Top 10 quirky news stories
Some stories surprise us, some make us laugh, some have a serious side beneath the joke and some are just staggering in their lack of hindsight. This is our pick of the top weird and wonderful news stories we've worked on over the last decade.
-
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/200101/12/30_2001jan12January 12 2001 - Prada chief says group will not be deflected from IPO despite difficult market conditions
Prada's on-again, off-again IPO story has been running since 2000 and in early 2001 CEO Patrizio Bertelli said difficult market conditions and a weaker economy would not derail a listing that year. Fast-forward to our latest headline on the subject - Prada preparing for autumn IPO, May 19 2008.
-
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/access/172_1998jun09June 9 1998 - Chinese lose out in US textile market
It seems strange now, but ten years ago there were fears that Chinese textiles were losing market share in the US due to long shipping times and products not being cost-effective. Mexico had recently replaced China as the leading textiles and apparel supplier to the US.
-
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/200011/13/230_2000nov13November 13 2000 - London internet conference cancelled due to "lack of interest"
Yes, eight years ago the organisers of an internet conference found themselves with three times as many speakers as delegates! It's hard to believe now, but not so many years ago the dotcom bust made the internet a no-go for investors, resulting in the cancellation of the first ever World Internet Forum.
-
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/200104/27/460_2001apr27
April 27 2001 - US inventor designs world's first gun-holster bra
Our question is, if this design was touted as the "first," did it expect to set a trend? The bra, designed by a Beverly Hills star-protecting security consultant, was designed to hold a .38 calibre snub-nose revolver, and also had room for a pepper spray. We imagine with today's fixation on breast enhancement, there's has to be one out there to support a .44 Magnum…
-
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/200808/04/90_2008aug04
August 4 2008 - Japan's Cool Biz a little too hot for some workers says report
The generation gap is alive and well in some offices. The Japanese government's ongoing Cool Biz energy-saving campaign causes older, more covered-up workers to feel embarrassed at their skimpily-dressed younger colleagues' fashion choices. Behind the story is a serious question - in an age when almost anything goes, just what is appropriate dress at work?
-
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/200011/29/170_2000nov29November 29 2000 - E-tail is no threat to shopping malls says shopping centre spokesman
Hindsight is 20/20, but back in late 2000, quite a few people might have agreed with Dr John Konarski of the US-based International Council of Shopping Centers. Konarski said that the internet was no longer the big threat to traditional shopping malls that many feared. "Many of the dotcoms are no longer in business and those that are left have severe capital problems," he said.
-
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/200712/31/80_2007dec31December 31 2007 - New Hello Kitty line to target young men
We were as surprised as anyone to discover that the ultimate in girlie brands was preparing to produce a line that targeted guys. However, we were relieved to hear that the cat's bubble-headed shape has been slightly altered to giver a more "rugged, cool look" to appeal to men in their teens and early 20s.
-
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/200712/11/60_2007dec11December 12 2007 - Atlanta school board banishes saggy trousers
While we chuckled over the irate officials in Atlanta's decision, as well as the news from 2003 that Louisiana might fine or jail women for wearing low-slung pants, we also saw the serious side of these stories. Some accused the authorities of racism and said they were only targeting fashion styles worn by young black men and women.
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/200404/26/110_2004apr26 -
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/access/1001276_1998dec04January 06 2001 - Gay goldmine questioned
Gay couples aren't the perfect targets for upmarket goods, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force in the US said, adding that the gay population is "a lot more downmarket than people think". Brand owners and retailers emphatically disagreed and a story this year seemed to bear them out. Legalised gay marriages in California were predicted to be major boost to jewellery retailers, as market research company Harris Interactive highlighted "a projected $641bn in purchasing power and higher discretionary spending patterns than mainstream consumers" among gay, bisexual and transgender consumers.
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/200807/15/80_2008jul15 -
http://www.wgsn.com/members/news/dailynews/200504/13/90_2005apr13April 13 2005 - What: China's "mistress market" spurs sales of luxury goods
This amusing headline actually said a lot about the changes in China. "The traditional custom of wealthy and powerful men keeping mistresses that they lavish with expensive gifts is making a huge comeback, as mainland China opens up to capitalism," the latest edition of Luxury Unlimited noted. But while it said that luxury goods firms are increasingly aware of the mistress market, none of them have targeted them explicitly just yet.
