Fashion
Vegan Fashion Brand GUNAS to Launch Beauty Line After Closing Seed Investment Round with a $5m Valuation

GUNAS, America’s first vegan handbag company, has successfully completed its seed investment round of a quarter million dollars from an anonymous angel investor at a valuation of USD $5 million.
Neil Mohinani, an independent finance professional in New York City, brought in strategic angel investors with the objective of expanding the product offering and geographic reach of the brand’s customer base.
The angel investors saw GUNAS as a lifestyle brand aligned to shifting millennial preferences associated with conscious consumerism and high design. Mohinani believes the company is on a growth path to cross a $100 million-dollar valuation within five years given its current growth rates and product strategy.
Over the past four years, sales of GUNAS handbags and accessories went up by approximately 30% annually as the brand’s message of mindful consumerism increasingly resonated with its audience globally. The company has a growing social media base and a healthy list of customers in over 40 countries. In June last year, GUNAS won the Macy’s Best Retail Bag Award in New York City through the Independent Handbag Awards.

Sugandh Agrawal, founder of GUNAS, which won the Macy’s Best Retail Bag Award in New York City through the Independent Handbag Awards in 2018, says the move into beauty products is in line with the compassionate lifestyle brand’s ethos of inner and outer beauty without harming any living being.
The company will use the $250,000 investment to introduce uniquely designed and 100% plant-based artisanal beauty bars, starting with pure olive oil soap in floral fragrances and volcanic ash. “Beauty soaps have a huge opportunity in terms of being animal-free and formulated with pure ingredients,” said GUNAS founder Sugandh Agrawal. “This new direction is an extension of our core values of inner beauty inside and out, without harming any living being.”
In addition to the monetary investment, the angel investor – who prefers to remain anonymous – will provide GUNAS with trademarking help, digital marketing and expanding sales in Asia, as well as placing the brand’s fashion and beauty products with Asian celebrities.
GUNAS is exhibiting at AmericasMart Atlanta, June 12-15, 2019, Booth #755.
SOURCE: GUNAS
Campaigns
The North Face Launches a Global Effort to Make Earth Day a National Holiday

The brand will close its stores on Earth Day, launch a global petition to make Earth Day an officially recognized holiday and celebrate exploration through city takeovers across the globe
Beginning today, The North Face will activate “Explore Mode” in major cities leading up to Earth Day on Monday, April 22. Throughout the week, The North Face will partner with musicians, artists and culinary influencers to host a series of one-of-a-kind experiences that encourage people to disconnect digitally and engage with their surroundings.
The week will culminate with The North Face and 15 organizations around the world partnering to launch a global Change.org petition to make Earth Day an officially recognized holiday. The North Face will also shut down 113 stores in the US and Canada, as well as its global headquarters on Earth Day to provide opportunity for employees to disconnect and explore.
“The North Face is no stranger to exploration and this Earth Day we are proud to join our partners and fellow explorers in a global effort to make Earth Day a national holiday,” said Global General Manager of Lifestyle at The North Face, Tim Bantle. “We believe that when people take time to appreciate the Earth, they feel more connected to it and are more likely to protect it. Explore Mode urges us to unplug from our digital lives to connect in real life to the world, each other, and ourselves in the effort to move the world forward.”
The North Face partnered with influencers including singer and songwriter Ella Mai, chef Angela Dimayuga and model and activist Gabrielle Richardson to host bespoke events in New York City that will reflect the brand’s spirit and the mindset of exploration in music, food and art, along with encouraging exploration in the outdoors. These experiences will only be accessible to those who put down their phones and digital devices to be present in the moment.
Explore Mode experiences are rooted in inspiring and enabling people everywhere to unplug from their digital lives and connect in real life to the one another and the world around them.
- Tuesday, April 16: Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Ella Maijoins with vintage fashion collector and curator, Brian Procell, to throw the ultimate 90s throwback party – a mash-up of music and streetwear. Mai will pay homage to the hits and looks of past decades that inspire culture today, while Procell’s collection, including vintage looks from The North Face, is on display.
- Wednesday, April 17: World renowned chef Angela Dimayuga will go off menu and bring a select number of consumers along for the ride as she explores the many flavors of NYC that bring her inspiration.
- Thursday, April 18: Model-artist-activist Gabrielle Richardson takes over Skylight Soho to curate an art exhibition under the theme of exploration. Guests are invited to participate in a “live” piece onsite with Gabrielle and her partners through an interactive display of artistic exploration.
The brand will also activate Explore Mode in other major cities globally including London, Manchester, Munich and Paris.
“Exploration drives creativity. It is important to me to find musical inspiration from all the world’s aspects,” said Mai. “I’m excited to partner with The North Face to celebrate the many forms of exploration and show New York City what exploration means to me.”
Before closing stores, The North Face will also switch its retail locations into Explore Mode where customers can find all the resources they need to spend Earth Day off the grid, exploring the outdoors. Customers who choose to take part in The North Face exploration activities will be rewarded with an exploration kit that includes analog gear to stay present and capture memories without the need for digital devices.
The North Face is committed to social good through programs like the Explore Fund, as well as conservation efforts since its founding in 1966. For more information on Earth Day as a national holiday or to sign the petition visit:
SOURCE: The North Face
Consumer Electronics
RAVE Reviews Releases Ranking of the Best Hair Straighteners

