PRESS RELEASE

DIVE-IN TO BOMBSHELL BAY THIS SUMMER

It’s that time of the year again, days are longer, nights are warmer and daydreams of getaways in the sun, sand and sea provide the necessary distraction to get you through the rest of the working year. You’ve got your beach bag full of summer goodies, now you just need to find the perfect swimsuit, flattering and comfortable whilst glamorous enough for poolside cocktails.

Bombshell Bay was created on Christmas Day, 2010 on a beach in Vietnam,“I had worn one ill fitting swimsuit too many and my latest purchase was in serious contention of ruining my 4 day beach break I had worked all year for. I wanted to create a line of swimwear that women and girls of all shapes can look good in and most importantly feel comfortable.” Says Emily Doig, owner and designer of Bombshell Bay. “The latest range is inspired by luxe holiday destinations from the 50’s and 60’s – like Capri, Bora Bora and Havana.”

The Summer 2012/ 2013 range J E T S E T exudes fashion with hints of the catwalk trends, neon, floral and peplum but at the heart of Bombshell Bay is fit, versatility and functionality. Experiment with reversible styles, change your look with the add‐on halter straps and add a hint of glamour with the removable peplum! All in a 2 way UV resistant stretch and available in sizes 8 – 16.

“The most popular swimsuits so far this year are Miss St Tropez, our one piece with removable peplum and our classic pin-up inspired swimsuit, Miss Acapulco” says Emily. “It’s really important to me that our swimwear provides the best fit and coverage whilst still remaining fashion forward”.

Swimsuits in the range are:

• Miss Acapulco ($139) – classic pin-up inspired swimsuit
• Miss Bora Bora ($139) – featuring a flattering mid waist bottom and a twist bandeau top with a hint of neon Miss Capri ($159) – captures the essence of the Mediterranean island – timeless, classic & sophisticated.
• Miss Havana ($159) – Nautically inspired, is the perfect two-piece for those don’t like wearing a bikini.
• Miss Marrakech ($159) – inspired by the luxe draping and intricate details of a city steeped in history
• Miss St Tropez ($159) – one-piece swimsuit with sweetheart neckline, full bottom coverage and removable peplum.

Bombshell Bay completes the look with a range of beachside accessories including neon crochet and recycled coconut shell necklaces, self-absorbent Turkish beach towels -­‐ plus a gorgeous kimono, designed especially as outerwear for the beach.

Bombshell Bay uses only ethical and fair trade manufacturing to create its unique range of swimwear.

-­‐ END-­‐

Notes To Editor:


Bombshell Bay is fun and fashion forward but at the heart of the brand is functionality. Bombshell Bay uses only ethical and fair trade manufacturing to create its unique range of swimwear.

Bombshell Bay was founded on Christmas Day, 2010 by Emily Doig. Emily initially studied Arts/Design/Fashion before spending her early career working for brands like Lonely Planet and STA Travel to satiate a travel fetish.

A veritable human Google earth, she could tell you where to buy cheese in Paris, how to buy a push bike in Cambodia or how to get across Manhattan..FAST! As her talents and tastes matured, she left behind the constant travel and Qantas club amenities for the comforts of her own Studio.

Emily is an ethical fashion advocate and devotes her time to sharing her experience in starting her own fair trade fashion swimwear label, Bombshell Bay. When not dreaming of far away tropical isles, Emily lectures at RMIT University in fashion business, marketing and online branding.

For further media information, samples, high resolution images or to arrange an interview contact:

Bianca Hall

The Social Factory

Ph. 0499 150 260

Email: bianca@thesocialfactory.com.au

Logo design - the brief for the kitty&co. logo was to keep the font simple and grown-up but to play a little with pattern and colour in the background. We created a custom repeated pattern colour matched to the signature colours of the kitty&co. bags and teamed with a simple font. The colourful logo will be used on the website and collateral and the plain text version on the handbag labels.

Website design - e-commerce sites can be incredibly expensive. An avenue we always recommend to emerging labels & start-up businesses is to use a platform such as Big Cartel, for $9.99 USD per month you can sell 25 different products (each with any number of colour and unit variations), inventory tracking, discount codes, use your own domain name and importantly utilise the security of a much larger platform. We designed and set-up the kitty&co. site on Big Cartel, with cute custom banners showcasing the range. For any e-commerce site showcasing each product with a number of images and the ability to zoom is incredibly important. Social sharing on Facebook, Twitter and ‘Pin it’ capabilities are all included.

We are also hosting the domain name and custom email addresses for kitty&co.

