Dior is the partner Brand and for this special evening, Marion Cotillard herself, Dior’s egerie, was invited.

Marion Cotillard Dior Le Printemps

Every year, the reveal ceremony of Le Printemps’s christmas windows is a major event. The luxury department store is for sure bringing luxury to its edge. Last year, they did Christmas with Chanel. Karl Lagerfeld and Vanessa Paradis came for the inauguration. So this year, it was Dior’s turn and everything was made huge. Dozens of national televisions and journalists, many VIP guests and the amazing animated windows of the Boulevard.

Marion Cotillard Dior Le Printemps

You can see here a video showing the precise moment of this inauguration with the arrival of Marion Cotillard


AFPTV- F.Novial and N.Bekkouche


TF1 – MYVIDEO

Each year, Le Printemps does things huge. We all forget that Vuitton is at Galleries Lafayette. Really? So, the idea or theme is “Parisian inspirations” and with such a theme you can imagine that elegance, chic and sexiness are at the menu.

Dior Le Printemps christmas

As partner brand, Dior is also promoting the animation via dedicated content in their website and an email-marketing to support these.

Dior at Le Printemps

In all the Printemps windows you can see the magical animated characters and this year the iconic Dior silhouette is the signature. Nothing more parisian than Dior.
Do not hesitate to connect to Le Printemps official website. In terms of products highlight, a serie of limited editions Dior for Printemps were made. Let’s highlight the limited editions of J’adore by Dior, one in Baccarat crystal and another one made especially for Le Printemps by french artist Jean Michel Othoniel. In 2000, a century after Hector Guimard, Jean-Michel Othoniel transformed the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre into the Kiosque des Noctambules: two crowns made of glass and aluminum conceal a bench designed for chance encounters in the sleepy city.

J'adore Dior Baccarat crystal

J'adore Dior limited edition

Mr. Cedric Dauch, Communication Manager at Printemps answered our questions in duplex from Paris:

LuxuryActivist (LA): How would you describe this especial evening in a couple of words?
Cedric Dauch (CD): Magical, dreamy, starry glamor. Marion Cotillard was divinely beautiful and the windows are exquisite.

LA: What Dior thought about the evening?
CD: They loved it!

At Luxuryactivist, Christmas is at Le Printemps.
LA

 

Info sourced at AFP, Wikipedia, Leprintemps.com, Dior.com and official press release. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Street culture, when style meets sportswear

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Fashion can be a very serious business. Several codes, references, ways you do things and things you do not do. Of course there is also a lot of creativity, freedom and imagination. Someone said Fashion comes from the streets and he was not wrong as fashion is in the streets and it is part of the street culture.

streetworldbook

According to wikipedia, street culture is related to several youth subculture or counterculture topics pertaining to outdoors of urban centers. These can include street art, street dance, hip-hop culture, fashion or street sports (parkour, skating, streetball, Flatland BMX).

Street_fashion
Credits: Camilo Henao

Street fashion do not come from the nice design studios. It comes from the grassroots. It is often linked to youth culture and developed in most of big urban centers. Inspirations come from the streets and even high-end fashion brands get this inspiration to create their collections. Streetwear, also known as urban fashion is a distinctive style of dress originating with African American youth on the scene of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Detroit, Memphis, Virginia, Atlanta, and St. Louis among others. Each city contributed various elements to its overall style seen worldwide today.

dr-martens_boots

If we check the different movements, we could say that:

  • Hippies brought us the Denim and the psychedelic imagery
  • Punk fashion and skinheads brought ripped clothing, provocative t-shirts slogans. For example brands like Fred Perry or Dr Martens definitely got their universe from there.
  • Gothic fashion was never as big as today with heavy coats, big boots or extravagant make-up, like what Jeffrey Campbell did in some of his shoes collections.
  • Hip hop with their extra-large trousers with brands like Fubu or Ecko, Sean Jean or even Nike.
  • Rasta with the famous rasta caps or the dreadlock
  • Skate culture with Vans shoes.

vans_skater

JC-FALL-2013-Lookbook-15

global-street-fashion

Of course with fashion people, certain things became more sophisticated and there is a clear separation of the true street brands, today based on skate and hip hop urban cultures, and the pure fashion brands who gets you into an urban mobility/active life.

