Posts made in August 2022

The Fashion & Gaming X-Overs You Need to Know

Fashion has conquered many industries on its quest to dominate mainstream culture, and now, gaming has fallen under its sartorial spell.

While the nerdy gamers of yesteryear were hardly the bastions of style, 21st-century gamers are immensely fashion conscious, leading some of the world’s fashion houses to take a foray into designing for games.

Read on to discover why fashion brands, including Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga, are clamouring to have their designs featured in the latest games.

The Gamification of Fashion

Of all the tech industries to have emerged since the late 20th century, gaming stands alone as being the most mainstream of all. The remote gaming market has grown exponentially in recent years, providing players with opportunities to play free online games across a spectrum of genres.

Although estimates vary, market researchers like Newzoo pinned global gaming revenues to be as high as $180.3 billion in 2021. Gaming is now larger than the music and film industries combined.

For today’s players, gaming isn’t just a hobby; it’s a lifestyle. Their digital avatars are carefully crafted to express all the facets of their identity, and that includes looking good, even if all they’re doing is trying to survive.

Gaming in Style

With gaming being such a lucrative industry, it’s no wonder that fashion brands are keen to capitalise on the increasing appetites of style-conscious gamers.

Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquière has long been a sci-fi and gaming enthusiast. As far back as 2016, he was blurring the lines between fashion and gaming by casting Final Fantasy’s Lightning as the S/S 2016 campaign lead. Elements from games like Minecraft have even inspired his womenswear runway collections.

It was only a matter of time before LV would make its way into video games, and, in 2019, Ghesquière teamed up with Riot Games to craft an exclusive design for League of Legends character, Qiyana. The Empress of the Elements was suitably kitted out in a Louis Vuitton monogrammed outfit, right down to her Ohmlatl weapon.

Ghesquière followed this up by creating a one-off Trophy Travel Case awarded to the winners of the 2019 Summoner’s Cup – the LoL world championships. Cast in silver plate, brass and accented with 24ct gold, the case represented the designer and eSports collaboration.

In 2021, Balenciaga made its first steps into gaming with the release of its autumn/winter collection via the immersive video game Afterworld: The Age of Tomorrow. The Maison followed this up by collaborating with Epic Games to produce exclusive character outfits for its MOBA behemoth, Fortnite.

Four characters in the game can now be kitted out in head-to-toe Balenciaga skins, with ‘fits even including backpacks and those iconic Triple S trainers. Furthermore, gamers can also purchase Balenciaga tools to use in the game, such as the Hourglass-bag glider and Speed-sneaker pickaxe, by visiting the virtual Retail Row – the Fornite take on the company’s brick and mortar stores.

Of course, it’s not just the fashion powerhouses that are dipping their toes into gaming waters. More independent brands are crossing over into designing for the digital realm. The Polish streetwear brand, MISBHV, produced a range of virtual clothes for RockStar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V. The label’s digital tees and hoodies, which are worn in the game by DJ group Keinemusik, were “conceived real-world first” to ensure authenticity in the virtual one.

PARTICLE INK: SPEED OF DARK

“Particle Ink: Speed of Dark,” an original, immersive experience bringing visitors through a portal into the 2.5^th dimension, offers private performances of the mind-bending mixed reality experience as well as a one-of-a-kind space for private and corporate events in Las Vegas.

Located in the Las Vegas Arts District, the 6,000-square-foot LightHouse offers event seating and layout assistance, full audio/video capabilities, customizable branding opportunities and catering options making the space an ideal location for corporate gatherings, convention groups, networking events or even holiday parties.

Featuring ethereal spaces created by the inventive minds of the Particle Ink LightPoets, the otherworldly venue transports guests into the pages of a living graphic novel. Whether private event attendees are interested in experiencing their own exclusive viewing of “Speed of Dark” followed by an intimate afterparty or seek to host a meeting or other social gathering in the LightHouse, guests can experience whimsical illustrations leaping from the walls, street art, live performances and never-before-seen interactive technology. The LightHouse offers indoor and flexible outdoor spaces that can be activated for private bookings.

