Rigu - Friday Finger Point

So, it's week 2 of the Friday Finger Point and I think I've got something that a lot of you might like..You know the way most things you can get for your camera are kind of dull and black/grey? Well, get ready for all of that to change thanks to the colourful camera accessories from Rigu..

This new company is based in Northern England in the Lake District, which, I'm reliably informed, is one of the most photographed places in England and hence it's possible for Andy, the company owner, to know when his mission has been accomplished..
"When most of the tourists and hikers are walking around with colourful camera straps I'll know that we've achieved our mission." I like the mission..and the products...

One product that really caught my attention was the iPhone4/4s tripod stand..Now, I don't have an iPhone but I know if there were a stand for my Samsung Galaxy S2 I'd be all over it in a heartbeat..Here's why..These smart phones have pretty decent cameras on them and most can now shoot in HD and the likes..The one failing though is that if the phone is being held any slight movement of the hand could result in a big movement in shot so a tripod would sort this problem out in jig time..Really, as far as cool/useful products go this one is well up there with the best I've seen lately (wow, how easily pleased am I?)..

Another item from the Rigu range that made be go "oooh, look at that, that's a bit nifty" are these camera bags..How can one get excited about camera bags you say? Well, because, they can be used for more than just cameras and they've got a nice wedge of padding for protection..With all the digital gadgets we have in our pockets these days giving them some protection is never a bad idea..Perhaps I'm showing my age here and starting to get cautious...At this rate if I'm not careful I'll be wearing knee pads when roller blading next ;)

So, a snapshot of some of the products there but the underlying ethos of this new company was summed up best by the owner Andy,
"Rigu was born from the idea that camera accessories don't need to be boring and black. Sometimes black is cool, but it feels as if in the camera world almost everything is black, people need more colourful options and that is what Rigu is here to do for you."
Given that what we do with LadyUmbrella is all about colour who knows, there may be a potential for a collab at with Rigu at some point in time in the future - for now we can dream..

Anyway, let me know what you think about Rigu..Am I right in thinking that the iPhone tripod stand is possibly one of the best things since sliced bread or perhaps some Hello Kitty Camera Straps tickle your fancy? And, what colourful Rigu products caught your eye?

Rigu - You've been Friday Finger Pointed!

The Friday Finger Point is a weekly post where I point the finger (in a nice way) at an online brand owner, designer or creative type..LadyUmbrella has been lucky to get lots of blog posts about us so it's our turn to give something back..Check out the brands and people pointed out each week, spread them on and let me know which ones you like!

OMUNKY - The Friday Finger Point

So, with bounding enthusiasm I write the first, of hopefully many, Friday Finger Points and I'm delighted to have OMUNKY as the first brand I get to feature..OMUNKY is a t-shirt brand with an eco twist, all t-shirts are eco friendly and 5% of all sales are donated to WildAid - a company that practices what they preach, nice to see..

Rick, the owner and designer behind OMUNKY, started OMUNKY in July 2009 with the goal of bringing humor to the eco-friendly/animal activist clothing market.
"I didn't want to sell shirts that just said things like "save the whales" or "plant a tree"."
he said and after scouring his nicely laid out shop I can confirm that there are no such cliches..Instead this eco brand has a fine array of quirky, colourful and charming characters ranging from giraffes to gorillas and moose to monkeys (there had to be some monkeys didn't there?).. The stand out design for me is this purple OMUNKY logo t-shirt, I really dig the colour and fun simplicity of the design..Which one floats your boat?

Whilst there are no rules to an OMUNKY t-shirt, there is a method to the OMUNKY design madness as Rick explains,
"There is really no rules when I design a shirt, I just prefer not to use humans or domestic animals. The current season also plays a factor in my releases. I try and stick the animal I design in what I feel is their appropriate month (Polar Bear = December, Giraffes = June, you get the idea)."
Indeed we do :)

Like lots of online brands the OMUNKY empire expands beyond just the website and onto facebook and twitter.. Rick, like myself, is
"a huge fan of Facebook and Twitter, and how they allow me to interact with my customers. I think OMUNKY would have been a very different brand if it did not utilize the power of social networking."
I can only concur with Rick on this point so follow OMUNKY on Twitter and like on facebook and let him know who pointed you in his direction ;)

The picture above also shows that OMUNKY is an online brand that isn't afraid to go offline and take his wares to his customers..This is an important part for growing a brand I think and something we've also tried to do (I wrote about this recently for HYA) and one that I hope has been beneficial for OMUNKY..

With us swimming in similiar shirty circles I've been familiar with OMUNKY for a while now and am happy to be able to showcase the brand as our first Friday Finger Point.. I can say with certainty that selling t-shirts online is not the easiest thing to do but I've been able to see OMUNKY grow over the last few years and genuinely wish Rick all the best for the future..Who knows, maybe an OMUNKY meets LadyUmbrella collab may happen sometime in the future..

OMUNKY, you've been Friday Finger Pointed!


The Friday Finger Point is a weekly post where I point the finger (in a nice way) at an online brand owner, designer or creative type..LadyUmbrella has been lucky to get lots of blog posts about us so it's our turn to give something back..Check out the brands and people pointed out each week, spread them on and let me know which ones you like!

Are YOU an Online Brand Owner, a Designer, a Pretty Fashion Maker?

Are you a brand owner? A funky designer of anything odd, quirky or awesome? Perhaps you're a pretty dress maker? Dare I say it, a t-shirt company? Whatever you do and whoever you are I'd like to hear from you now...Here's why..

Each week I want to have a weekly blog post about some other brand that is doing something cool in design, fashion, jewellery or whatever and give them whatever attention I can give them..The reason for this is because we've been fortunate enough to receive lots of lovely blog posts about us I think it's time to give something back, karma and all that.. That's where YOU come in!

If you'd like to be mentioned in our weekly feature please leave a comment below or e-mail me at ladyumbrellaltd[A.T]gmail(~dot~)com (good luck spam bots ;)) with a link to your brand/items you'd like me to mention and a bit of info on what you do.. Then, I'll don my journalist cap and get to work on writing the posts..All posts will be shared on our facebook page and will be tweeted about.. It's Wednesday now so I think I'll aim to have the first one on Friday and perhaps call it the Friday Finger Point..um, ye, that could work..

So, you know what to do, get in touch asap and this ball will get rolling...Ole!


P.S. Sharing is caring! Our IT boffins have have got a new Facebook "like" button and Twitter ReTweet button on the top of all our blog posts..Give them a click and make us smile!