Also of great interest and note, the new Armani-Samsung cell phone has just been unveiled at Milan Fashion Week 2008:

Italian designer Giorgio Armani’s announcement that he is teaming with South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. to develop a line of high-end electronic goods underscores how top fashion houses are stretching the boundaries of the luxury-goods industry as they search out new products to brand.

Under the alliance, Mr. Armani will design electronics such as handsets and liquid-crystal-display television sets manufactured by Samsung, and will distribute them through his world-wide network of boutiques. He will unveil the alliance’s first product — a credit-card-sized cellphone — at his fashion show in Milan today, the companies said.