“The LightHouse serves as a portal into another dimension, distinguishing it from any other venue in the world,” said Cesar Hawas, executive producer, Particle Ink. “Its kaleidoscopic playground provides the ideal setting for a private viewing of ‘Speed of Dark’ or an unforgettable business or social gathering surrounded by incredible works of art, performers and mind-bending technology.”

To inquire about private bookings, visit particleink.com.

ABOUT PARTICLE INK
Presented by Kaleidoco, an entertainment technology company, the “Particle Ink: Speed of Dark” portal is now open at The LightHouse in the 18b Las Vegas Arts District. Brought to life by a team whose resumes include Sleep No More, Cirque du Soleil, Disney Imagineering and myriad other creative endeavors, the Particle Ink Metaverse blends the virtual world into the physical world through mixed-reality and innovative technologies. Particle Ink encompasses thought-provoking creativity, imaginative interactive installations and mind-bending, dynamic digital and physical portals designed to enlighten and inspire audiences. For more information, visit particleink.com.

MALDY × WARNER MUSIC LATINA

One of the most important and iconic voices in the globalization of Latin urban music, MALDY, has inked a record deal with Warner Music Latina. An imminent first release will be announced within the upcoming days!

Maldy and Warner are prepared to make an impact with multiple collabs that are sure to put a spotlight on his legendary contributions to music. In this new phase, the artist plays with modern beats and verses, while delivering major nostalgia with his voice and rap style.

“We are very excited to be a part of this new phase for Maldy, and very grateful to be allowed to share his music with the public as his record label,” shared Hector R. Rivera, Senior Vice President, Head of A&R, Latin Music.

“I am very excited to embark on this new phase in my career with Warner’s support in launching my new projects. I have been silent for a while, but I know it will all be worth the wait. Together with my team and my label, we are ready to give you the best of me, sin Maldy no hay perreo” stated Maldy.

Maldy was represented on the deal by attorneys Pierre Hachar, Jr., Esq. and Cody Pellicer, Esq. of The Hachar Law Group.

With this new alliance, the artist will continue to develop his solo career and consolidate industry relationships. The vision spans across singles, albums, tours, merch and much more.

Maldy’s pioneering repertoire under the iconic duo, Plan B, has traveled the globe and set the standards for authentic ‘perreo’. During the last three years, as a solo artist, he focused on being a platform for the new generation of Reggaeton.

More announcements to come soon.

MADONNA

Last night Madonna celebrated the release of her forthcoming compilation album, FINALLY ENOUGH LOVE: 50 NUMBER ONES – arriving next Friday, August 19 – with a roller disco party at DiscOasis in Central Park, New York. Madonna and Nile Rodgers reunited for the event and spoke to the audience about making Like A Virgin together. Questlove served as DJ for the event, spinning Madonna hits & disco classics all night while guests danced and skated under the stars.

Guests enjoyed specialty Belvedere Vodka & Perrier cocktails like “THE QUEENS SPRITZ” & “THE MATERIAL GWORLLLLLLLL” named after Madonna’s recent hit remixes with Beyonce & Saucy Santana. Madonna was joined by friends and family, including Ariana Debose, Christian Siriano, Steven Klein, Jeremy O. Harris, and more.

The event occurs ahead and in support of FINALLY ENOUGH LOVE: 50 NUMBER ONES, Madonna’s 50-track career spanning compilation album, releasing on Friday, August 19, 2022 in digital and physical format. Pre-order and Pre-save now. The collection, curated by Madonna, is in celebration of her historic milestone as the first and only recording artist to have 50 #1 hits on any single Billboard chart when she topped the Dance Club Songs chart for the 50th time.

