Fighting off Swine Flu while looking suave

As we head into the winter months the risk of Swine Flu returns once more. The colder conditions, people staying indoors more, all leads to the possibility of catching the dreaded disease. Fighting back could involve washing hands regularly, avoiding people who have had the illness and so on - but also you could wear this suit, which claims to keep the disease at bay.

On The Telegraph the story says, "The suit is coated with the chemical titanium dioxide, which reacts to light to break down and kill the virus when it comes into contact with it, according to Junko Hirohata. The chemical is a common ingredient in toothpaste and cosmetics."

The suit retails at £365 but with 4,100 deaths already confirmed due to swine flue around the world, it wouldn't be surprising if it found a fair few customers.

Pants

What's a good way to get people to think about their health? Adverts? Leaflets? Pretty standard stuff like that at least right?

Not in China. Oh no. For them, to make men aware of the dangers of wearing pants that are too tight they hung a 12ft pair of pants from the front of a hospital in Changsha Bo Da Hospital in Changsha, southern China. Certainly an interesting marketing strategy. Although, it's clearly worked as even we are blogging about it, passing on their message. Perhaps not so pants after all!

If the shoe fits...

Buying shoes is a love it or hate it event. Mostly, cliches in use, women love it and men hate it. But of course, life is far more multi-layered than that. However, an interesting survey of some 2,000 people has shown that around four out of 10 women often buy shoes in the wrong size, and 17 percent of men do as well.

Quoted in the article Lorraine Jones, from the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, said: "Many of us find it hard to resist a bargain and the latest fashion must-have, but it's important to remember that by buying ill-fitting shoes, you're not only going to end up in discomfort, but you are also putting your health at risk."

Sample comments, justifying wearing ill-fitting shoes, include this piece of honesty: "Yes, I have worn shoes that hurt, just because they were beautiful. Gorgeous shoes make you feel better, complete an outfit and give you a special "buzz". It is only afterwards that your feet hurt - badly."
Wildmint, Liverpool

Shoes for a night out are one thing though, but at work good fitting shoes are surely a necessity to help people do their jobs correctly and stay comfortable throughout the day. Particularly important if you work in a shoe shop as well.

Eco friendly?

A story in today's Daily Mail sheds light on a move by Kirklees Council to insist relatives dress deceased relatives who are to be cremated in 'environmentally friendly' clothing so that chemicals harmful to the environment are not released into the atmosphere during the process.
Unsurprisingly this has led to some complaints: the below is an extract from the article:

One man, who did not want to be named, was shocked to find his relative could not wear the 100 per cent cotton outfit she had chosen before she died.

He said: ‘We knew it had to be natural fibres so she chose a top and slip that was 100 per cent cotton. ‘But when the funeral director came we were told she would have to wear a special shroud. He pulled out a swatch of different colours to choose from.

‘We didn’t know what it looked like and when we went to see her in the chapel of rest, we couldn’t believe it. It was all fluffy and frilly. The deceased would not have wanted to have been seen dead in it - unfortunately she was.’

A drastic move it seems; is it one that can be justified? Does every aspect of life (and death) need to be subject to rigorous environmental controls? Or is this a step too far? What do you think?

Aporkalypse

The swine flu thing is very odd. A bit scary too. As you've no doubt seen on the news, many people have taken to wearing masks to try and stop any particles of pig enter their beings, and, being the creative bunch of people humans are, many are decorating their masks with hilarious pictures - as you can see here.

Reality bites

David Hepworth, founder of Word Magazine and Q and other magazine based things (and so a favourite of Company Clothing), has written a blog post about his experiences with the myriad styles of dress and appearence in the NHS here after a recent trip to A&E following an accident.

It's very interesting to read what he has to say about the lack of a cohesive look in the hospital;

"I can't help but think that it looked slovenly. And when things look slovenly, they can often be slovenly. When you're thrown into this kind of environment, usually in some distress, surely it has to help if you can immediately work out who the people are, what role they fulfil and, also, who's in charge."

Which is a fairly damning indictment and one which carries some weight. After all, his magazine credentials aside, he's a member of the public and as such voices, eloquantly, the concerns many may have had too. While it's just one opinion, it would do well if the NHS where aware of such criticisms and made the appropriate changes. Are they on Twitter?

Ensuring all needs are met

Clothes make the man, or so the quotation goes, but people are the end-users of clothing and their considerations have to be final.

The story, which you can read here, outlines that albinos in Nigeria have appealed to educations authorities to exempt them from wearing school uniforms as it can cause health problems. They have said they have been made to expose their bodies to direct sun ray, at the insistence of the authorities, and this makes them vulnerable to skin cancer.

Clearly a serious matter and one that underlines an important aspect of clothing. All wearer's needs can be different and that while the majority may be happy enough with a certain style, look or design, sometimes it can be the minority, in any form, from which the most important objections or debates come.