Back at long last!
Alucard's signature red trench
The trench that Hellsing anime fans have been wanting has finally returned to the AbbyShot web site! The Alucard Trench is released in both custom fit and set size versions! When we tested our Red RDF fabric for this trench it looked great! Not wanting to waste another moment, we quickly assembled a location, model and trenchcoat and released the Alucard Trench!
No sooner had we released this when we began to receive comments telling us about the slight design differences between the original Hellsing TV anime series and the 'new and improved' Hellsing Ultimate OVA series. We checked it out and sure enough, there are some changes. We have identified three design differences:
- The collar lapels are positioned slightly lower.
- The back of the coat has a back flap of fabric that spans the shoulders and connects the capelets. This back flap also has a split in the middle.
- Lastly, there is a single line of decorative topstitching that runs along the outer edges of the coat, capelets and back flap.
Did we miss anything? If anyone has images which display the OVA Alucard trench we'd love to see them. A couple of you have responded to our blog post about this and we thank you, but more pics would be tasty please! :-) Our plan is to very quickly revise the Alucard and update the product pictures to reflect this. For those of you who have already placed your order, you have been sent an email asking which version you want. The original version will be discontinued once we update the product pictures.
What about the red Alucard Hat and white leather gloves? Well, first things first, and that's the trench. We're going to see how that turns out and decide on the hat and gloves based on the response we get from the trench. As always, we'll be keeping everyone updated through our newsletter and blog, so stay tuned.
Latest trade mission announced!
Tokyo, site of Anime Fair
AbbyShot's product line has included anime inspirations almost from day one, with more anime inspired designs being added all the time. This is why we're extremely excited to announce our plans to travel to Japan this coming March! AbbyShot will be there for the Tokyo International Anime Fair, a four day event, drawing over 100,000 attendees annually.
With the guidance of the Canadian Embassy we will be setting up a number of meetings with prospective businesses within the Anime industry, as well as showcasing what we can do at our booth at the show. What will come of this is of course beyond anyone's ability to determine, but it is our serious intention to impress people with our dedication to high quality garment-making as well as serving the same anime fan communities.
Planning on being at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair? Then we'd love for you to stop by! We'll have a number of cool things on display, just come to the Canadian Pavilion where we'll be stationed along with other cool Canadian businesses.
Share your ideas with us!
AbbyShot's first logo
Everything changes over time, and companies are no different. This year will see a large number of changes within AbbyShot, including a new logo. A new logo, you say? Whatever for? Well, it's simple: Our current logo was released in 2003, and while it is really nice, it doesn't truly represent who we are today in 2007. When we adopted that logo, we were still creating our reputation as world leaders in screen-accurate clothing.
AbbyShot's second logo
We're recognised the world over as the best in what we do, and there's not as great a need for us to be so blatent in our movie connections. Besides, strictly speaking, "movies" only form one section of our product inspirations. We make anime and computer game inspired clothing as well, thus it is misleading to have a movie reel in our logo. So what are we looking for? We want a new logo which speaks more of our style than of a single source for our designs' inspiration.
What will our new logo be?
So, what's our next step? We have a company contracted to help us with our new web site look and feel. However, we decided to welcome your ideas first. Many of you have been with us over the years, and we know that you are talented in your own rights. You care as much about the future of AbbyShot as we do, so why NOT include you in this process? Of course we can't promise that we'll definitely use your logo suggestions, but we can promise that we'll seriously appreciate and review every logo idea sent to us. This is your chance to really impact the look of AbbyShot itself, so send us your ideas! You can email them to "info@abbyshot.com" and we'll look at them all. Thanks!
By Customer Request!!
Mobil Ave released in set sizes!
Never be afraid to ask for something, you just might get it! Recently on our forums, "Ramen King" happened to mention that he was waiting for the release of a set size Mobil Ave. coat, at which point he'd "snap it up". Well, there technically wasn't any reason why we didn't have a set size version of this product, we simply hadn't thought that there was any demand for it.
Once alerted to this need, we quickly responded and released the set size version of the Mobil Ave. coat! It has every design feature that the custom fitted version has, just in a range of sizes instead. You'll also note that it has a set size price too! So what are you waiting for? Check out the Set Size Mobil Ave. Coat!
Three updates and requests!
Our latest prototype
Motoko Leather Shrug
The Motoko Shrug keeps getting better and better looking. With the latest prototype we're really feeling super confident about the screen-accuracy of it. We've been in close contact with many fans who have been an immense help to us in getting all the best views of Motoko's stylish shrug. The release time for this product is VERY rapidly approaching, so keep watching our web site and blog for any sudden announcements.