50 NUMBER ONES spans her entire dance club chart reign with dozens of remixes by the world’s top producers. In addition to fan favorites, the collection also includes a selection of rare remix recordings, with more than 20 being officially released for the first time or making their commercial/digital debut. The collection will be available digitally on August 19, along with a 3-CD version. A limited-edition, 6-LP version on red and black vinyl will also be available and has already sold out in pre-orders. The 16-track edition, FINALLY ENOUGH LOVE, will be available in physical format on August 19.

Expect more surprises to be revealed later this year around the celebration of Madonna’s 40 years in music.

*PHOTO CREDIT: RICARDO GOMES

Zedd – Make You Say

Fresh off the heels of the release of his brand-new single “Make You Say” with Maren Morris and BEAUZ (Click HERE), GRAMMY® award-winning global superstar, Zedd, announces he will perform Clarity live for one night only with a 50-piece orchestra to celebrate his iconic Platinum debut album’s 10-year anniversary. For the first-time ever, Zedd will be recreating the chart-topping 2012 album by performing it in its entirety, allowing fans to experience the project in a totally new and unique way. The incredibly special and once in a lifetime concert will take place on Sunday, October 9, 2022 at the legendary Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. Artist pre-sale tickets will be available on Thursday, August 25^th at 10am local time, signup HERE. General on-sale tickets will be available on Friday, August 26^th at 10am local time. All tickets can be purchased HERE.

Zedd says: “When I was making the Clarity album I spent the most time on the melodic and harmonic elements of each song. Those motifs are the glue that hold the album together. It’s a dream to have the opportunity to play all of those ideas orchestrated and reharmonized with the instrumentation in the amazing orchestra we have put together.”

This is just one of many celebrations for the 10-year anniversary of Clarity, which includes an honorary show on October 7^th at the Bill Graham Civic Center Auditorium in San Francisco where Zedd will be playing the original album from start to finish, along with more surprises to come.

About Zedd

Multi-platinum, GRAMMY® Award-winning artist/DJ/producer Zedd made his debut with “Clarity” after signing with Interscope in 2012 and has been breaking down barriers surrounding music genres ever since. Throughout his career, Zedd has worked with a diverse range of artists to create hits, including Foxes on “Clarity” (which earned Zedd a 2014 GRAMMY® “Best Dance Recording”), Hayley Williams on RIAA platinum-certified hit, “Stay The Night” (which racked up more than 1 billion streams), and Selena Gomez on the platinum-certified track, “I Want You To Know,” which spent four weeks at #1 on Billboard’s “Hot Dance/Electronic Songs” chart. He’s also collaborated with Alessia Cara on their hit single “Stay” which has amassed over 4.7 billion streams worldwide, held the #1 spot at Top 40 radio for six consecutive weeks, and earned Zedd his second GRAMMY® Award nomination. His 2018 monster hit “The Middle” with Maren Morris and Grey is officially certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA, and the track garnered Zedd’s second #1 at Top 40 radio. Digitally, the song has over 4 billion streams worldwide and earned Zedd three GRAMMY® nominations including “Record Of The Year,” “Song Of The Year,” and “Best Pop Duo or Group Performance.” Most recently, Zedd opened the NHL All-Star Game with a performance during player introductions and he was the official pregame DJ during player warmups at this year’s NFL Super Bowl LVI.

Follow Zedd:

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | TIKTOK

POLESTAR CHARGES UP CANDELA

Polestar, the Swedish premium electric performance car company, has signed a multi-year agreement to supply battery and charging systems to the Swedish hydrofoil electric boat company, Candela. The agreement marks one of the world’s first direct battery technology collaborations between companies from the automotive and marine industries.

As leading EV brands in their respective sectors, both Polestar and Candela share common values of innovative design and commitments to sustainability. Utilizing computer-guided hydrofoils which lift the hull above water, Candela’s electric boats ‘fly’ above the surface and use up to 80% less energy at high speeds compared to traditional motorboats.

