August 2007 - French | West

In the quest for greener and fun-to-drive cars, little-known carmaker Tesla is unveiling its first electric sports car this fall. The Roadster, Tesla's flagship model, is a $98,000 electric vehicle that achieves 0 to 60 mph in four seconds. American consumers haven't seen a viable electric car since General Motors' EV1 back in 1997. Tesla hopes to capture the niche market of eco-conscious consumers who won't compromise performance and good looks for the fuel economy of today's hybrids, citing that owners of Toyota's Prius earn on average more than $100K a year.

The world can no longer think of Facebook as strictly a college social networking site. Research from a recent Facebook user study shows that more than half of its users are not currently enrolled in a university or college. The site's fastest growing demographic is the 25+ age group.

The YouTube phenomenon keeps growing. Casio recently unveiled the ‘YouTube Camera' which allows users to seamlessly record, store and upload video to the website. Four of Casio's models-including its newest Exilim digital cameras-are equipped with the software. Casio and the Internet giant have an exclusive agreement through December, when competitors are free to pursue this technology with their digital devices.

New in packaging is the NoBottle. Described as a "water skin," the new bottle was created by French packaging manufacturer Sidel. A half liter bottle weighs in at just 9.9 grams, compared to traditional plastic bottles that weigh in at 13-16 grams. The NoBottle is made of a highly flexible type of plastic, with shape memory, that allows the bottle to bounce back into shape after being gripped. Marketing to green consumers, the company is touting the NoBottle's potential for massive waste reduction based on its weight and flexibility. In the US alone, 30 million plastic water bottles are added to landfills daily.

Blue is the new green when it comes to environmental awareness. With newsstands full of green issues, Women's Health will debut its "Blue Issue" in November. The magazine will focus on water, and its effect on healthy living, in features on travel, sports, beauty, the environment and health. The magazine partnered with third generation environmentalists Alexandra and Philippe Cousteau who guest-edit the issue.

Green Girl Guide is a new website created for the "everyday" woman looking for green guidance. The site aims to simplify the sometimes overwhelming amount of information on the web today, concerning social and environmental responsibility, sustainable practices, alternative energy, organic products, etc. The Green Girl Guide offers quick tips and recommendations for living a green life, with a focus on lifestyle, beauty and fashion.

Mikhail Gorbachev stars in the newest Louis Vuitton ad campaign, scheduled to debut in the September issues of top fashion magazines. Emphasizing the company's heritage in luggage and travel accessories, Annie Leibovitz shot Gorbachev and other celebrities, including Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Catherine Deneuve with their Vuitton bags. Gorbachev's last foray in advertising, widely considered the low point of his career, was a late nineties appearance in a Pizza Hut commercial.

Nike and Lance Armstrong are teaming up again, expanding on the success of the ubiquitous yellow Livestrong wristband, with a full Livestrong collection of apparel, accessories and footwear for men, women and kids. Inspired by Armstrong, the new collection is designed for training, running, and cycling and will be available in stores and online, October 2. All proceeds from the sale of the new collection will go directly to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Kohl's is joining the "mass class" phenomenon with its Simply Vera Vera Wang collection, in hopes of giving customers a broader, more stylized range of fashionable choices in apparel, accessories and home furnishings. The collection ranges in price from $20-$200 and will debut in all Kohl's stores in September. The partnership represents the retailer's first collaboration with a high-end designer.

Avon announced Reese Witherspoon as the new face of the brand. The Academy-Award winning actress will serve as the company's first ever Global Ambassador, as well as Honorary Chairman of the Avon Foundation, a public charity focusing on breast cancer, domestic violence and emergency relief initiatives.

As part of an environmental-awareness campaign, Whole Foods commissioned designer Anya Hindmarch to design a canvas bag to be sold in limited numbers at Whole Foods stores in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The bag, which reads, "I'm not a plastic bag," went on sale on July 18 with crowds of up to 500 people waiting outside most stores. The bag sold for $15 and sold out that day.

Bauer Publishing will NOT be launching its new twenty-something magazine, Cocktail, set to make its debut in September. The magazine would have been a weekly title, covering fashion, beauty, relationships, celebrities, health and nutrition, with a cover price of $2.49. The company cited "uncertain conditions in the single-copy marketplace" as the reason for its demise.

Conde Nast Publications has pulled the plug on Jane, with the August issue being its last. In a departure from other recently shuttered magazines, like Teen People and Elle Girl, there are currently no plans to continue the brand online.

Having published two editions of Page Six: The Magazine, the New York Post will take the title weekly this fall. The magazine will appear as a supplement in the Sunday paper.