Pearl and Her Top 20 Trends

This month, our most active new Trend Hunter was Pearl, who added over a hundred trends in her first 30 days.

Pearl is a Canadian with a science background. She loves to read and collect all sorts of information and trivia. Her main hobby is jewelry making and she owns a small business. She’s also a beading instructor.

TrendHunter.com/Pearl

Pearl’s 20 Most Popular Trends

1. Digitally Aged Celebrities - Stars Who Died Young as Seniors (GALLERY)

Andrzej Dragan’s remarkable photographic portraits focus on well known public figures who died long before they became old. The Polish-born artist shows the celebrities as they may have looked had they lived to their senior years. The movie siren, Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee and Adolf Hitler are shown… [More]

2. Gaze Assessment - Philips Windows Know Where You Look

Philips, the electronics company, has invented and patented a way to track the gazes of window shoppers. The tracker can determine what item is being looked at, then larger pictures, slideshows, or more information is displayed on nearby screens. 

At least one detector will be configured to detect… [More]

3. Hug-Tech Fashion - Embrace Me Hoodies Lights Up

Studio 5050’s Embrace Me hoodies are marked with bold abstract pattern (the collection’s logo) made up of a silver conductive fabric.  In order to light up, two people must be wearing the same type of jackets. When they hug each other, they actually power up little lights at the back of the garment.… [More]

4. Look Alike Fashion - Handcrafted Camera and Phone Bags (GALLERY)

Camera bags and phone pouches are functional, protect your gear but are so boring. Hine Mizushima’s handcrafted bags are anything but boring. 

These functional art pieces for your purse are fun, funky, colourful conversation pieces.  Great not just for cameras and phones but cosmetics, ipods and… [More]

5. Recycled Soda Can Jewelry - Eco Art by the Disabled (GALLERY)

Most people know about fair trade coffee, but there are also fair trade artisans who stand to gain a better standard of living if what they produce fetches fair prices.  The Mombulu Workshop in Mombasa, Kenya is a group of disabled artisans who make some pretty funky jewelry out of recycled soda pop… [More]

6. LED Headdresses - Wearable Fashion Lighting

British designer Lionel Theodore Dean’s wearable art combines lighting design with fashion to come up with a futuristic look. High intensity LEDs are powered by a battery clip akin to that of a cell phone.

That will keep the head gear lit up for a whole evening. What a way to turn heads, even in… [More]

7. Felt Animal Trophies - Feltidermy (GALLERY)

These whimsical, felt animal trophies made me smile the first time I saw them. The handcrafted beasties are the creation of girlsavage. These custom plaques are sure to please animal lovers and those who share the designer’s impish personality.

Girlsavage says, “I still love to create things that bring… [More]

8. Offbeat Business Cards - Inspiring Ideas for Self Promotion (GALLERY)

As they say, first impressions count, so when you hand someone your business card, a well designed one is a must. However, a cleverly designed business card, not necessarily a shockingly different one, will stand you in good stead. The recipient will always remember it and might just keep it.

The full… [More]

9. Foliage-Covered Wardrobes - Tord Boontje for Meta

It’s hard to tell this is actually a wardrobe unless someone told you. Tord Boontje, a Dutch industrial designer created this piece for Meta. The doors of the wardrobe consist of hundreds of hand-painted enamelled copper leaves. When opened a patinated bronze tree is revealed. One assumes the clothes… [More]

10. Sculptures for the Sole - Couture Shoes by Marloes Ten Bhömer (GALLERY)

Dutch designer, Marloes ten Bhomers’ radical shoes beg belief when you see them for the first time. Their highly sculptured lines are far removed from what we think of as shoes. Indeed, some of her designs need a second look just to make sure they are shoes.

“I never let functionality get in the… [More]

11. Rotary Phone Animals - Telephone Sheep

Talk about telephone installations! Jean-Luc Cornec’s Telephone Sheep is totally made from telephones and telephone cable. There is a whole flock of them, artfully arranged at at the Museum for Communications in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.  Some of the sheep appear to be grazing, some huddled together,… [More]

12. DIY Paper Heroes - Cubee Craft (GALLERY)

Perk up your cubicle or desk with these fun and super cute paper cube people from Cubeecraft.com. You can make these for free by simply printing out the templates on card-stock and then cutting them out. The slits where the tabs go have to be cut with a utility knife but no glue or tape is required.… [More]

13. Non-Dissolving Edible Packaging - Compost or Eat Your Containers

Let’s face it: current food packaging, on one hand, is useful to keep food fresher, but is wasteful. Think of all the plastic and polystyrene containers that are just tossed away after you bring food home to cook and eat. There is enough going to landfills as it is. 

Edible packaging in itself is… [More]

14. Fake Engine Noise - Making Electric Cars Safer

Hybrids and all electric cars offer much more than just fuel economy in an age of skyrocketing gas prices. They are quiet and help reduce noise pollution which is significant in urban areas. Yet, these cars are stealthy and unsafe because people may not hear them coming. Anyone from distracted pedestrians,… [More]

15. Recycled Packaging DIY - FedEx Furniture (GALLERY)

One enterprising man has saved a lot of money by making all his furniture out of used FedEx boxes and packaging supplies. The furniture is not just for show; he actually sleeps on the bed, eats at his dining table and works on his desk.

The idea came from his friend who had made a simple desk for his… [More]

16. $6,100 Black Melons - Rare Japanese Densuke Watermelon

Would you pay $6,100 for just one watermelon? At 17 lbs, that works out to almost $360 per lb! Well, somebody recently did in Japan. He bid and won a rare, black Densuke watermelon at an auction. According to the Associated Press (AP), this is the most expensive watermelon ever sold in Japan and is possibly… [More]

17. Bamboo Jewelry - Laser Cut Eco Accessories (GALLERY)

Bamboo jewelry by Molly M Designs is a perfect match for today’s new environmentally friendly bamboo clothes. The jewelry line is laser cut with designs inspired from her natural surroundings and her garden. Simple, sharp and bold cutouts reveal recycled materials such as wool, felt and suede from old… [More]

18. RFID Social Networks - Jive

Jive is brilliant concept device to allow the elderly and technophobes without computers to still participate in a social network. Their needs are no different from the rest of us; the need to communicate, socialise and generally have fun is universal. Jive delivers through radio frequency identification… [More]

19. Recyclable Baby Cribs - Eco Cradle

This cradle is made from recycled material and is perfect for the short time infants need to be in a cradle.  It’s light, foldable and can be assembled or disassembled easily.  Its portability means it can be taken along on overnight visits. Once the infant has outgrown the cradle, it’s a breeze to take… [More]

20. Tarzan-Inspired Swimwear - Deerskin Loincloths for the Beach (GALLERY)

DLeather makes fashionable swimwear from deerskin for the urban Tarzan. The rugged, primitive look is sure to capture the attention of Janes. The leather loincloths get more comfortable with time just like a pair of leather shoes or a favourite pair of jeans. According to dleather, ‘Your body moisture… [More]