The company is one of a handful of fashion-related blog networks. Competitors include Gawker, Glam and Coutorture. Such networks can provide an easy way for apparel companies to place banner ads on many fashion blogs at once. The company intends to acquire ShopStyle with stock. In June, Sugar raised a second round of venture financing of $10 million from NBC and blue-chip venture firm Sequoia, bringing its total funding to $15 million. By next month, the site will be cash-flow positive, said Sugar.
ShopStyle will become a wholly owned subsidiary and continue to operate with its same name and site. ShopStyle founder Andy Moss will become general manager for ShopStyle and report to Sugar. NBC sells Sugar's advertising and cross-links content with its women's online site, iVillage Inc. — Cate Corcoran
DESIGNER DOLLS: Big brands are coming to the virtual mall in Stardoll, the virtual world for tweens. DKNY and Sephora plan to reveal today that they will open virtual stores where girls can see the brands' latest lines, try them on, and buy them for their avatars for about the equivalent of $1 or $2. Stardoll has more than 10 million registered members and more than 6 million unique visitors a month, making it larger than Second Life. The terms of the partnership were not disclosed. Stardoll's team created a three-floor flagship that closely resembles DKNY's real-world stores. "Choosing different clothes and styles is very important for our users," said Stardoll chief executive Mattias Miksche. "They are expressing themselves online, and also it is the foundation of who you choose to connect with." — C.C.
RIGHT FIT: Four years ago, Playtex relaunched its MySize bra in the U.S. and, since then, the company has seen that style's sales climb by 643 percent. Now Playtex is taking its half-size bra to the U.K. market and will spend 1.6 million pounds, or $3.2 million at current exchange rates, on a multimedia campaign that will run in the November issues of Eve, Red, Grazia, You and Good Housekeeping, said a spokeswoman. The MySize TV ad opens with the "Playtex Angels" (déjà vu, Victoria's Secret?), and online, ads will run on iVillage, Google and Handbag.com. The campaign will run from October until the end of December. — Amy Wicks
ShopStyle will become a wholly owned subsidiary and continue to operate with its same name and site. ShopStyle founder Andy Moss will become general manager for ShopStyle and report to Sugar. NBC sells Sugar's advertising and cross-links content with its women's online site, iVillage Inc. — Cate Corcoran
DESIGNER DOLLS: Big brands are coming to the virtual mall in Stardoll, the virtual world for tweens. DKNY and Sephora plan to reveal today that they will open virtual stores where girls can see the brands' latest lines, try them on, and buy them for their avatars for about the equivalent of $1 or $2. Stardoll has more than 10 million registered members and more than 6 million unique visitors a month, making it larger than Second Life. The terms of the partnership were not disclosed. Stardoll's team created a three-floor flagship that closely resembles DKNY's real-world stores. "Choosing different clothes and styles is very important for our users," said Stardoll chief executive Mattias Miksche. "They are expressing themselves online, and also it is the foundation of who you choose to connect with." — C.C.
RIGHT FIT: Four years ago, Playtex relaunched its MySize bra in the U.S. and, since then, the company has seen that style's sales climb by 643 percent. Now Playtex is taking its half-size bra to the U.K. market and will spend 1.6 million pounds, or $3.2 million at current exchange rates, on a multimedia campaign that will run in the November issues of Eve, Red, Grazia, You and Good Housekeeping, said a spokeswoman. The MySize TV ad opens with the "Playtex Angels" (déjà vu, Victoria's Secret?), and online, ads will run on iVillage, Google and Handbag.com. The campaign will run from October until the end of December. — Amy Wicks
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