see this email message in full color here

:: Spring Break, Interviews, Summer Trips.

We can all forgive ourselves for being lulled into a stupor over the winter, but it is time to snap out of it and seize the day. Spring is here and Summer is closing fast. If you were hoping to get some tickets to a Cubs game, you are looking at August… unless you want to sit alone or make a deal on Craig’s List. Better check into beach rental properties this week or you’ll end up on the wrong side of the street. Graduates, better suit up for interviews now. Hey, chubby, you’re cute and all but let’s get back into that positive ritual and bring that body back to full power.

We can’t help with the Cubs tickets, but we have some stuff to help with the rest of your rites of Spring.

::Don’t get caught in the April Showers:

BlackCoat AirGo: BlackCoat AirGo is the most useful piece of outerwear you could have over the next 6 months…unless you live in the arctic or the desert and have no plans for catching Sweeny Todd at the Eugene O’Neil Theatre and then doing some clubbing. Anyway, if you find yourself someplace where it is warm, wet and you want to look good, the AirGo has you covered. It is exceptionally light at 700g (1.5lbs) but, due to some amazing materials and masterful garment design, this coat looks crisp, comfortable and distinctive.

Our favorite feature of the AirGo is how well it travels and commutes. We suggest you fold it (just the way it comes) and keep it with you all the time. AirGo folds easily to a bundle the size of a magazine. Keep it in it’s zip lock bag in your car or laptop case. One flick of the wrist and this thing fluffs out to a runway-ready garment.

::KOYONO gear you need for fun in the sun

BlackCoat-Tx: Whether you are running a few miles or a few million dollar operation, sweat happens. The Tx version of our patent-pending BlackCoat-T is made from the most advanced breathable, odor-resistant fibers, PowerDry® by Polartec®, to keep you cool and dry. Perspiration is wicked away from the body and released into the air, keeping you fresh and odor free while keeping your cell phone and iPod close to your heart, where they belong. Some fans have told us they consider these shirts über armor. JIMI, The wallet companion for BlackCoat-T: We’ve been fond of these clever, recycled plastic carrying cases for some time. They slide perfectly in and out of the BlackCoat-T compartments and are entirely waterproof, making them our favorite work-out wallet. Don’t miss the cheeky movie on these pages.

Rainbow Sandals: You have probably seen these marvels of engineering and relaxed fashion all around you. If you haven’t tried them, it’s time. Rainbow sandals are comfortable, beautiful and uncompromisingly rugged and portable. We are demanding that everyone in our company wear them when the temperature gets above 80º F (27ºC) to internal meetings. Cool heads and cool feet, we hope, will prevail. Help us start a trend.

::Reminder:

BlackCoat Work, Premiere Edition: We are about to deliver the first run of BlackCoat Work. It is made with the same high-performance fabric we use for BlackCoat Classic (our Premiere coat) and this coat will be the first one to arrive (our Made for iPod premiere). Other styles with iPod controls will be available shortly. Subscribe to our RSS feed at TheBlackCoat.com to keep up on new developments.

Bookmark to:

I love it when the late Peter Drucker is referenced in the media. What a freaking genius! It’s amazing how so many of his theories on management have been completely ignored or overlooked for one reason or another. From strength productivity to focusing on marketing and innovation ahead of finance, it does not make sense why more corporations do not put his “stuff” to good use.

Oh well, at least this article titled “Be smarter at work, slack off” sheds some light on many corporate behaviors that add little value. From “face time” to just lookin’ busy, none of it matters as much as knowing the value of time and making big chunks of it to simply THINK.

One of the most valuable things I have learned as an Entrepreneur is that Peter Drucker is right – “All one can think and do in a short time is to think what one already knows and to do as one has always done.” What a vicious cycle.

So if your friends get pissed because you don’t call, your co-workers feel slighted because you are skipping the all important beers after work, or your boss writes you up for being a day dreamer, remind yourself of Peter Drucker. Learning to make space and time to think could be the most important skill you learn.

Jay

Bookmark to:

The “BlackCoat” is an overcoat alternative that was designed by KOYONO in 2000 that embodies the spirit of Geniuses, Artists and Innovators (G.A.I.). It is a symbol of the complexities that people trying to change the world face as they balance the need for conformity with the urge to constantly push the envelope. TheBlackCoat.com is a tribute to the continuum of positive change that G.A.I. makes.

Jay Yoo

Bookmark to:

:: Advance purchase of BlackCoat Work, shipping this month.

We are proud to announce that we are now taking orders for our first Made for iPod garment, BlackCoat Work. We previewed this jean jacket/sportcoat hybrid at the CES and MacWorld shows in January and ended up on CNN, in USA Today and hundreds of other newspapers and blogs worldwide. There are two consistent angles to the story: smart fabric controls are cool AND wearable technology isn’t just for geeks anymore.

KOYONO has partnered with Eleksen to put their truly genius technology, ElekTex® into our garments. The ElekTex® controls are washable, foldable, mangleable and more durable than most of the high-performance fabrics we work with. ElekTex is also capable of acting as an interface for anything. Seriously. We’re very excited about the types of innovations we will be able to introduce using this breakthrough technology, but for right now, we’re just using it to fully mimic the controls of our other favorite innovation of the last decade, the iPod®.

We hope by putting this advancement in a jacket that you can wear everyday and at a price most people can afford that in some small way it will inspire great new ideas… while making people look better and enabling a more fluid and discreet way to carry gadgets.

::Two versions of BlackCoat Work to choose from:

BlackCoat Work, Premiere Edition: We are completing a limited edition run of BlackCoat Work in the same high-performance fabric we use for BlackCoat Classic (our Premiere coat) and this coat will be the first one to arrive (our Made for iPod premiere). Like BlackCoat Classic, It is only available in black.

BlackCoat Work: The waterproof stretch cotton version of BlackCoat Work will follow soon after the Premiere edition and will come in both black and Latte.

We are also adding two more wallets to our collection. You might ask, "Why, oh, why more wallets? You already have Slimmy, SlimSlimmy, and SportSlimmy." Most of the advice you will get from the experts in effectiveness (getting things done) will tell you that learning to be mindful is an important discipline. You need to be as focused on what you don’t do as you are on what you do (Do you have a Don’t Do List next to your To Do List?) You always need to carry a few things with you. If you aren’t mindful of what is in your wallet you end up with one of those bulging menaces. It is a risk to your health, your safety and it doesn’t represent you as someone who gets things done. If you have just one wallet for every situation then you are always compromising form, fashion, or function. We’d rather not compromise. We hope these wallets help you as much as they help us.

::Two new wallets for common situations:

JIMI, The wallet companion for BlackCoat-T: We’ve been fond of these clever, recycled plastic carrying cases for some time. They slide perfectly in and out of the BlackCoat-T compartments and are entirely waterproof, making them our favorite work-out wallet. Don’t miss the cheeky movie on these pages.

ViewSlimmy, Slimmy wallet with a window: Part of what we love about Slimmy is how it makes it very easy to develop a very smooth reach for your wallet. Once you have a Slimmy, you can smirk at those guys digging into their derrière for that butt brick. The ViewSlimmy makes this smooth wallet kata even better. If you leave your ID against the clear window on the side of this Slimmy you can slide into the club with just a flick of the wrist. Very nicely done.

Bookmark to: