Iveta Karpathyova is a self-motivated creative genius. An emerging fashion illustrator, Iveta has combined her educational background in fashion with her talent for visual art to create and foster a successful business for herself

Vidafine was recently invited to the launch party for Paintlounge, a new tea shop that offers canvas painting as entertainment to its patrons. The concept is relatively simple, you purchase a modestly priced empty canvas, use the provided tools and paints and start creating your art masterpiece. Take all the time you need to paint your canvas and when you’re finished, you get to take it home with you and brighten up that plain white wall.

Since our last post about eco-travel just south of the American border, we’ve discovered another gem, this time on the other side of the globe in Thailand, known as Soneva Kiri, which is part of the Six Senses Spa and Development Company. With its stunning architecture, meticulous attention to detail and of course, its eco-friendly practices towards luxury travel, it is simply nothing short of spectacular. Considering the amount of carbon fumes emitted during travel time to get here, it’s nice to know I can make up for my environmental negligence during my stay.

One of the World’s Largest Observation wheels at approximately 500 ft in diameter just got a little more luxurious. Not only will you be able to feast your eyes on the magnificent views of Singapore while being transported high into the sky inside one of the 28 capsules, you will be able to sip your favourite cocktail while taking it for a ride. The Singapore Flyer’s beautiful design doesn’t hurt either. I am totally sold by this combination of class and adventure put into one.

I first heard the name jeffstaple and learned about his works back in the sneaker-hysteria days which has palpably cooled off in recent years. On the now defunct blog To Darrin Hudson, he was generously giving away his shoe collection because he was contemplating a move to Japan – which in the end didn’t go through. Being the shoe lover that I was, I anxiously put forth my bid for a pair of his collection. Unfortunately for me, I was unable to get my hands on a pair of his prized collection but fortunately for the city of NYC, he stayed and was able to bless the city with his designs, and projects.

Since then, he’s come a long way – opening one of NYC’s most unique shopping experiences in the Lower East Side, a magazine mirroring the ideology of the store, a successful clothing line which has made its way to several continents, and of course his forward thinking company which is at the heart of it all, Staple Design.

Below is an interview with Jeff that really gives us a glimpse of his beginnings and how you can never really escape who you are or what you’re meant to do.

Picture via Blurasis’ Flickr

One thing that crowdsourcing really brings to the table is the human interaction in the otherwise one directional conversations that occur through various channels of media. Users have been empowered with the ability to more than have a say, and actually have a hand in the creation of the final product. Take a look at music videos for instance. Traditionally, it has been musicians putting together a short flick for the viewer’s pleasure. But as usual, the advancements of technology have lubricated the engine for interaction between the makers and users. Take acclaimed Canadian indie rock band, Arcade Fire for instance. They recently released a music video – but with a slight twist.

Enhancing customers’ and patrons’ experience extends far beyond the price tags, clothing racks and cash registers. As we’ve seen last week, differentiating from the competition has become quite vital in making that customer experience special. This week, we’ll continue to explore the different ways some other brands are really bringing together disparate parts to create a fused unique experience for their customers.

With a handful of successful celebrity collaborations already under its belt (Brad Pitt…need I say more?), Kiehl’s shows no signs of stopping its innovative, synergetic partnerships. Earlier this year, a project united the popular skincare and haircare brand with Jeff Koons, one of the world’s most influential contemporary artists, to raise funds and awareness for The Koons Family Institute.