Cassy Bhairo
Kristin G
Lina S
Millie V R
Mikko Puttonen
Hugo Boss, one of the most widely known international brands, has launched their spring Summer Collection 2010. The bold & elegant designs for men offer a sense of European style, underpinned by careful attention to quality and functionality. The latest range comprises of the perfect fashion accessories that cater to individual tastes and preferences with a distinctive Hugo Boss signature and a touch of elegance.
Classic contemporary watches
The round dial with Roman numerals has been the face of time for around 800 years; the rectangular case launched almost a century ago made the new-fangled wristwatch popular among men as the perfect complement to a well-cut suit. These classic formats endure because, in the hands of a talented designer, they are always contemporary.
The new Hugo Boss collection of wristwatches for 2010, illustrates this flair for bringing a fresh and modern look to these ancient standards. It’s all in the details: a new take on the traditional chapter ring with Roman numerals and a sunray finish that radiates energy and optimism. Contrasting textures, clear dials and restrained styling are the hallmarks of the new ‘Classic Contemporary models’.
Global cotton ending stocks are falling by an estimated 18% this season (2009/10), to 10.5 million tons, the smallest level in six years: cotton production is declining while mill use is rebounding. In 2010/11, global cotton production is projected to rise to 24.9 million tons, but mill use is expected to continue its recovery, so ending stocks will increase only slightly to 10.6 million tons.
These levels of stocks and mill use imply a global stocks-to-use ratio of 43% in both 2009/10 and 2010/11, down from a five-year average of 50% (2004/05 to 2008/09). This is the lowest global stocks-to-use ratio since 2003/04. Stocks are expected to remain tighter than in previous years in many countries, due to sustained demand recovery.
World cotton trade is expected to increase to 7.8 million tons in 2010/11, up by 3% from this season. Chinese imports will drive the world total, with a forecast increase of 21% to 2.7 million tons. Exports from the United States and many other countries are expected to increase in 2010/11, fueled by increased production.
Based on a price forecast of 78 cents per pound for 2009/10, the ICAC Price Model forecasts a 2010/11 season-average Cotlook A Index of 85 cents per pound. The 95% confidence interval extends from 72 to 101 cents per pound.
This forecast implies a 9% increase with respect to the 2009/10 forecast.
However, caution must be exercised since all commodity markets are subject to great uncertainty.
The International Cotton Advisory Committee is an association of governments of cotton producing and consuming countries. The Secretariat of the Committee publishes information related to world cotton production, supply, demand and prices, and provides technical information on cotton production technology.
The Executive Director of Apparel Manufacturers of South Africa, Johann Baard opined that, the government of South Africa should formulate such trade and industrial policies, which would create a level playing field for South African apparel producers to compete with their rivals in mainland China.
Baard was addressing a workshop organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO), for stakeholders. Apparel industry is an imperative industry for the country as it is the only job generator industry that plays a key role in poverty alleviation. Hence, a level playing field should be created between domestic manufacturers and their competitors in China, he added.
Moreover, customs fraud should be restrained immediately, in order to allow the sector to acquire competitive stance at a global level. A fierce debate has been going on with respect to the currency policy of China since years, specifically in the US and Europe. The Central Bank of the country keeps the yuan artificially low, with an objective to prop up an export boom.
The practice of keeping the currency artificially low offers more competitiveness to the goods and services of the country and affects other exporters and local manufacturers adversely. Therefore, in this regard, the global community should take measures against China to change its currency policies, underlined Baard.
Substantial steps should be taken up by the government against unfair policies as they are proving to be perilous for the survival of the South African garment industry, he concluded.
Syifa (C) is crowned after winning Miss Indonesia 2010 in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, June 1, 2010. Syifa, champion of this year's pageant from Jakarta, will represent Indonesia to compete in Miss World 2010.
Syifa gives her thanks after winning Miss Indonesia 2010 in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, June 1, 2010. Syifa, champion of this year's pageant from Jakarta, will represent Indonesia to compete in Miss World 2010.
Models display the Marimekko's summer outfits at an outdoor stage in central Helsinki, capital of Finland, June 2, 2010.
Whoever the World Cup trophy ends up with, it will be traveling in style.
Luxury handbag and luggage maker, Louis Vuitton, has designed and crafted the trophy case for the cup.
The leather case was unveiled Tuesday along with the replica World Cup which is given to winners. The original cup itself remains the permanent property of FIFA, world soccer's governing body.
British supermodel Naomi Campbell installed the trophy in the luxury case, handing it with gloves as tradition requires only winners of the cup may touch it.
"I think what this cup symbolizes to all children all over the world is hopes and dreams of their passion that can come true and the blood, sweat and tears is going to go into this, to kick in balls to get this cup is going to be amazing," Campbell told reporters at the unveiling.
The World Cup trophy was previously transported in an aluminum trunk but FIFA went to Louis Vuitton, owned by LVMH, and asked for packaging for the World Cup trophy.
The new, more stylish trophy case was hand-crafted over 100 hours at Louis Vuitton's workshop in Asnieres, just outside Paris. In signature Louis Vuitton brown, it features the famous LV monogram and the distinctive locks invented by Georges Vuitton, son of Louis.
The luxury goods house is accustomed to making bespoke items, creating around 450 hand-made pieces to order every year. The case was set to leave for Johannesburg this week.