RAVE Reviews, the innovative site that publishes entertaining rankings based on advanced data-driven analysis, has published a ranking series of the “Best Hair Straighteners,” available at:
https://www.ravereviews.org/women/best-hair-straighteners/.
You’ve probably been there before. The plan was to spend time straightening your hair to perfection so that you could strut out of your house in supermodel fashion. Yet, an hour later, you stumble out of your house burned and looking like a crow tried to nest in your hair. Forget your subpar straightener. Your hair is a diva and demands more. This is why RAVE Reviews put together a ranking of the best straighteners to ensure you are equipped with the best of the best.
The perfect straightener is different for everyone. Frequency of usage, hair thickness, and hair texture are all factors that need to be taken into account in order to select the ideal straightener. RAVE’s number one choice, the Furden Two-In-One Straightener, does the job wonderfully for most people. As some hair has very particular needs, however, RAVE highlighted the best straightener for everyday use, thick hair, fine hair, and for those working on a budget. This ranking outlines the tools you need for that supermodel look. It’s time to get your strut back.
Flat irons are one of the most versatile styling tools, but they can seriously damage your hair if you’re not using the right one,” said Hillary Miller, Managing Editor for RAVE Reviews. “Whether you’re looking to straighten, create beachy waves, or get tighter curls, a good straightener can do it all — without frying your hair in the process. That’s what we wanted to highlight in this ranking.”
In determining which straighteners to feature, RAVE compared reviews from sources across the internet and took into account multiple factors such as price, materials, technology, feel, effectiveness, and more.
The full list of featured products includes:
Agave Healing Vapor Iron – Los Angeles, California
Bio Ionic Onepass Straightening Iron, 1 Inch, Black – Staten Island, New York
BylissPRO Nano Titanium-Plated Ultra-Thin Straightening Iron – Stamford, Connecticut
Drybar Tress Press Flatiron – Brentwood, California
FHI Brands Platform Tourmaline Ceramic Professional Hair Styling Iron – Norwalk, California
Furiden 2 in 1 – Shenzhen, China
ghd Platinum White Styler – Leeds, United Kingdom
HAI Gold Convertible – Chino, California
HSI Professional Glider – Hialeah, Florida
KIPOZI Pro Flat Iron – Zhuhai, China
Remington Pro 1″ Digital Heat Flat Iron – DeForest, Wisconsin
T3 Singlepass Luxe – Venice, California
RAVE Reviews is an authoritative and entertaining guide for consumer goods, entertainment, and travel. It’s not a product review site or a lifestyle magazine. But if those two met on an online dating site, 9 months later, you’d have RAVE Reviews.
SOURCE: RAVE Reviews
Awards
cbdMD Co-Presents Prabal Gurung’s 2019 Fall/Winter Women’s Collection Launch at Bloomingdale’s New York

Tonight, April 9, 2019, cbdMD, a Level Brands company (NYSE American: LEVB), will serve as the co-presenting sponsor with Kitchen Toke Magazine for a dinner celebrating fashion designer Prabal Gurung’s official launch of his Fall/Winter 2019 modern, luxury women’s collection at Bloomingdale’s New York. With a distinct focus on quality, innovation, and community, cbdMD’s partnership with Kitchen Toke was built on shared values.
Hosted at Café Clover, the celebratory dinner commemorates Prabal Gurung’s collection being sold in a dedicated space at Bloomingdale’s headquarters in their New York City store. Attendees, including ELLE Magazine, NY Times, The Daily, Vogue, Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, and a wealth of fashion influencers, will receive a range of cbdMD CBD oil products as well as a specialty dessert infused with cbdMD’s Natural CBD Oil.
“As our industry continues to develop and break down barriers, it’s important for CBD brands to keep category education and awareness at the forefront,” said Caryn Dunayer, Co-Founder and President of cbdMD. “Partnering with Prabal at Bloomingdale’s is a no-brainer – we are able to educate a large group of customers that align well with our mission regarding all-natural alternatives for health and wellness.”
Born in Singapore, raised in Nepal, Gurung has excelled in American fashion with designs worn by trendsetters like First Lady Michelle Obama. He has been recognized for his achievements and unique approach to style with many awards, including the 2010 Ecco Domani Fashion Fund Award, USA Network’s Character Approved Award recipient in 2011, named goodwill ambassador of Maiti Nepal, recipient of the 2011 CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear, and was honored in 2015 with the inaugural Creativity Award from The Drawing Center – to name a few.
cbdMD has also been acknowledged for their approach to innovation in the CBD industry. Among many firsts, cbdMD was the first CBD company to join the New York Stock Exchange, is the official founder of national CBD Day, was the first cannabis company to advertise in Times Square and in ELLE Magazine. cbdMD was also named Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2018 CBD Editor’s Choice for the top 100 Cannabis Leaders Issue.
For a sneak peek of the line, click here; to purchase your premium CBD oil products, visit:
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations and involve certain risks and uncertainties within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as ”should,” ”may,” ”intends,” ”anticipates,” ”believes,” ”estimates,” ”projects,” ”forecasts,” ”expects,” ”plans,” and ”proposes.” These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements. You are urged to carefully review and consider any cautionary statements and other disclosures, including the statements made under the heading “Risk Factors” in Level Brands, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 12, 2018 and our other filings with the SEC. All forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, many of which are generally outside the control of Level Brands, Inc. and are difficult to predict. Level Brands, Inc. does not undertake any duty to update any forward-looking statements except as may be required by law.
SOURCE: cbdMD
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