Candela’s crafts produce zero emissions and minimal noise, combining a light environmental footprint with better passenger comfort and a smoother cruising experience compared to traditional boats. By combining Polestar’s batteries with Candela’s pioneering electric hydrofoil technology, both companies aim to propel the growth of sustainable electric mobility in society.

Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, says: “I am fascinated by the way Candela’s boats glide elegantly and efficiently through, or better, over the water – amazing proof of the great aesthetics and experiences modern, sustainable technology can create. That Polestar will be part of future projects with Candela by supplying an essential part for the innovative propulsion of their boats, is awesome. As a battery supplier to Candela, we can help drive the transition to cleaner oceans and lakes, and electrify waterborne transport.”

Gustav Hasselskog, CEO of Candela, comments: “Polestar is a dream partner for us. While the electrification of cars has come a long way in the last few years, the marine sector has fallen behind. Marrying our efficient hydrofoil technology to high-capacity batteries from Polestar means we can speed up the mass market adoption of electric boats together.”

The supply of battery and charging systems to a third party, a first for Polestar as an EV manufacturer, marks the start of a broader intended partnership between Polestar and Candela, with both companies committed to exploring further opportunities for future collaboration.

Monica Rambeau

This December, universal powerhouse Monica Rambeau will star in first-ever solo comic series! A five-issue limited series, MONICA RAMBEAU: PHOTON will be written by award-winning author and scholar Eve L. Ewing and drawn by new Marvel talent, artist Michael Sta. Maria. The iconic Marvel super hero with four decades worth of amazing stories will at long last headline her own saga.

From the New Orleans Harbor Patrol to the Avengers to the Ultimates, Monica Rambeau has been a leader and team player her entire life but now she’ll face a reality-shattering crisis that she’ll have no choice but to take on single-handedly. In order to do so, Photon will need to reach new heights of her incredible abilities—and then surpass them! In a revelatory journey spanning time and space, fan will behold Photon’s true potential. The adventure begins when Photon is charged with making a very special, very cosmic delivery. What should be light work (get it?) for Monica becomes increasingly complex and dangerous due to a threat from beyond and family drama.

“It’s such an honor to be taking on the story of a legacy character like Monica Rambeau,” Ewing said. “Monica’s character has a long history in the Marvel Universe, but she’s way overdue for getting her own story told. I’m picking the pen up from the legend himself, Dwayne McDuffie, who put out the last Monica Rambeau solo adventure almost three decades ago. It’s a privilege and I’m excited to tell the story in a way that both highlights her incredible cosmic abilities as well as her everyday, relatable struggles. I hope this will be a title that has something equal to offer to veteran readers and folks who may be brand new to comics.”

Explore the outer reaches and wildest vagaries of the Marvel Universe through the eyes of one of its most powerful heroes when MONICA RAMBEAU: PHOTON #1 arrives in December. For more information, visit Marvel.com.

Reebok Answers to No One

Reebok has confirmed a September 1 release for its Question Mid “Answer to No One” ($160, GW8858), a clean and contemporary color-up on Allen Iverson’s iconic basketball sneaker.

Arriving alongside a matching retro apparel collection, this take on Iverson’s first signature shoe offers multicolor detailing across a chalk upper, a custom graphic sock-liner, classic “Q” and “3” heel logos, and other flavorful hits atop a chalk midsole and glass blue tinted outsole. Apparel includes a Vector Fleece Hoodie (HG2578, $70), Vector Fleece Joggers (HM5913, $60), and two graphic tee variations (HL0077/ HL0076, $30).

Product imagery can be found HERE.

Reebok’s “Answer to No One” Question Mid and apparel pack are available beginning September 1 exclusively from Reebok.com.

Reebok AI comes in various colors announced via 360 MAGAZINE

AMERICAN TOURISM TO TÜRKIYE

Americans are streaming to Türkiye in unprecedented numbers according to figures released today by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. While tourism worldwide plummeted in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of Americans visiting Türkiye in the first half of 2022 is up 76.8% over the same period of 2019 before the pandemic struck.

