Girls In Tech

Today, Care2 and blissmo launched Care2 Daily Deals (http://www.care2.com/daily-deals), creating a “green” deal website for shoppers seeking to discover and save money on people-and-planet-friendly products and services. Care2 is the largest online community for causes and blissmo is a leading provider of organic and eco-friendly deals. Care2 Daily Deals offers health, wellness, and environmentally minded consumers the benefits of group-buying in line with their values.

“Our community saw Groupon and Living Social, and asked for an alternative where their purchases can make a positive impact. Consumer spending is one of the most powerful forces shaping our world, and Care2 Daily Deals makes it easy to discover great deals on amazing brands that are moving society in the right direction,” said Randy Paynter, Founder and CEO of Care2.

Care2 Daily Deals will provide shoppers an opportunity to discover exceptional organic and eco-friendly brands from around the United States and Canada — with discounts up to 70% to try them out.

For more information click here or visit http://www.blissmo.com.

Tags: blissmo, care2, consumers, coupon, daily deals, environment, green, green technology, Groupon, livingsocial, save, shop, shopping, spending
Posted in All Chapters | No Comments »

There is a space that exists between ambition and success, the dull and delicious, static and  fresh – a demure gap of inspiration that can catalyze global movements, or remain entirely  invisible.

That space is called the AHA. A flash instant, in which our entire perspectives are shifted,  swirled and flipped inside out – revealing a new playing field of ideas and opportunities.

Shauna Mei harnessed her AHA moment a long time ago and launched AHAlife this past Monday. Curious minds all over the world will soon be kowtowing in gratitude.

AHAlife.com is a discovery platform of innovative lifestyle products built for savvy, socially conscious consumers. The AHAlife experience is unerringly reflective of how we are growing as a society. As our lives become more and more cramped with shiny new things, we naturally begin searching for ways to filter and curate. We yearn to cut out the noise, so that we can save time and focus on what’s most important, interesting, inspiring. Which is exactly what AHAlife does for the consumer palette.

Their mantra, “1 product. 24 hours. 100% inspiring,” leverages urgency, scarcity and crowd-sourcing to break the heavy mold of e-commerce by creating a shopping process where the only sales pitch is one we make to ourselves. Because the real ‘aha’ behind AHAlife is their growing network of curators who suggest fiercely inspired products from all over the world.  And though that list of curators includes the likes of Diane Von Furstenberg, Tim Gunn and Vivienne Tam, anyone can submit products for consideration. The platform gives us the chance to be influential tastemakers, ultimately guiding ourselves to become a new generation of more sophisticated, conscious and self-generated consumers. You could say AHAlife is a tastemaker of tastemakers. And it is precisely this move that will be the source of their viral success.

Hey Shauna. You always said you loved when people make everyday objects beautiful. Well – look what you have done to the entire industries of e-commerce and media. You. Go. Girl.

There is a force that sits quietly, waiting to be noticed. A bolt of lightning willing the Earth to obtain a charge.

That force is called the AHA. It stops time, allowing us to discover and recognize a piece of life at its fullest. And it is that AHA that pulls our everyday ordinary into a state of infinite beauty.

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For more information, sign up to become a member at www.ahalife.com

Tags: aha, aha moment, AHAlife, e-commerce, editorial, fashion, New York, ny, nyc, shauna mei, shopping, social media
Posted in All Chapters, China | No Comments »

“Now who says fashion isn’t an intellectual discipline?” Jennine asks her readers who are devoted to Coveted. Not many would disagree that there’s much to be said about Cynthia Rowley’s resort collection, or if anyone will be gutsy enough to rock a head dress, and how a buy/sell/trade store can be a treasure chest of finds. Although Jennine advises, “… it’s not worth it to buy used Forever21…even though I have done it.”

She is not a designer at Karl Lagerfeld’s studio writing from lofty industry knowledge. Her honesty, candor, and some self deprecating humor has pulled readers into her world of fashion which is relevant, relate-able, and fun. Her captivating and witty writing style along with her knowledge of the industry (mainly through being a shopaholic and world traveler) makes readers feel like they are like minded fashionistas too with the same realities. “I knew I wanted to wear makeup as long as I could remember, but applying it was always another story.”

