Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week has begun its annual run at Lincoln Center, and several industry firsts will be on display — including a live stream of every runway show and video on-demand provided by Rightster and IMG Fashion.

"We constantly look to provide innovative solutions for designers to connect with buyers, press and consumers around the globe,” said Peter Levy, senior vice president of IMG Fashion Worldwide Events and Properties. “Our extended partnership with Rightster will allow us to bring the rich content live from the runways to fans and media who support the event, opening the doors for designers worldwide.” 

Last year, IMG Fashion and Rightster’s distribution of live streamed shows brought a 165% increase in viewership.Continue reading...

In December, the Australian government began requiring tobacco manufacturers to place horrific warnings and images on packs of cigarettes. Now, the nation's health community is mirroring efforts in New York, turning its energy toward the soda business.

Three of the nation’s largest health organizations – the Cancer Council, Diabetes Australia and the National Heart Foundation – want Australians to put down their sodas and start drinking water or milk, B&T reports. The group has purchased television time for the "Rethink Sugary Drink" campaign, and are also encouraging the government to tax sugar-heavy beverages. Continue reading...

Earlier in the year, it appeared as through Chrysler might be abandoning its "Imported From Detroit" tagline. At least — in the wake of the controversial Clint Eastwood commercial during the 2012 Super Bowl, "It's Halftime in America," and with a spate of new TV advertising that didn't mention the Motor City — it seemed that way for a while.

But Chrysler's Motown sensibilities have returned through the course of 2012, and now they're back bigger than ever. First the gospel choir that co-starred with Eminem's iconic 2011 Super Bowl commercial for the auto brand popped up in Chrysler's current holiday campaign. And now, Chrysler is coming back with the ultimate tribute to its Motown home: a new campaign starring Berry Gordy.

In a new 60-second commercial titled "Who We Are," Chrysler showcases the new 2013 Chrysler Motown Edition by featuring the legendary Motown founder. As promised back in October, Gordy takes us through his humble beginnings in Detroit and ultimately to New York's Times Square and the home of the new Broadway show, Motown: The Musical.Continue reading...

A Bathing Ape (BAPE) celebrates its 8th anniversary in the U.S. today, marking the opening of its New York City flagship store on December 12th, 2004. It's a bittersweet time for many longtime fans, including this writer.

The Planet of the Apes-inspired brand paved the way for many streetwear brands, with a limited edition run of products sparking a huge craze outside of Japan at a time where you could only attain items imported by proxy vendors or resellers. As a result, it was ranked #3 on Complex's "50 Greatest Streetwear Brands" ranking last year.

The New York store, located in SoHo, is still a mainstay for streetwear aficionados, tourists and fans of the Bathing Ape lifestyle — and many of them will be flocking to the store today to pick up the limited edition anniversary gear. With the recent 10th Anniversary of BAPE London, I am reminded of my experiences over the last eight years with BAPE New York and the Bathing Ape brand.Continue reading...

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been trying to get his citizens to live healthier lives (and consume less soda) so he’s probably not overly pleased about a new fast food branding heading to the Big Apple: the 60-year-old California-based Fatburger chain.

NYC already has 627 burger places, the New York Daily News reports, but Fatburger’s owners think they’ve got something special enough to separate them from the Shake Shacks, SmashBurgers, Five Guys, Steak 'n Shakes, and other burger-meisters.

Fatburger makes its sandwiches to order and serves up five different sizes, from a 2.5 ounce small to a monstrous, three-patty 24-ounce XXXL that’ll cost you about 2,000 calories (and more if you add on bacon, chili, and guacamole). Gothamist also notes that the “onion rings are ‘made from real onions’ and the shakes are hand-scooped.

So don’t expect Bloomberg to show up for the ribbon-cutting when Fatburger lands in Manhattan in the spring. Fatburger plans to open 10 lcoations across NYC in partnership with The Riese Organization, which operates more than 75 restaurants in NYC, including franchises for KFC, Pizza Hut, and TGIFridays.Continue reading...

This holiday season, there are about a bazillion pop-ups sprouting up in New York and London, such as one at NYC's Ace Hotel for Krochet Kids International, the organization that teaches Ugandan and Kenyan women to knit, and the Santa Baby cocktail bar in London's Shoreditch area. Tech lovers and brands will no doubt be rejoicing at one particular pop-up that spans the Atlantic to both cities.

For eight years now, Wired magazine has been wowing tech-lovers with an annual pop-up shop stuffed with whatever the latest and greatest happens to be. This year, the magazine is not only back with a Big Apple pop-up stuffed with gadgets, gear, brands and cultural happenings, but also taking the fun to London. 

The London store features products from such companies as MakerBot, Arcbotics Hexapod, Hiut Denim, Makie Lab, Zboard, and plenty of others. Orders could be made on-site for the products to be delivered.Continue reading...

How hot are British boy band du jour One Direction? They've got their own toothpaste, and they're taking over New York, with a 1D World holiday pop-up store located in a former Borders bookstore near Macy's and Herald Square. Located at 2 Penn Plaza, the entire pop-up shop is an ode to One Direction, wooing fans with bling and merchandise. And what bling and merch it is.Continue reading...

One very small silver lining in the wake of Super Storm Sand on the Big Apple: public phone booths are being reimagined anew in a public-private partnership between New York City and two companies, Cisco and City 24/7.

During the downgraded-but-still-devastating hurricane, New Yorkers with access turned to the retro public phone in droves to try and connect and get information and this has led to a renewed commitment to transform pay phones into giant touch screens providing services from emergency broadcasts to local business deals. In a public emergency they’ll become two-way distress devices for citizen use and aid with Cisco providing back-end tools integrating New York’s 911 and 311 services.

The smart screens had been in pilot phase but soon 250 of the devices are being installed in all five city boroughs. “We’ll average a couple of installs per day. With the holidays approaching, they won’t all be in for a couple of months,” City 24/7 CEO Tom Touchet, former producer of The Today Show on NBC, told GigaOm.Continue reading...