NMD Fashions LLC, a leading fashion company based in Dubai announced the launch of the Jadorekidz, a multi brand outlet that will cater leading international brands providing a fashion line for the age group of new born-12 years boys and girls.
Manoj Daswani, CEO of NMD Fashion, said : “ We aim through launching Jadorekidz outlet to host international name specialized in kids wear including Gini & Jony, Palm Tree, Baby Dreamz, Be First for Girls, Little Kangaroos with its sub-brands such as Marsh Mellows and Soft Threads as well as Beppi Footwear and Siena Accessories.
“The line will provide a wide range for the Spring Summer 2010 with a vast collection of tops and bottoms for both boys and girls that suit the different tastes of parents and kids at the same time.”
Speaking about the kids wear fashion line, Manoj noted that NMD Fashions has opened its first store “Gini & Jony” in Arabian Centre in July 2009 with a variety that caters only for age of 2 years plus.
“Following the success of the opening of the first store, we have witnessed a great demand from parents to purchase western modern clothes for their kids, the UAE market in particular and the GCC market in general is one of the active and unique markets in the kids wear fashion,” Manoj added.
It is worth to mention that Jadorekidz website is currently under construction and will be ready in the coming few weeks. Parents will be able to get updates on the latest products available at the store.
NMD Fashions is planning also to open more outlets during the second half of this year 2010 including a new outlet scheduled to be open in July.
The production of abaca fibre during the first quarter of the ongoing year, has witnessed a negative trend with a drop of 17.8 percent, due to fall in prices at farm level.
Abaca fibre manufacturing during the period January-March, stood at 102,417.6 bales of 125 kilograms, according to the Fiber Industry Development Authority (FIDA).
Only, the Zamboanga Peninsula had registered positive trend in abaca fibre manufacturing, during the reviewed period, among all the other abaca-manufacturing provinces in the country, reveal FIDA figures.
The Bicol region, which is recognized as the country’s key abaca fibre manufacturing region, experienced 7.4 percent production fall registering 39,140.7 bales in Q1 of this year and accounted for just 38.2 percent of the total production.
In addition to this, Eastern Visayas also produced low volume of abaca fibres accounting for only 26.2 percent of the country’s overall abaca fibre production in the first quarter. As per FIDA figures, manufacturing in this region slipped down steeply by 21.9 percent to 26,856 bales.
On the other hand, exports of abaca fibre grew leaps and bounds by 308 percent to 23,085.4 bales. According to FIDA, this shipment improvement is due to revival in demand for this fibre in the developed countries such as UK and Japan.
The United Kingdom shipments soared up by 500 percent to 12,965 bales during January-March of 2010, compared to 2,160 bales produced during the same period, last year. Moreover, these fibres have been witnessing an increase in demand from Japan, which has soared by 316.9 percent to 6,579 bales.
Around 56.2 percent of the overall abaca fibre exports were shipped to UK and 28.5 percent to Japan during Q1 of the current year. Abaca is a kind of fibre which has innumerable applications. Blend of this fibre with silk, piña or polyester, produces high-end fabrics and handmade paper such as art media and decoratives.
Alannah Weston's favorite book as a child was From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler, the story of two children who decide to spend the night in the Metropolitan Museum. An advantage of being a scion of one of world's great retail dynasties is that Weston got to re-create that childhood fantasy as a Christmas campaign, only now it's a night in Selfridges, the legendary London department store where she is creative director. And she had as her co-conspirator the equally legendary Bruce Weber. "As a kid, I always wanted to run around a department store at night, fantasizing that I could buy anything I wanted," he recalls. "Years later, as a teenager, I remember seeing a TV show with Barbra Streisand after-hours in Bergdorf's and I thought, Boy, is she lucky!
Weston and Weber go back, at least to the mid-nineties. "We share a lot of things in life, especially dogs and art," says the photographer. She calls his massive career overview Blood, Sweat and Tears her bible. They last worked together two years ago, on a shoe campaign for Selfridges. "Everything has to have a bit of a twist for me," says Weston. "I'm not much of a fashion person. There always has to be a story." Which makes Weber, the past master of the implied narrative, a dream collaborator for her. In that last campaign, a handsome fireman turned into a superhero in the ladies' shoe department. In this new one, a ballerina meets a poet, a beautiful young Grace Jones lookalike is lovestruck by a boxer. He's holding a puppy while she soothes his bruised eye. It's a quintessential Weber moment, young outsiders meeting in a romantic fantasy…with dogs. There's also a wizard, a Rasta Santa, five ponies, a handful of adorable kids, and Tim Easton, the face of Weber's iconic campaigns for Ralph Lauren in the eighties. That mix of old, new, and slightly skewed is a Weber signature. "I still photograph people I met 30 years ago, so I do have a big repertory company—old friends, parents of models, my favorite dogs I meet walking around the neighborhood, people I'd love to dance with, others I'd like to play football with. As you can see, the people I'm drawn to in my work are limitless. I like it when a sitting is like making a vegetable soup from scratch."
As of late, it's been the bright colors and wild prints dominating the street-style photos. But there is also a plus side to keeping things simple. Case in point? Emmanuelle Alt and her entourage of editors, all of whom wore head-to-toe black (with a hint of white) while walking through the Tuileries in Paris. Get their effortlessly chic look with minimal essentials from Valentino, Theyskens' Theory, and more.