If you need a simple and cost effective e-commerce site, contact us now.

Rain & Hale are a creative bunch and their blog incorporates all of their loves – fashion, art, music and shopping for vintage finds. They’re very active in social media so the new blog had to showcase their twitter feed, instagram pics and Pinterest finds. The girls also wanted to include an event calendar, a gallery showcase of the latest products listed on their shop, custom social media buttons created from their fabric AND local weather widget.

Check out some screenshots below, and of course head on over to the Rain & Hale blog to have a look.

If you need a website or new blog contact us now – bianca@thesocialfactory.com.au

We’ve been having a ball working on this project as it allows us to build something new, from the ground up. The Social Factory has been involved in all facets of this project from publicity, events, web design, social media, advertising and day-to-day communications.

Website - The Social Factory built the launchyourlabelaustralia.com.au website including designing all of the assets. The brief was to also be able to take all of the applications for the competition via an online application form, which we designed and configured. To drive integration with social media, we set up the template to showcase each of the designers images that could be voted on and shared via twitter & Facebook.

Publicity – The Social Factory wrote and distributed the Press Releases supporting the Launch Your Label launch, Semi-finalist and Finalists announcement, securing some great publicity. You can check out some of the publicity here.

Social Media – We set-up and designed the Facebook and Twitter pages as well as assisting Oneweardesigns.com in timely sharing, posting & tweeting!

Event - The Social Factory also worked on the recent Launch Your Label judging event which gained social coverage in both major Sunday newspapers. This involved managing the logistics, briefing and managing the entrants, designing collateral, managing RSVP’s,  securing sponsors, designing a custom judging website and a mini designer showcase! (Gorgeous images taken by Angela from Haute Photography)

Menu design

Our custom designed website that captured the votes of each of the judges on iPad (just a little more fun than pen and paper!).

And here we are getting ready for guest arrivals

And now we’re busy, busy working with Oneweardesigns.com on getting organised for the major VIP event at the end of August. We’ll keep you posted on all of the updates in the lead up to this exciting event!

We recently spoke with Henrietta Haywood, Owner of eHomeBuilder, a free, informative website to assist anyone embarking on the building or renovating journey. Henrietta worked in the industry as a consulting interior designer for builders and found that there was a lack of free information for those wanting advice and help when building or renovating. eHomeBuilder was launched in August 2011 and Henrietta tells us how she manages a growing business from home…………

What is your favourite:

Blog: 2modern Architecture and Interiors

Online store: Strawberrynet

Album: James Blunt: Back to Bedlam

Book: The Book Thief by Aussie Markus Zusak

Restaurant: A picnic at Cottesloe beach

What is the eHomeBuilder story? What inspired you to start your business?

After working for builders and consulting as an Interior Designer I found there was a base of common questions that people often asked. What happens next, where do I buy…X,Y &Z, how do I know what to ask? eHomeBuilder is all about empowering clients with all the knowledge they need when building or renovating their home. How to plan the project, what to look for in products and how to specify them.

Without exception everyone builds to the full extent of their budget, this can create a stressful environment.  eHomeBuilder is all about getting rid of the stress and helping clients to make informed choices.

How long has the journey been?

The original seed of the idea germinated about 10 years ago, but I really started working on it fulltime over the last 3-4 years

What do you enjoy most about running your own business?

School holidays- I love that I can scale back my work load during the holidays so I can hang out with the kids and we can go away or go to the movies

What has been your biggest challenge?

Time management- it’s hard to work from home and not get distracted by the washing or the housework. I recommend getting the chores done quickly in the morning….even if it’s only a surface clean so don’t have to look at any mess whilst working. Also I don’t answer my home phone, people think because you are at home you are available for a chat….it takes a while to train them!

Being a mum in business is tricky, what tips do you have for all those mums out there trying to start a business from home and raising their kids?

Try to work your schedule around periods when the kids are at school or asleep.  I make sure I’m not working between 3 and 8pm so the kids get some time with me after school, then I’ll work on the computer till midnight. Sometimes I even work with the TV on so I feel like I got some ME time and it’s not all just work, work, work.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about or just starting out in business?

Working for yourself is so rewarding, you’ll never have a boss as flexible as yourself. There are so many opportunities out there with new and innovative ideas. You’ve just got to back yourself 110%. Choose something you are passionate about, then it’s a far more enjoyable journey.

Where do you see your business in 5 – 10 years’ time?

