Archive for the ‘Shopping’ Category

Hip flasks are one of the luxury leather goods that seems entirely British, and is certainly proving to be an established tradition that’s in no need of a revival. As popular today as ever, good quality hip flasks are more than just a way to carry an invigorating tipple with you when out on a cold winter’s day. Like most professional leather products, hip flasks are an iconic tradition, as beautiful to see, touch and hold as they are convenient and welcome.

For many people hip flasks are one of the more popular luxury corporate gifts, and certainly they’re a welcome change from watches, gift vouchers or clocks. Professional leather products today are manufactured from soft, high quality leather that’s not split, but sourced from lambs and goats, giving them a beautiful soft, supple and smooth feel that makes them every bit as inviting to touch and hold as to look at and admire.

Hip flasks may be a display item, but they’re also very handy when out and about on a hunt or a walk. Whether you enjoy a strong coffee, liquor or a little of Scotland’s finest oak matured water, hip flasks are available in a wide range of styles, sizes and appearances.

From 4oz hip flasks to 6oz and even 8oz hip flasks, the choice is often available to have a decanter, cup, or glass incorporated into the design, making them perfect for sharing. Of course, luxury leather goods are not the preserve of men, with hip flasks continuing to prove very popular with ladies too, and today there are several beautiful designs available, giving ladies the chance to warm their cockles on a cold winter’s hunt.

Read the rest of this entry »

Eco gifts almost seem to have turned back the hands of a clock that has been inexorably dragging us away from handcrafted, quality goods made by people who are seeking to better themselves and their community. The days are long gone of being able to walk down the street to visit the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker and all manner of individual crafts people for homemade, quality goods.

Today it all seems to be machine manufactured plastic built by robots in seconds and sold in supermarkets to provide everybody with identical goods. This is one of the main reasons why eco gifts have become so popular today, because more of us are realising that we’ve been very close to losing the opportunity to buy gifts which are special, unique, and which don’t simply use up more of the earth’s limited natural resources in order to punch out something bland, uniform and lacking soul or originality.

Read the rest of this entry »

Leather coats have been around for quite a while. Some may even say that the caveman donning a piece of hide could have been said to sport the first leather jacket. Indeed, leather apparel has been seen on the catwalk, in movies and at the movies, in the mall and on the street, in fine dining restaurants, on a picnic and aboard a yacht. And there is no one type of person more prone to wear a leather jacket. Men, women, tall, short, large boned and thin have all sold, bought or borrowed a leather coat at one time. A leather jacket is one item of clothing guaranteed to suit people of all persuasions.

You don’t need to spend a mint on a decent leather jacket – many quality stores often have sales, and not always on last season’s stock. Clearance lines may be the end of the run; stock that is still current but not being made again. An inexpensive coat could be yours, if you simply bide your time and are prepared to shop around. If you take the time to try on a few, you’ll find one to suit your unique shape and size.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ever been shopping and put off buying something you’ve seen – only to return a week, a day or an hour later and find it gone? We’ve all been there, and ‘dash’ doesn’t begin to cover it. It’s even worse when the item was on sale. You spend the next however long lamenting the lost bargain, and then our 20/20 hindsight kicks in: "I should have asked them to put it aside". Shopping online doesn’t protect us from such distress, either. The ‘in stock’ counter taunts us as it drops from ’1′ to ’0′ when we refresh – and no amount of yelling at the screen will bring it back. Or so we’ve heard.

Luckily, you can get around this, should it ever happen to you. If you’re shopping for leather jackets online, and find that what you want is no longer available, you can email us, and hand over your vital measurements. We’ll not only check that there’s really, truly no more in stock, we’ll check what we do have to make sure there’s nothing else that will suit your measurements.

Read the rest of this entry »

Being ecologically aware is an important part of the long-term plan for any business these days. And it’s not just a marketing strategy either, companies have moved beyond labelling something ‘green’ or ‘eco-friendly’ just for the sake of impressing potential customers or clients.

