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Getter Profile: Chase

Chase is from Boulder, Colorado, a city known for its mountain scenery popular with climbers and hikers. So it’s no wonder that he specializes in shopping for all things sports and recreation.

“I’m a passionate athlete. I run the trails of Boulder day in and day out. It’s amazing what you see out there in the rugged terrain. I’m a Getter on CUZIN because I live and breathe this stuff. I know the ins and outs of the sportswear industry which thrives in Colorado. I'd hate to not be able to access the best gear for myself, so why not help out others that are just as passionate but don’t have the access that I do...

Some of Chase’s current ‘gets’ include a Nike Free TR 5 Print and the GoLite Rush Trail Hydration Pack. Chase also posts athletic street wear items from time to time such as this pair of Adidas Originals Superstar sneakers. 

“My CUZIN profile is basically composed of things that I like and would personally want to wear. If I see a good deal, I’ll post it just in case there is anyone out there who would be interested. So far, there seem to be a lot of people out there that want the same things” he says.

Favourite places to shop: Nike outlet, REI, Moosejaw.

Chase’s Profile Link: https://www.cuzin.com/Profile/CollectorItems/3185

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No need to get a friendly cousin or mate to shop for you on an overseas trip with this start-up.

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13 Instagramers You Need to Know About

While scrolling through your news feed is the 21st century’s major culprit for procrastination, Instagram can be a great way to get your daily dose of inspiration and motivation... if you follow the right people. Here are 12 of our favourite across fashion, lifestyle, technology and fitness.

---------Fashion and Lifestyle---------

Shannon Thomas (@shannondesordre) 

Owner of high-end designer boutique Desordre, Shannon Thomas’ Instagram is at once dangerous and inspiring for aspiring fashionistas. Her shots from clothing pre-views and buying trips will help you stay on top of upcoming trends, yet may also tempt you into a buying trip of your own. She regularly models items that are in her store, so her feed is a great styling reference for favoured brands such as Christopher Esber and Ellery.

Aley Greenblo (@aleygreenblo)

Aley Greenblo is a lawyer and fashion blogger based in Sydney. Her colourful feed reflects her fun sense of style, featuring everything from watermelon print jumpers to aqua mini skirts. Check out her site Tickled Pink for more fashion inspiration.

Luke Scott (@lukescot)

Head of design for Zanerobe, Luke’s feed is a mixture of men’s style, selfies and beachy scenes from his home base in Manly. He’s leading the brand’s highly anticipated new line Project A, due to drop in stores this August. Quality tailoring and natural fabrics like wool and cotton are favoured in his designs.

Laura Wiederman & Danielle Mulham (@thevaultonline)

The Vault Online is an online magazine curated by stylists Laura Wiederman and Danielle Mulham. Their feed is a look into the world of all things fashion and lifestyle, from colour coordinated flat lays featuring their weekly must-have items to images of beautifully decorated living and work spaces.

---------Health and Wellness---------

Luke Hines (@thetrainerluke)

Originally a contestant on My Kitchen Rules, personal trainer Luke Hines has gone on establish a strong presence in the healthy living scene, authoring clean living cookbooks with business partner Scott Gooding. His feed is a montage of inventive and delicious looking healthy meals, panoramic shots of Bondi Beach and in-action fitness shots. We recently helped Luke sell 50 personalised signed copies of his new book "Clean Living Paleo Basics" to his instagram followers. Check out Luke's profile on CUZIN here.

Libby Hucker (@lib_yoga)

Libby is a nurse and yoga instructor from Brisbane. Her Instagram feed features herself demonstrating an array of yoga postures, each with a beautiful tropical backdrop; the beach, sunset, rainforest and even the Taj Mahal. Libby’s account is definite fitness motivation, minus any preachy-ness.

Melissa Ambrosini (@melissaambrosini)

Melissa Ambrosini motivates people for a living, having authored 12 Steps to Wellness and Get Your Glow On. She’s also a qualified yoga teacher and her practise features heavily across her Instagram feed, often with tips and advice. She also regularly refers to her own lifestyle gurus, such as meditation teacher Tom Cronin.

Libby Babet (@libbybabet)

Libs has a healthy number of titles under her belt, including Founder of Bottoms Up! Fitness and AGOGA and Co-Founder of Chief Bar. She is also a regular contributor to women’s fitness magazines. Safe to say, her instagram is sure to motivate you, with countless shots of soft sand workouts, surf and yoga. 

