March 19th, 2008

Reebok Fined $1 Million Dollars for Toxic Bracelets:
"Reebok International has been fined $1m for importing and distributing charm bracelets containing toxic levels of lead . . . The charm bracelets were provided as free gifts with the purchase of various styles of children's footwear. In March 2006, a 4-year-old boy from Minneapolis who swallowed the bracelet's heart-shaped pendant died."

Giorgio Armani Comes Down With a Case of Amy Winehouse Fever:
"Amy Winehouse has been offered $1million (£500,000) to perform live at the forthcoming celebrity party at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute in New York on May 5 . . . Giorgio Armani, who is hosting the bash, asked George Clooney and Julia Roberts to help sign up Winehouse . . . 'Giorgio has made no secret to his friends that he would love to work with Amy', an anonymous source is quoted as saying. 'He sees this party as an ideal opportunity to sound her out about future projects.'" -- Isn't he just a little behind the curve on this one? I mean, Karl Lagerfeld has been glomming onto Winehouse for the last six months or so, if not longer . . .

Botkier is the Latest Fashion Brand to Go Target:
"Sources said designer Monica Botkier is designing a line of bags for the mass merchant. Rafe, Devi Kroell, Loeffler Randall, Hollywould and Gryson most recently did lines for Target."

Shiny Fashion does a little piece on Botkier Bags:

Ralph Lauren Mulls Men's-Only Boutique on Madison Avenue:
"Retailers seem to have finally realized that men actually do like to shop, and that they need more places to do so. Just a few days ago, it was revealed that J.Crew execs are planning a men's-only boutique in Tribeca. Now, news of an in-the-works men's-only Ralph Lauren boutique has surfaced . . . The preppy American design house has decided to turn its Rhinelander Mansion store into a menswear shop, which will open sometime next year."

Uber-Luxury Car Brand Maybach Goes Kaputzky:
"After years struggling to make its ultra-exclusive Maybach brand more than just a costly asterisk on the auto industry sales charts, could Daimler AG be getting ready to call it quits in the rarified ultra-luxury market? . . . Last year, the world's wealthiest motorists purchased just 146 Maybach vehicles, some of which can nudge over the $500,000 mark with the right level of customization. That number is barely a tenth of what the then-DaimlerChrysler AG originally projected for the brand, which was a revival of a once-legendary German luxury marque, but one which hadn't seen production since before World War II."

Below is a video clip of the Maybach Exelero concept car: