Koyono Releases Spring/Summer Line Light jackets and coats with integrated iPod controls.

CLEVELAND, OH— May 15, 2006 Koyono Co. is taking a fresh, bold approach to fashion for Spring and Summer 2006. The new additions to the successful BlackCoat line of outerwear will inspire men to more seamlessly balance work, travel and entertainment with maximum ease, style and comfort. Theses new outerwear forms, named Work, Sport, and Surf carry the Made for iPod label. Along with the catwalk-ready forms and high-performance materials, they each include ElekTex®, a smart fabric technology from Eleksen Group plc (AIM: ELG.L) that has been integrated into the lapels as iPod control pads. This allows you to leave an iPod tucked away safely inside a specially-designed pocket while giving you full control over all aspects of the iPod, including volume, tr.ack changes, and even the power switch. Each of the four new jackets includes advanced water protection and pocketing for commuting or travel.

Koyono President, Jay Yoo offers, “Adding the Elektex controls to this line creates what I call Wah-Wah Fashion. Just like Jimi Hendrix used the Wah-Wah pedal to finesse his tone, you can use the controls to finesse your environment. Every situation can now have the perfect soundtrack.”

Chief Experience Officer, Jim Haviland adds, “Each of the new jackets speaks to what we see as a new lifestyle trend, away from the dowdy confines of business casual and towards a more energetic approach that we call Business Active. Our customers are looking for ways to better integrate work and play, clothing and technology, without either defining them. These new hybrid forms that we have created really accomplish that.”

“We are thrilled to have been chosen by Koyono to help bring technology and fashion together in their new spring and summer lines,” said Robin Shephard, CEO of Eleksen. “By integrating ElekTex into their new lighter-weight products Koyono is taking a lead in delivering iPod functionality in a new fashion category. Koyono's products allow them to take advantage of the explosive growth of the iPod economy and at the same time provide their customers with a useful and stylish garment which capitalizes on the growing momentum of the iPod wearables market.”

The new line includes the following pieces:

BlackCoat Surf Edition offers all the benefits of outerwear but in a shape and weight that can be worn all through the summer. Worn over a t-shirt or tank, Surf gives you a place to stow belongings you would otherwise have to drop in a bag or dangle off of you somehow. Surf is a short-sleeved hybrid shirt - jacket for those with the beach-to-office lifestyle no matter how far you are from the beach. $199 USD Retail.

BlackCoat Sport adds real sporting cred to the staid sport coat form. Made from Nextec® Flathead nylon with Epic® waterproofing technology, this hybrid sport coat - overcoat is light enough to wear all day and cut with enough industrial elegance to be tucked away in a bag until the meeting or photo shoot. Sport is part of the kit you need to replace your business casual with Business Active. $299 USD Retail

BlackCoat Work is a hybrid between the classic jean jacket and a sport coat and is made from lightweight stretch cotton with Nano® water repellant technology. $245USD Retail

BlackCoat Work Premiere Edition is the same cut as BlackCoat Work but made from waterproof, breathable Nextec® Flathead nylon with Epic® waterproofing technology. $275 USD Retail

These coats are available now through Koyono.com and will be available later this month from Amazon.com, PopXpress in the UK, iStuff in Milan and coolestshop.com. Additional retail availability announcements are expected this month.

ElekTex is leading the growth of the wearables electronics market with its unique touchsensitive textiles which are easily integrated into consumer apparel. The ElekTex fabric construction lends itself to the creation of fashion-forward designs because it doesn't limit the design freedom that is often the problem with hard touch pads, flexi-circuits and polymer switches. ElekTex's lightweight, flexible, durable and washable features are some of the reasons it is revolutionizing design across the consumer electronics and wearables sectors.

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About Eleksen

Eleksen Group plc is the world leader in touch sensitive interactive textiles for electronics interface design. The company's core technology, ElekTex(R), is a unique electro-conductive fabric touch pad optimized for the creation of flexible, durable and rugged fabric touch screen interfaces. ElekTex(R) is used in applications ranging from wearable electronic controls for consumer electronics and industrial wear to lightweight, low-power touch interfaces for CE accessories, telematics, military, transportation and space suits. It replaces the hard touch pads, flexi-circuits and polymer switches which have limited the growth of the wearable electronics markets. Eleksen licenses ElekTex(R) and reference design to manufacturers for use in custom electronics design and also markets a range of ready-to-integrate solutions for garment, bags and accessories manufacturers. Eleksen is headquartered in Pinewood Studios near London, England and in Waltham, Massachusetts near Boston.

About Koyono

Koyono is a purveyor of apparel and accessories that balance style, performance, and utility, making life on-the-go stylish easy and fun. Koyono markets products through on-line stores at Koyono.com and Amazon.com. Koyono has operations in Ohio, Michigan, Washington and North Carolina and was founded in 2001.

Jay Yoo
press@Koyono.com
216-223-8129