Last month, we wrote about two eco-chic entrepreneurs from the world of fashion. A new, related spotting just came in from Germany: Feuerwear.

Launched earlier this year, Feuerwear creates bags and belts from used fire hoses. Designed by engineering graduate Martin Klüsener, the accessories come in red or white, and are hand-made. Since every product is fabricated from a different piece of firehouse, each one is unique. (Similar to Freitag bags, which are made from truck tarps and seatbelts.)

Linking to the traditionally male nature of fire-fighting, the bags are named Jack, Hank, Larry and Bill, and look suitably rugged and tough. They're priced between EUR 79 and EUR 98.

Sounds like a good one for the back to school crowd. Any child that obsesses over fire trucks will no doubt treasure a bag made from an actual recycled fire hose. Feuerwear articles are currently sold via the brand's online shop, and in a select number of stores in Germany. Considering it's early days for this company, distribution rights for the rest of the world should be easy to snap up.

Website: http://www.feuerwear.de
Contact: info@feuerwear.de

CarSpotter and Parker's SMS Price Check both offer vehicle price checks by sms/text message.

Parker's, a UK publisher of car pricing guides, introduced its SMS Price Check in 2004. To check the price of a car, users text the word 'price' and the license plate number to 80806. Parker's then texts back exactly what model and year the car is, and what the going prices are if purchased new or second-hand, in good and in bad condition, plus what the trade price is. The service is accessible on all mobile phones and all UK networks, and is charged at GBP 1.50 per valuation.

Dutch CarSpotter also offers consumers price information by sms to guide them through sales and negotiating. Besides year, make and price, CarSpotter sends users details on a vehicle's maximum speed, horsepower and acceleration. Although the service was meant to improve price transparency and the balance of information between dealers and buyers, it turns out that people also use CarSpotter for fun, texting their employer or neighbour's license plate to find out how much their car is worth. CarSpotter also works for motorcycles. CarSpotter valuations are priced at EUR 1.50, and the number to text to is 2020.

Both services are great examples of catering to consumers' infolust: making information available to them wherever they need it most, accessible through whatever channel or device they prefer, so they can get, in this case, the best possible vehicle for the best possible price. Or at least have something to pass the time while stuck in traffic. ;-)

Website: http://carspotter.nl
Contact: klantenservice@carspotter.nl

Website: http://www.parkers.co.uk/pricing/text
Contact: http://www.parkers.co.uk/info/contact

Some new business ideas are admittedly over the top. Here's one we couldn't resist – Dinner in the Sky.

Belgian Dinner in the Sky offers event organizers a new way to make their event highly memorable: a table, with 22 seated guests, is suspended from a crane. The specially built table is surrounded by chairs of the type usually found on roller coasters, with four-point seat belts. Hoisted 50 meters (164 feet) above ground, safety is a reasonable concern.

Safely buckled up and floating mid-air, guests can enjoy a meal or meeting, with three chefs, waiters, presenters and/or entertainers standing in an open area in the centre of the table. One of the company's first events (pictured above) was a dinner for 22 chefs, hosted by San Pellegrino.

Table, crane, logistic and security staff are available for EUR 7900 for an eight hour session, which can be organized anywhere a large crane can be placed.

Selling a thrilling edge and aerial view, this could be the next big thing for Sweet Sixteen parties and corporate brainstorming session. One for the events industry to look into! Just don't look down...

Website: http://www.dinnerinthesky.com
Contact: info@dinnerinthesky.com

The Gulf Marketing Review reports that Harrods' owner, Mohamed Al Fayed, is considering opening a Harrods 102 in Dubai. The upscale convenience store, which we featured in May, could ultimately be rolled out to 100 stores in cities across the UK, as well as Paris, Berlin and New York.

Like the first outlet at 102 Brompton Road in London, the stores will stock signature Harrods products, as well as containing a pharmacy, spa, deli and a variety of other services. Al Fayed is quoted as having said that he wants to make Harrods available to 'ordinary' people. Ordinary people with more money than time will surely welcome the idea of upgrading the convenience store concept, wherever it decides to make itself available! What's your upgrading project going to be?

Website: http://www.harrods.com
Contact: +44 20 7730 1234 or contact form

Japanese Design Barcode turns standard barcodes into appealing and engaging brand elements.

Following laundry services, supermarkets and coffins in our recurring 'everything can be reinvented' theme, come the humble stripes and digits that shape the ubiquitous barcode, as reinvented by Design Barcode.

Fifteen companies are currently using the agency's novel barcodes as part of their packaging design. (A video showing examples can be viewed here.) The designs are clever and whimsical, from bars being picked up by chopsticks for a ramen noodles package, to a zebra carrying the black and white stripes on its back.

Some designs were commissioned by clients, while others are part of the agency's initial range of 200 designs created to display the format's potential. Exclusive rights to the latter can be bought for USD 4,000 plus a USD 400 annual license fee. The agency prides itself on zero instances of false reading by barcode readers (machine readability is key), and all barcodes are put through a battery of tests before being released for production.

Although Design Barcode has been reworking barcodes since 2004, the idea hadn't yet caught on outside Japan. That's likely to change after the four-man agency won major industry recognition in Cannes last week, in the shape of a Titanium Lion award.

Everything that is packaged reaches customers' hands with a barcode attached. Turning that mandatory element into something unexpected and playful is certain to make many customers smile. Surely that's worth USD 4,000 to most brands. ;-) Design Barcodes is working with Pacarc to bring the concept to the United States, but other markets still seem wide open. One for regional (boutique) design firms and advertising agencies?

Website: http://www.d-barcode.com
Contact: info@d-barcode.com

In the United States:
Website: http://www.barcoderevolution.com
Contact: info@pacarc.com

P.S. If you're interested in functional innovations in product codes, you might want to check out trendwatching.com's infolust, which explores new versions of two-dimensional codes (among other things).