Squall Jacket from FF8
Squall Jacket
We're continuing to approach completion on this project as well. While not quite as close to being perfect as the Motoko Shrug, our Squall Jacket is nearly there and won't be trailing behind it for long! There are only a couple of minor design adjustments left to do. Again, the fan response has been fantastic with everyone joining in on our blog to show their support and provide some very useful comments on the finer points of this fashionable item.
Sephiroth Trench
Time to make this real
Since posting in our blog that this design was to become a Coming Soon item, we have received a lot of praise and encouragement, as well as a lot of helpful commentary on this design. With some of our other designs nearing completion, the time is near for us to really dig in our heels on this one too. This is where you can make a difference. We're looking for as many screenshots of Sephiroth from Advent Children as can be found or grabbed from the movie. As many views and angles as possible. If you want it to be perfect, (and we know that you do!), then feed us the info we crave to make this one as accurate as can be. Thanks!
What could it be?
Sneak Preview
Yes, we're blatantly teasing you with not quite enough information! Of course, some of you have already heard us talk about this one, while others will need to figure it out some other way. We're not totally heartless though, we've scattered some clues here and there and we'll also be making some announcements about this project in our blog as soon as we've cleared a little space on the Design Team table!
Thescope.ca interviews AbbyShot VP
Back in September AbbyShot VP Adam Bragg was interviewed by The Scope. For those of you not "in the know", The Scope is a local arts and entertainment newspaper with an intellectual bent to it. This interview branched out into several topics that one wouldn't normally find in such a piece. For example, how fashion and movies influence one another and how one's self-persona can show up in what they wear. It was a decidedly different, yet interesting, read. Recently, we discovered that not only did they publish this in their October issue, but also online in their blog. Check it out here: Hallowe’en + 364 days
We get savings and pass them to you!
In December, we were told that our Canada Post shipping rates would be changing by mid-January 2007. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that our international shipping rates actually went down! Now we could have kept these new rates to ourselves and pocketed the profit. Who would have known? We would have, and that's plenty right there. So, as we've done time and time again, we're passing our savings on to you in the form of lower prices. If you live outside of North America this is good news, as you will have noticed that shipping prices are now lowered. These prices came into effect on Jaunary 15th, so if you've already ordered since then, you've been given the discount! If you haven't ordered yet, then you have even more reason to do so now!
In other pricing news, we have reviewed all our exchange rates and updated them. The CAD-USD exchange rate has become more favourable towards the USD in recent months, meaning that you will now see lower USD prices. If you live outside of Canada, this is good news for you! While some price changes are modest, some are lower by $30 or more! Yet another savings, passed on to you!
Will we be attending YOUR favourite Convention?
AbbyShot's con schedule gets bigger each year!
We've been saying for months that we're going to be attending more cons, but so far we've been somewhat vague on just which cons we'll be going to. It has become pretty much an AbbyShot tradition that we'll be attending Dragon*Con, the 2007 convention will be our fourth one. What other ones will we attend? Here are some of the conventions that we're looking at for 2007, not all of them are 100% confirmed, but this will give people some idea of where we're headed.
| Convention | Location | Month | Status |
| Tokyo Anime Fair | Tokyo, Japan | March | Registered |
| Sci-Fi on the Rock | Mount Pearl, NL, Canada | April | Registered |
| Otakon | Baltimore, MD, USA | July | Considering |
| Fan Expo | Toronto, ON, Canada | August | Considering |
| MAGIC | Las Vegas, NV, USA | August | Considering |
| Dragon*Con | Atlanta, GA, USA | September | Registered |
| New York Anime Fair | New York, NY, USA | December | Considering |
What? You didn't see your favourite fan convention listed there? Are you sure? Check again! No? Well, then suggest your favourite fan convention to us and we'll check it out!
More Great Deals on AbbyShot Garments!
Go and see the great AbbyShot buys at ebay!
The perfect cure for the winter blues has arrived: AbbyShot has more amazing deals up on Ebay for a variety of coats and jackets! With lots of interesting garments to choose from, you're bound to see something you just can't resist! Check out our whole Ebay listing through this week only - you won't want to miss it!
Fun Places, Cool Stuff!
Masamune Shirow Hyperpage is probably the most detailed site out there about Ghost in the Shell. It is run by Lucas, a passionate fan who very skillfully writes about his discoveries regarding this anime series. Recently he wrote an especially nice article about our upcoming Motoko Leather Shrug.
Great Ghost in the Shell site!
Lucas provides thoughtful reviews on art books, figurines, and just about anything you can think of that is related to Masamune Shirow, the creator of Ghost in the Shell. In addition to product reviews, Lucas also covers noteworthy news, events and rumours, like the Hollywood live action Ghost in the Shell project that is rumoured to be in the planning stages. Now wouldn't that be cool if it comes to pass?
If you have any suggestions for future "Featured Websites" please let us know!
We'd love to hear from you! Let us know what you think! See you next issue!
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