In 5 years I see eHomeBuilder on the first page of any search relating to building and renovating. I see the site as a one stop shop to answer any questions you have about your project.  eHomeBuilder is a free service and I see that as the future.

eHomeBuilder:

Website link www.ehomebuilder.com.au

Facebook link http://www.facebook.com/eHomeBuilder

I found myself in a barrister’s chambers that resembled an old library that had been hit with a typhoon. Imagine, if you can, 25 years of paper confined to a large bedroom space.

It was scary at first, but then I quickly discovered that I loved this. I love sorting and clearing and putting things in their rightful place. A quick call to Officeworks and I had a couple of boxes of brightly coloured folders at the ready and so I started to sort. I sorted until every last bit of paper had a pile, and then I put those piles into folders, labelled them nicely and away they went. It was hugely rewarding to see it all finished and looking like a beautiful old library again.

That is also where I learnt the importance of filing as you go. I never once let it get that bad again. I had a shallow filing tray on my desk and every time it got full, I would file again.

But what is the moral of the story?

The moral of the story is that things always look worse than they really are, and you should get yourself into the position where you simply have maintain your space rather than hate it.

How?

Well, this is the hard part. This is where you need to screw up your courage, kick your procrastinating to the curb and delve right in to the heart of the problem. The biggest part is always starting. Don’t think about where to start or how, just pick something up and start chipping away. Take it from someone who has years of experience – once you start, you will get yourself in to a rhythm and the rest takes care of itself.

Set everything in piles of how you think you will remember things best. Do you want it in date order, or will you put like things together (insurance with insurance, marketing, correspondence, receipts etc)? How you choose to put things together is completely up to you.

A question that I am asked all the time is what’s the best way to set up my filing system?  Well, not to be difficult but this really depends on you. What is easy for you? Everything that I do for clients (and myself!) must be easy, because if it’s too difficult and complicated, no one wants to keep maintaining it! People get themselves in to a tizz all the time because they think that their systems and processes should be full of whizz’s, pops and sparkles but I am here to burst that bubble. It’s simply not true. The simpler you can make your processes, the better you can remember them, follow them, and maintain them.

And so on that note…

Until next week!

Lady Calamity

Find Lady Calamity on Facebook, twitter and check out her blog.

 IMAGE CREDIT

What is your favourite:

Blog:  Wish I could say mine – that would mean I have actually completed my first!

Online store:  ssshhhh, we don’t use that word around here … our focus is keeping sales and jobs in Australia

Album: anything Italian

Book: currently reading “a reason to believe” Ron Tesoriero

Restaurant: recently enjoyed a five start meal at Incontro in South Perth, W.A

1.     What is the Inskin Cosmedics and O Cosmedics story? What inspired you to start your business?

My main reason for going into business was to bring the heart and soul back to an industry that was being taking over by “cowboys”.  By cowboys I mean non-industry players 9mainly males) in it to make a quick buck, not interested in nurturing relationships or partnering dreams of small business owners.

I myself had worked for a couple of questionable individuals who taught me “what not to do” in business.  Being an aesthetician myself I felt I could offer the industry an opportunity to partner a supplier with integrity, a win-win philosophy, a profitable opportunity not to mention advanced and innovative skin care and beauty devices.

I started inskincosmedics in 2007 with Sircuit Skin a boutique cosmeceutical brand from L.A, eight months later we were honoured to add emerginC cosmeceuticals from New York to our profile. Between both brands our offer was exceptional both in skin solutions and consumer experience however we lacked one critical component to complete our offer and that was our very own locally made brand…enter O Cosmedics, which after five years of intense R&D, formulating (reformulating) and trialling successfully launched in 2010.

2.     How long has the journey been?

(Smile.  Reflection.) Feels like a lifetime and to some extent it is. Every day brings with it learning and in the end we are who we are simply because of our background, environment and life experiences. I don’t think of inskincosmedics as a business as such, my staff our inskin family and our clients we call our partners. I run inskincosmedics the way i like to be treated in life; hence I do believe the journey started some 40 years ago.

3.     What do you enjoy most about running your own business?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the people who touch and teach me daily and the product development is orgasmic…am i allowed to say that lol! The industry is a far cry from the smell good, feel good stuff i signed up for 26 years ago, our offer is serious, cosmedical and makes a true, visible skin difference. Being able to deliver this to everyday people is super satisfying, making a skin difference is “the’ best!

4.     What has been your biggest challenge?

Getting out of bed in anticipation of “what will today bring” hehehe … When you work with people every day “throws” challenges, that’s life. Who owes you money, who woke up on the wrong side of the bed, who lost a sale to an internet store, who used the product wrong … nothing life threatening but certainly ensures we “never have a dull day”!

5.     What is your point of difference?

It goes without saying our products are the world’s best, we have skin solutions for all skin types and conditions, we use natural, chemical free ingredients that are safe and effective,  leading the way to a new category of skincare that being cosmedical. With all this said our real point of difference is our people and the way we do business.  Inskincosmedics is known for its ethics, integrity, real nature, its personal touch, the way our partners feel like part of our family, the way we flex to meet individual and business needs, our win-win philosophy and our genuine interest in our partners.

6.     Tell us about your successes to date.

My biggest success would have to be inskincosmedics, we started the business and less than one year later we were hit by the GFC – five years down the track we live to tell the story, business is growing and we are stronger than ever (ok with a few more grey hairs). Our own Australian Made cosmedical brand O Cosmedics is award winning material if we must say so ourselves (don’t mind if we do brag), it is strong in the professional market and just this year we venture into our first export opportunity being New Zealand, exciting times ahead!

7.     What advice would you give to someone thinking about or just starting out in business?

Think long and hard and ask yourself what you hope to achieve by ‘doing it for yourself”. Make sure that you have the capital and business brains to back the venture and that you know your business INSIDE OUT and then …wait there’s more, give it your own twist that will make it different to what your competitors are offering!  Times are tough, the world has changed … think long and hard.

8.     Where do you see your business in 5 – 10 years’ time?

Inskincosmedics will be “the” number one skincare supplier in Australia and O cosmedics will be sold in all major countries internationally!

9.     Any other information or details you might like to add?

Inskincosmedics has built an offer that is based on science, clinical studies and proven evidence that ageing can be prevented and corrected.  Comsetics with a T are very different to cosmedics with a D for Dr. Cosmedics offer high strength, active ingredients that can make a physiological difference ‘in” the skin offering visible skin health and skin youth. O cosmedics is a world first with its very own V8 peptide complex to ensure actives penetrate and stimulate natural skin responses.

Inskin Cosmedics and O Cosmedics

Inskincosmedics – www.inskincosmedics.com

O cosmedics – www.ocosmedics.com

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/ocosmedicsaus

Twitter link: https://twitter.com/#!/ocosmedics

Blog link: http://ocosmedics.com/blog/

I should note, mind you, that I wrote this article last week while I was not suffering from Mondayitis and still had plenty of wind left in me.

And so as I sit at my desk wondering what on earth am I going to write about today, and do I really have to do it right now? It occurs to me, clearly I need to practice practicing what I preach and pull myself out of the procrastination zone which is very quickly swallowing me up whole this afternoon.

Maybe it is because it’s Monday. Maybe it’s because I purposely left my day clear today so I would be ready for when Telstra arrived between 10am & 2pm… and now that they haven’t turned up it’s all I can do to not sit and dwell on how annoying it is to have to rely on a service that has no service. Whatever it is, I have let myself get sucked in big time.

And it happens to everyone. It’s one of those things that we just can’t help but do. We day dream, sit on Facebook, Pinterest, Facebook again… but how do we pull ourselves out of the depths of habitual procrastination?

And what does procrastination have to do with being organised? Well the point is, quite simply, that you cannot be organised and on top of your life if you are a serial procrastinator. It’s like being overweight and trying to wish yourself skinny. Or living in a state of constant mess and willing things to clean themselves up and get better. Or like being in debt but still spending and wondering why you are still living day to day. Nothing changes for you, unless you want it to change.

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you don’t like your job, quit. If you don’t have enough time, stop watching TV.” – Holtee Manifesto

Cuts to the point, doesn’t it?

I want everyone who reads this to think about what is the one thing that you most procrastinate over – and then go and do it. Make your to-do list, do the filing, the banking, the dusting. Hang those light fittings, paint that wall, go and get those photo’s printed out that you have been meaning to do for months. MAKE that phone call.

Do this and you are taking the first step to getting your life organised and in control. How is that for empowerment?

Until next week!

Lady Calamity

P.S. Happy Mothers Day to all the mum’s for Sunday!

Find Lady Calamity on Facebook, twitter and check out her blog.

IMAGE CREDIT

Of all the gorgeous shots I have seen this week from the MBFWA shows, one of my favourites has to be label Kahlo. I love their gorgeous tailoring teamed with leather, absolutely stunning. Above are some images of their current season product you can buy online. All images from the Kahlo website.

You should also check out the amazing pics from the MBFWA show on OHJAMIE.COM