Jessica Cox (@jescoxnutritionist)

Brisbane based nutritionist Jessica Cox has an Instagram feed that will make you crave healthy food. An avid cook, she regularly posts recipes to her website such as roasted strawberry granola and gluten-free peanut butter pancakes. Follow her for daily healthy meal inspiration, and facts about how and why certain ingredients are good for you. 

Jess Sepel (@jshealth)

Jess only recently completed her nutrition qualifications, but she already has a loyal following thanks to her website, amazing e-book ‘The Clean Life’ and regularly updated Instagram. You’ll find snaps of sugar-free, gluten-free wholefood meals, often with an accompanying recipe.

Amy Crawford (@theholisticingredient)

A battle with chronic fatique syndrome prompted former corporate career woman Amy Crawford to shift her lifestyle in favour of a holistic approach, hence her Instagram name. Besides copious variations on the Green Smoothie, Crawford shares information about CTC therapy, which she now practises.

Lola Berry (@yummololaberry)

You’ve likely seen Lola Berry’s name pop-up on a number of national media platforms, from recipes in Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food section to stints on The Project. The Melbourne nutritionist recommends a combination of unprocessed foods, yoga and meditation for optimum health and her Instagram feed reflects this.

---Our International Instagrammer of the Week---

Crosby Tailor (@crosbytailor)

Based in LA, Crosby is a health coach to the stars and author of healthy dessert cookbook ‘eat dessert burn fat’. If you don’t own the book already, his feed may tempt you to buy it, featuring his healthful versions of everything from ice-cream sundaes to doughnuts. These, along with shots of Crosby himself, are enough to convince anyone of a clean-living lifestyle.

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These Getters are Awesome

This week we speak to 2 of our top Getters to find out a little more about their shopping specialties, top selling items and personal favourite brands.

Name: Sophie Place: Richmond, Virginia, USA Specialises in: Women's fashion, particularly the unique and hard to find. Favourite places to shop: the outlet stores downtown Profile page: cuzin.com/Profile/CollectorItems/17 Based in Richmond, Sophie realized that there was a large demand for comfortable basics brand Madewell outside of the US. So, she decided to start selling their best-sellers on CUZIN to those overseas that couldn't access their stores.

“Madewell has proven really popular,” she says. “I live very close to one of their major retail stores, so every time I see a sale or clearance, I’m quick to post about it. I love their handbags myself, they're so easy to wear with anything and always on-trend. I realised very quickly other's felt the same too."

Currently, of the 84 ‘gets’ Sophie has posted on her CUZIN profile, almost 20 of them are from Madewell, including soft leather tote bags and silk dresses.

Besides clothing, Sophie has sourced and sold a wide range of items to wanters around the world, including ski pants from LRBC, silver A’Gaci heels, Elaine Karen bed-wear and even a DASH diaper bag to a mum in Sydney. However, she says that her specialty definitely lies in women’s fashion.

“I’ve always been a great bargain hunter; I’m never afraid to rummage through a sale and I always seem to shop at good times. You could say it’s luck, but I love that with CUZIN I can share that skill and enable others to nab a great bargain too.”

Shop with Sophie

Name: Patrick Place: San Francisco, CA, USA Specialises in: Sports shoes, clothing and accessories. "You name it, I can get it, for the best prices you'll find. Favourite places to shop: Nike Town (i'm an employee so can get you staff discounts), EastBay.com fanatics.com Profile page: cuzin.com/Profile/CollectorItems/14

Scrolling through Patrick’s profile reads like a specialty sports store. As a self-proclaimed sports fanatic, he knows all the best places in his hometown of San Francisco to hunt down gear that represents your favourite team, and he’s made sourcing sportswear his specialty as a Getter on CUZIN.

As an employee at Nike Town SF, Patrick's often gets exclusive access to new release items and uses his staff discount to entice his followers on CUZIN. For all brands not-Nike, Patrick uses either Eastbay or Fanatics, as he gets a significant discount of 20% off orders as part of his Baseball team's membership.

"I've recently helped an entire basketball club in Brisbane, Australia get their new uniforms for the coming season. They sent me their order and I consolidated it into one big shipment to save each player on shipping costs.", he explained.

Many items posted on Patrick’s profile would be near impossible to find outside of the US. He has already sold to Australians, South Africans, Fijians, Japanese and even someone from nearby Canada!

“Another popular category I've been helping out with is NFL gear. In the lead up to the Superbowl I sourced official winners merchandise so as soon as the game was decided I could target fans around the world. Turns out Patriots fans got lucky!"

As well as sports gear, Patrick occasionally posts unique finds he comes across. He recently posted a Uniqlo hat that reads ‘The Same is Lame'.