Ethical thinking now radiates through every aspect of business practice from alternative energy sources to sustainable manufacturing materials to reducing pollution. Even corporate ethical gifts are replacing the usual offerings to incentivise or congratulate the workforce for a job well done.

The ethical business

With the general population organising their lives in a more ethical way and seeking eco-friendly alternatives in their lifestyles, so businesses are researching and initiating new environmentally ideas to help keep them ahead of the competition. From huge corporations to small start-ups, using green practices throughout day-to-day operations can provide huge gains.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a fact – leather jackets are making a comeback! Some might say that the classic leather jacket never really went out of style, but face it, when you’ve seen a guy wearing a men’s leather jacket that is a little past its use-by date (think short, black, and diagonal zippers), it can look not-quite-trendy. In their many forms, leather jackets can be worn almost anywhere and with almost anything. Even the old aviator-style jacket can still look cool, when teamed with the right outfit and accessories.

Some great bargain buys can be picked up in clearance sales. Cheap leather jackets are now being sported by the younger generation due to their versatility and low cost. They can be worn with anything, and their affordability makes them attractive to the younger crowd. They can be seen to and from work (and even some schools), in town with pals or out with families.

Read the rest of this entry »

A phrase often used these days is ‘natural beauty’ and now, in more ways than one, beauty really is only skin deep. Since 2007, over 2,000 ethical skincare products and cosmetics have been launched each year making ethical beauty one of the biggest growth markets in the cosmetics industry. It’s testament to the fact that consumers are waking up to the dubious manufacturing processes of mass-produced cosmetics and are demanding a greener way to improve the appearance of their hair and skin.

Europe leads the way in ethical skincare

In 2007, the UK, along with France, accounted for 74 per cent of all ethical beauty product launches proving that as a country, we are trying to align our environmental outlook with our shopping habits. Choosing to buy products that are produced using natural sustainable materials, that do not harm animals in the testing process, and are manufactured in a way that reduces the negative impact on the environment, shows the market is gradually being driven by the ‘green factor’ and not by profit margins alone.

Read the rest of this entry »

Chocolate has always been something of a guilty pleasure but the devil has always been in the calorie count. Now however we understand the origins of our chocolate and there’s a new guilt based on the ethics behind its manufacturer and transportation. Can there be a ‘green’ way to buy chocolate? Well, fairtrade organic chocolates are your best bet (and a great gift) so here’s a quick guide on how to choose your treats.

How ‘green’ is chocolate?

For most of the world’s population chocolate can never be truly local because cacao beans can only be grown in tropical and equatorial climates. Ultimately this means that chocolate manufacture is going to involve shipping at some point and that increases carbon emissions. That’s the downside, the upside is that cacao beans, like coffee beans, are produced within infrastructures that allow fair trade bodies to oversee the agricultural process and so ensure that communities receive a fair price.

Read the rest of this entry »

Consider for a moment how much energy is used in your home and you’ll soon realise that the kitchen is probably the main culprit for consumption. The average kitchen will have a fridge/freezer, microwave, kettle, toaster, oven, gas hob, extractor fan and washing machine. Then there are the luxury items such as a dishwasher, coffee maker and electrical labour saving devices for cooking.

All of these appliances drain electric, gas and water which ultimately costs money and has a major impact on the environment. Here are some tips to make your kitchen more ‘green’ plus some Ethical and fair trade kitchen products for cooking and serving your food.

Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you’re buying for your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister or best mate, the ideal Christmas present is the one you put a lot of thought into. It can be terrifying to shop for women (especially if you’re male!) but sometimes it’s just a matter of buying something that is either practical or purely for pleasure. If you’re working your way through that shopping list, consider the benefits of buying ethical Christmas gifts this year.

Even in today’s economic climate, many women have enough disposable income to buy what they want and when they want it. That makes buying a gift even tougher unless you can persuade her not to go shopping for a few months. The key to buying a Christmas gift for the woman in your life is to find something unusual or unique so that means tracking down products she won’t have already seen.

Read the rest of this entry »