Jennine has taken a life long passion and grown it through the beautiful, intricate, and accessible world of technology. The Coveted has been featured on Glamour, IQONs, Modepass, and Pronto and she has since founded the Independent Fashion Bloggers Network. It is what can happen when you combine passion, talent, and technology and it could be you! Fashion Police and Fashion Criminals alike will benefit from learning about Jennine’s path to blogging success.

She has a chronic dilemma though “….muffin top! Every time I wear jeans, it always boils down to a choice between muffin top or saggy bottom.” Jennine’s dedication to denim has inspired another blog called Eat Sleep Denim. Where will this end? What is the future for Jennine? How will she scale her business? I’m excited to find the answers at the Girls in Tech event July 21^st. Are you?

A special thanks to our hosts Sandbox Suites, Bay Area’s premier provider of affordable, flexible, on-demand shared office space for entrepreneurs, independent professionals and small businesses.  What better place to corral a group of budding entrepreneurs?

Blogger Spotlight: Jennine Jacob of The Coveted

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (PT)

Sandbox Suites 123 10th Street, San Francisco

Get all the details and buy your tickets now by clicking HERE

Tags: Bloggers, blogging, designers, eat sleep denim, entrepreneur, entrepreneurs, fashion, fashionista, glamour, San Francisco, shopping, Terra Khachooni, The Coveted, women in tech, writer, writers
Posted in Girls In Tech, San Francisco, Silicon Valley | 2 Comments »

Even in today’s not-so-hot economy, I love shopping online. And it has only gotten better in the last year or so. With the convergence of sound design, video, interactivity, and 3D animation, some brands have really created some amazing e-commerce sites. 

Here are some of my favorites…

1. This site recently launched for Hoop emulates a real-life shopping experience where you see an article of clothing on the rack, drag it over to your want pile, and keep on shopping. See screenshot and go to play. 

2. I absolutely adore this site for Loopt. It’s one of the best out there because it’s so very clever. Each person is wearing a t-shirt, does a little dance, and represents a beat in a sound loop. While watching you will see their entire catalog of t-shirts.   Explore the loops or make your own. 

3. This is another fun one, check out Beams. I love being able to see the full catalog in one view. There’s a real sense of exploration and discovery designed in a very new and fun interactive way.

4. The sound design on this e-commerce site for Holden is beautiful. I love the emotional energy between the people, sounds, colors, and fabric. Be sure to check out a video or two. The videos really allow the user to examine the quality and detail of the products. In all, I think this site is a great example on how to connect with people on a deeper level online. Go! 

Tags: e-commerce, experience, flash, shopping
Posted in Los Angeles | 1 Comment »

Oh, the love of shopping. Some call it retail therapy, others like to idle away their afternoon with window shopping. However, in recent years shopping online has become the ‘thing’ to do to avoid the hassle of parking and long check out lines. Although, no matter how savvy one is shopping online, until you receive your package in the mail and try on what you ordered, you won’t know if you made the right purchase. One site is trying to make your online shopping experience much more streamlined.

Myshape.com, headquartered in Pasadena, CA, started in 2004 with the goal of finding clothes that fit well and also flatter womens’ body shapes. They have comprised seven body shapes each made up of letters that just happen to spell MyShape . For instance, you might have Shape P, which is a woman that has a fuller bust and narrower hips, with a bottom that is more flat than round. On the site they accompany the information with a picture of a woman who fits the description. Then you click on one of the categories (jackets & tops, pants, skirts & dresses, etc) and they describe what you should look for when shopping for those pieces.

I think Myshape.com is a great concept, because as we know there are many different body types that make up the female population. They have a great roster of brands, but it certainly focuses on a particular demographic. It definitely is not for the demographic that is shopping on shopbop.com. Although, I believe they could benefit from adding to their designer list with including some of those shopbop.com designers to appeal to a wider audience.

After looking at the site and the different ‘shape’ types, I think I’m shape M. Go and check out what shape you are.

Tags: body, fashion, Myshape.com, retail, shape, shop, shopbop.com, shopping, women
Posted in Los Angeles, San Francisco | No Comments »