“I like posting things that are a little weird and fun,” he says. “That’s the beauty of CUZIN. You never know what people may want".

Shop with Patrick

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Our Founder Shaun Greenblo talks CUZIN's community, quirky wants, top Getters and his personal journey which lead him to the name for the business.

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5 Fashion Boutiques You Need to Know About

Hannah Mars

With major fashion brands becoming increasingly global, shopping can sometimes be a bit of a let down, coming up against the same commercial chain stores time and time again. However, certain purveyors still operate with an air of exclusivity, carefully curating diverse luxury items that are intended to thrill.

So we've put together 5 of our favourite multi-brand boutiques across the globe, where you’re guaranteed to discover unique, exclusive designer items. While some do offer international shipping (albeit expensive), the best finds are rarely posted online, so why not use your cuzins to find and buy for you… Fivestory, New York

Born and raised New Yorker Claire Distenfeld launched Fivestory at the brave age of 26, with no prior retail background. Since then, the two-and-a-half story store has blossomed into an absolute Upper East Side shopping stalwart, set paces away from Madison Avenue. You’ll see @fivestoryny often tagged on instagram by Distenfeld’s fashion industry friends such as Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine. It’s no wonder they like to shop here, with Thakoon dresses, Olympia Le Tan clutch bags and Delfina Delettrez cufflinks displayed across the space.

Our recommendation? Connect with cuzin Miranda for access to Fivestory. 

[http://fivestoryny.com]

Celestine Eleven, London

A hectic day of shopping can induce serious fatigue, so it was with great perception that founder Tena Strok incorporated a holistic healing centre into her Shoreditch boutique, Celestine Eleven. The store’s ethos combines a focus on wholesome living and elegant fashion. The downstairs space offers dynamic yoga classes while upstairs sells women and menswear brands from London, Paris and Scandinavia. Nab a leather jacket by BLK Denim, Wendy Nichol hat or jewellery from Pamela Love.

Our recommendation? Connect with cuzin Gabby for access to Celestine Eleven.

[http://www.celestineeleven.com] Colette, Paris

When strolling along the rue Saint-Honoré in Paris, it’s impossible not to be side-tracked by the reliably artful window displays at world famous designer boutique Colette (or infamous depending on your current shopping budget). Be it Jeremy Scott’s latest crazy collection for Moschino or oversized coats by Comme des Garcons, Colette is notorious for stocking the best in eclectic high-end fashion. Besides clothes and accessories there’s an ever-changing array of everything from fancy phone cases to books that help you learn French via drawing. Or, just browse and grab a drink at the aptly named Water Bar downstairs, which stocks over a hundred different brands of H20.

Our getter community is growing, but we're not open in Paris just yet...

[http://www.colette.fr] St.Dom, Cartagena

St.Dom combines Colombia’s Latin roots with influences of its post-gentrification modern culture. Everything is by exclusively Colombian designers, from tropical homewares to books and high-end women’s, men’s and children’s fashion. Structured mesh tops and glass cases of statement jewellery are displayed besides the traditional woven bags strung from market stalls all throughout town. The husband and wife team behind St.Dom met while working for Ralph Lauren in New York, so there’s no wonder the open, white-walled space is curated with such well honed sophistication.

Our getter community is growing, but we're not open in Colombia just yet...

[http://www.stdom.co] Desordre, Sydney

Though not an entirely large space, South Dowling Street’s Desordre boutique fits in a very well curated selection of international and Australian designer labels. Local Australian fashion talent such as Ellery and Dion Lee are always in stock, often with garments created in store-exclusive colours and materials. Desordre can always be relied upon for a quirky, fun purchase, such as colourful heels by Sophia Webster or an expertly structured beach hat from Gladys Tames Millinary. The ideal pit-stop if planning a night out, dressing for a special occasion or on the hunt for one-of-a-kind gift. 

Our recommendation? Connect with cuzin Tori_C for access to Celestine Eleven.

[http://www.desordrestore.com]

Buy now from all these boutiques and more at CUZIN.com

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Our pre-registered customers have now started to receive invites.

If you haven't already, preregister now at www.cuzin.com!!!

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Adam, one of CUZIN's initial beta users, explains how he used CUZIN to source 9 custom Nike ID's for him and his groomsmen on his wedding day.

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CUZIN Explainer Video is Live!

CUZIN Explainer Video from CUZIN on Vimeo.

Get excited, the CUZIN launch is quickly approaching! With only 2 months to go, we’ve got an exciting new video explaining how you’ll use CUZIN when we launch.