“This is an extraordinary and exciting result,” says Yalçın Lokmanhekim, the General Manager of TGA, Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, underscoring not only Turkish tourism’s recovery from the pandemic, but also highlighting how Americans are vacationing in Türkiye in record-breaking numbers.

Number one destination in Türkiye for Americans is the city of Istanbul, with phenomenal interest in discovering other parts of this country that spans both Europe and Asia. After Istanbul, Americans’ favorite destinations currently include the Turkish Aegean coast, the city of Izmir, and the unique landscapes of Cappadocia in the east of the country.

213,000 Americans visited Türkiye in January through June 2019, with 377,000 in the same period of 2022.

AMERICAN TOURISM TO TÜRKIYE Via 360 MAGAZINE

Combat Unproductive Meetings w/ Enhanced Scheduling

Typical tips on meeting productivity include sharing the agenda beforehand, starting your meeting on time, keeping the conversation going, and asking questions.

Although those are great tips that will make any meeting more productive, it’s easy to forget the one thing that can make or break meeting productivity: the scheduling.

If scheduling a meeting sounds like a horror film title, it’s because it is. For most of us, at least.

From checking in on each and every attendee, one by one, to emailing them back-and-forth until you can find a time that works for them…and then having to do it all over again, because — surprises, surprise — they won’t be able to attend the meeting at the scheduled time.

If you’re currently operating like that, you shouldn’t be surprised that it takes hours or even days for you to schedule a single meeting.

You shouldn’t blame yourself for developing a toxic relationship with meetings, either. If just scheduling them drains all of your energy, the meeting prep and the actual meetings will always feel like exhausting work.

You can follow every meeting productivity tip to a T. Unless you have a scheduling platform that helps you do your job, your meetings will remain the same.

With that in mind, here are today’s best productivity tips for meetings:

Schedule your meetings with one email. No more, no less.
Find the best time for every attendee without emailing them back-and-forth.
Schedule and organize your meetings inside your inbox, instead of switching to multiple tabs.

Do you often feel unproductive online meetings? It’s not your fault.

If you’ve been trying to get this online meeting thing right for a couple years now, you’ve probably struggled with at least one of the following situations:

The pain of scheduling and setting up meetings on a bunch of different platforms.
Emailing guests back-and-forth until you can, by some miracle, settle on a time slot that works for them.
Organizing unproductive meetings that bring up “this could’ve been an email” jokes.

The blame (and the joke) is on the platform you’re using.

‍But, the truth is, everyone is wrestling with the same online meeting issues you are. Every. Single. Day. Yes, even though they might look like they’re experts at it.

Here’s why:

Because the seemingly simple task of scheduling emails takes us days, when it should take us seconds.And we all know that it’s virtually impossible to plan an effective meeting when we’ve spent half of our planning time on haphazard scheduling. You don’t need a better agenda. Not necessarily. What you need is a scheduling platform that respects your time!

About Letsmeet

Letsmeet allows businesses to eliminate back and forth email correspondence regarding meeting scheduling, and offers a simple solution to book meetings in just one click. Scheduling meetings is a recurring and universal pain point, and thirty percent of emails are about scheduling itself. With 55 million meetings occurring every day in the United States, scheduling is often a complicated and time-consuming daily task. The Letsmeet network solves this relevant issue by evaluating all of the participants’ calendars, and suggesting the open time slots that work for all parties.

For more information, please visit HERE.

About The Author

Letsmeet is led by CEO and Founder Gilles Raymond. Raymond is a three time startup CEO and Founder, who also created In-Fusio and News Republic, acquired by Bytedance. Additionally, Raymond is the Founder and President of The Signals Foundation, an organization that protects and supports whistleblowers.

Article: Gilles Raymond, CEO and Founder of Letsmeet

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