For a true street immersion, you can also connect to Karmaloop.com, the online store for “Global concrete culture”. Hundreds of brands, all selected for their authentic street style. Originally from Boston, Karmaloop opened an amazing flagship store in its birth town.

In Paris, world capital of fashion, you can also find an amazing streetwear Department store called Citadium. 6,000 m2, more than 250 brands, a thousand references in 4 floors. Considered as the temple of street fashion, it was founded in 2000 by the same group as Le Printemps.

So Street culture is everywhere and fashion crystallizes the best of all influences.

LA

 

Info sourced on brands websites and wikipedia. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

Karmaloop, fashion street culture.

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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Karmaloop_logo

Discover Karmaloop.com, an anti-conservative and counter-cultural fashion website proposing different brands under the same philosophy: keep you away of fashion standardization. They have selected brands and some of them you might not find somewhere else. So check it out.

Karmaloop_culture

Karmaloop was founded by Greg Selkoe in 2000. He is an American entrepreneur and personality. He founded Karmaloop.com, Karmaloop TV,PLNDR.com, Boylston Trading Co. and 10 private label clothing brands.

Greg_Selkoe

Karmaloop is currently headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with an office and TV studio in New York City. It is one of the world’s largest online retailers of streetwear, which includes footwear, apparel, accessories or housewares. With its 4,5 million unique visitors a month, Karmaloop became a fashion reference for the street culture. With more than 500 brand references, Karmaloop has an amazing product portfolio, with Brands like Vans, Mighty Healthy, 10Deep, Alife, WeSC, Married to the Mob, BLVCK SCVLE, Converse, Hellz Bells, Cheap Monday, Mishka, Creative Recreation, Crooks and Castles, Diamond Supply Co., G-Shock, Artful Dodger, Freshjive, Hot Air, Altamont, LRG, Supra, Burton, Truimvir, Adidas, Puma, Reebok, or New Balance. And there are much more.

Another highlight, luxuryactivist recommendation is Jeffrey Campbell shoes. This brand has been capturing the essence of the street; weaving it together with a vintage style & runway flair, creating a line of shoes instantly recognizable the world over.
Jeffrey_Campbell_shoes

Jeffrey_Campbell

Newspapers and magazines like The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, New York Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe or Business Week consider Karmaloop as one of the top world best e-Commerce websites.

In 2005, Karmaloop launched its Flagship store in the heart of the Boston’s famed Newbury Street shopping district. In a way is a tribute to its origins. It is an interesting store as you can find top Brands special editions for the store. Karmaloop also uses this store to test new brands. Check here a NECN coverage in which you can see Greg Selkoe explaining Karmaloop success.


Original document here: http://bit.ly/Wmw95N

In Karmaloop website, there is also a special section called Blog, in which you can discover more content about street fashion culture. 2 sections : Mens Blog and Ladies Blog.
Karmaloo blog
Ladies blog Karmaloop

The interesting thing with Karmaloop website is about the lifestyle culture of it. Of course it is an amazing electronic shopping area but it also has a lot of content, news, videos and images about fashion street life. There is aways something new happening on this website: a new brand, a new event, operation, animations, promotions… you can visit it everyday and find something new. Here are some of the monthly highlights.

Highlights of the month

Do you have a smartphone? You can follow Karmaloop directly from your mobile phone thanks to the Karmaloop App, available for iPhones and Android. You can browse new products, the entire catalog and even check mood boards for inspiration.

Karmaloop App

Karmaloop App_2

For iphone, click here

For Android, click here

In terms of new products, 2 highlights would be the collection of T.I.T.S (Two In The Shirt) t-shirts and Vamp Line brand.

T.I.T.S

VL

 

So, if you want to get into Street style, only one place where you can find all of it. Karmaloop.com.

LA

 

Info sourced at the Brand official website, wikipedia, NECN, iTunes store and Android Store. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.