Watch now to meet Poppy, who’ll show you how simple it is to get the products you love from anywhere in the world.  Your cuzins will do all the hard work for you by purchasing your favourite products and delivering them straight to your door. All you need to do is submit the items you want but can’t get and CUZIN will match you to a global shopping family ready to buy these items for you at the best prices in the world.

Start brainstorming and tell us what you want now! Before you know it, you’ll have a world of shopping at your fingertips! 

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Got Mondayitis?

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It's being dubbed the ‘Australia tax’, the dubious honour of being slugged a premium price on everything we buy simply for living in Australia. 

CUZIN thinks it's time this ends...

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Alina B, blogger and fashionista describes herself as a Cultural Excavator. She uncovers the secrets of CUZIN in her latest blog post.

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https://www.rubyradar.com.au/blog/the-new-secret-shopping-club-that-is-on-the-lips-of-every-well-heeled-executive/

Australia's number one dating site for executives and professionals profiles CUZIN on their influential Style and Design blog. 

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We've been pinning!

There has been a lot going on at CUZIN HQ in the past few months in preparation for our mid-year launch! We have been working hard making CUZIN awesome and have been seeking your input on what items you want to find from around the world when we launch!

From clothing, accessories and makeup to computer games, camping gear and technology, we have received an overwhelming amount of feedback and ideas that we can’t wait to put into action! To help us make sure that we meet your needs and more importantly provide new members to the community with endless inspiration, we are now on Pinterest and we've been on fire pinning all the amazing items that you will be able to use CUZIN to access!

If you haven’t yet completed our quick 3 minute survey, then let us know what products you’re DESPERATE to have but can’t access. Your community of cuzins will help you find what you’re looking for!

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Do you have trouble getting the products you love from overseas? Complete this 3 minute survey to help us help you.

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Shopping 2.0 and the CUZIN Story

I've been asked a lot recently about my mission for CUZIN. What is it that makes my heart beat that little bit faster? Why did I start this business and what are my goals? Let me tell you.

I come from a little island called Australia. Ok, it's actually the biggest island in the world. A great country filled with the most natural beauty you'll ever see, close to some of the best and most vibrant cities in the world. But geographically, we are far away... from everything. 

I've been lucky enough to have travelled well and far. My love of surfing and adventure has taken me all over the world, from Panama to Peru, Indonesia to East Africa. I have seen things that inspire me to be a better person, live a more fulfilling life, support those who are less fortunate than myself. 

Throughout these travels I have discovered the most incredible products, and more amazingly the people who craft them. I have been inspired to share these things with others around the world, however access, scale and logistics restrict this. I could become a distributor for the man I discovered selling his incredible beaded sculptures of African women on the side of the road in Cape Town, but how could I help thousands of artists, designers and entrepreneurs reach a global audience? 

At the same time I started thinking about what annoys me as a consumer. As a passionate runner, I churn through running shoes at least every 2-3 months. They take a beating, running the roads of Sydney, the national parks of the East Coast of Australia, and accompanying me on my travels, pounding the pavement of cities around the world. Having visited the USA, I am constantly annoyed at the prices of running shoes in Australia compared to the exact same pairs in the US.

So what do I do? I call up my cousin Julian in LA four times a year, and ask him to go to the Nike Factory for me, pick up my Nike Free's for $50 and send them to me. The only problem, I know he really hates doing it - online payment is never easy (especially with conversion rates), shipping is a nightmare (expensive and full of friction). Plus, the delay to reach out to him, communicate and get the items all the way to Australia drives me crazy.

But despite the hassle, I still do it, and so does Julian (because he loves his cousin). Thanks Julz!

However what I realised, is that i'm lucky enough to have a cousin in the US who can do my shopping favours for me. I'm also lucky enough to be able to travel and buy those unique items I love from all over the world. But what if I wasn't?

So... CUZIN was born. A platform that connects people worldwide and facilities the matching, communication, payment and shipping of any item anywhere in the world to your doorstep. We've partnered with the best in the business, to make this process completely seamless. 

CUZIN is my opportunity to do good, connect people and make local goods and services accessible no matter where you are. Social is the next phase of e-commerce, and CUZIN creates a global community allowing like-minded people to connect, shop and create influence...together..for good. We call it Shopping 2.0 

So this is why I founded CUZIN. We launch mid 2014. Join our family now at www.cuzin.com.

Shaun Greenblo

Founder and Chief Cuz

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A fascinating article about the direction of online retail