Rebekah Wing
Julia Alcântara
Rita Galkina
Weronika Kumanek
Marie M
London is known as being one of the most fashionable cities in the world and at the end of February, a not-to-be-missed event comes to the capital.
The annual London Fashion Week is one of the most hotly-anticipated events in the calendar for the rich and famous.
However, for those who do not have millions in the bank or a celebrity status, London Fashion Weekend is the perfect solution if they love to see models strut their stuff on the catwalk and gaze in admiration at the stunning creations from some of the world's most famous design houses.
Held at Somerset House between February 25th - 28th, a special sale offers all manner of discounts from designers such as Emma Cook, American Retro, Luella and Lulu Guinness, who recently revealed to Vogue that she gets many of her ideas when she is in the bath.
Beauty experts will also be on hand to ensure that those staying at hotels in London have the perfect hair and makeup to accompany their latest purchases.
Furthermore, guests can take at seat in the official British Fashion Council catwalk and enjoy a professional show demonstrating some of the top trends for 2010.
This could be the perfect chance for fashionistas to hunt down unique samples and one-off products, as well as past and current stock at special knock-down prices.
A strategy of aggressively pushing for higher market share in selected product categories has enabled Sri Lanka's Brandix Group to achieve healthy growth in the first half of 2009, despite global retail inventories shrinking by 20 per cent, the country's top apparel exporter has disclosed.
The Group's apparel sales have seen a tremendous growth in 2008 and in the first six months of the current year in the face of a US$ 17 billion drop in retail sales last year, contracting inventories and lower average unit costs, Brandix CEO Ashroff Omar told supply chain partners at the Brandix Vendor Summit in Colombo recently.
Top vendors to Brandix had benefitted significantly as a result of the Group's commitment to direct more business to preferred suppliers, said Mr. Omar, revealing that continued growth would be possible by re-engineering vendor cost structures, focusing on 'Trend-right Fashion', reducing concept-to-store lead times, flexibility on speed and pricing, unrelenting commitment to on-time delivery (OTD) & quality and a focus on sustainability initiatives.
More than 150 supply chain partners and 30 foreign visitors participated at Brandix' Vendor Summit, themed 'Beyond the Limits'.
Stressing that "in our quest to push beyond the limits we will have to challenge every paradigm that exists today," Mr. Omar cited examples of how Brandix had grown its underwear segment from a virtually insignificant category to one that represents a third of the Group's business in just two years. Brandix had also been the first apparel manufacturer to invest in a factory in the eastern province and achieved a world first with its LEED Platinum-rated eco-friendly apparel factory, he pointed out.
Brandix Director Udena Wickremesooriya whose presentation focused on 'the shape of things to come' disclosed that the biggest challenge facing the industry was how to bring prices down, crash lead times, and achieve flawless execution in terms of on-time delivery whilst offering a 'Best Price' proposition.
Prices across all categories from men's underwear, commodity, fashion and best price panties, fashion bras, lounge wear and woven pants, had fallen by 10 to 27 per cent over the past year or two, and buyers continue to pressure manufacturers to reduce prices, Mr. Wickremesooriya said.
A highlight of the event was the presentation of awards to the nine top vendor partners of Brandix. The award categories were Best Support Product Partner, Best Apparel Service Provider, Most Innovative Partner - Accessories, Most Innovative Partner - Textile, Best Emerging Partner - Accessories, Best Emerging Partner - Textile, Most Flexible Partner, Vendor of the Year - Textile and Vendor of the Year - Accessories.
The pioneer of the concept of 'total solutions' in Sri Lanka's apparel sector, Brandix is a preferred solutions provider to some of the world's leading apparel brands, including Gap,Marks & Spencer, Victoria's Secret, NEXT, Lands' End, Abercrombie & Fitch, Old Navy and Tommy Hilfiger. The Group specializes in casual bottoms, intimate and active wear, textiles, knitted fabrics, sewing and embroidery thread, accessories and hangers, and also offers wet processing and finishing and fabric printing.
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Mr. Le Danh Vinh termed imposition of anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese footwear by the European Commission as unfair, and said that it does not reveal the true conditions of the Vietnamese footwear industry.
The Minister was addressing media professionals in Hanoi. He said that most of the Vietnamese enterprises are small and medium-sized and Vietnamese leather uppers contribute to just 10 percent in overall import volume of European Union.
He further added that this shows that the Vietnamese companies had not at all dumped their products at low rates to kill the competition or to add more market share and in no way threatened production and business of European footwear manufacturers.
The footwear industry of Vietnam that employees more than 65,000 poor people, particularly women, has been hit hard due to EU’s anti-dumping duty. During first nine months of the current year, export of leather uppers to EU slipped down by 11.2 percent compared to same period of previous year.
The Minister said that, protecting less competitive local footwear producers of EU is the only reason behind continuing the anti-dumping measure, which has impacted the sale of Vietnamese footwear in markets of EU which is made up of millions of consumers.
Moreover, imposition of this duty on import of leather uppers from Vietnam affects the development of economic and trade relations between Vietnam and the European Union, added the Minister.
Ellen DeGeneres has been named Woman Of The Year by People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), for promoting a lifestyle which is friendly to nature.
Ellen DeGeneres has been named Woman Of The Year by charity PETA.
The US TV host was awarded the title by People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for her work in raising awareness of their campaigns promoting a lifestyle which is friendly to nature.
Tim Gunn, who appears on fashion programme 'Project Runway' in the US, was named Man Of The Year.
PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said: "Tim Gunn and Ellen DeGeneres show us that one person really can make a difference in the world by rejecting cruel deeds in favour of compassionate acts.
"Their message that animals must be treated kindly and respectfully has reached scores of people, and many of them have changed their buying habits, all because Gunn and DeGeneres spoke up for the voiceless."
Ellen, who fronts a self titled show, said she was delighted by the honour.
She tweeted: "I'm honoured PETA named me 'Person of The Year'. I thank them for protecting animals every single day. Amazing."
PETA said it gave its accolade to Ellen for being vegan and championing the meat and dairy-free lifestyle by inviting experts like Jonathan Safran Foer and Dr. Neal Barnard on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show'.
Tim's contributions include narrating the charity's 'Fashion Victims' video, about extreme practices in the fur and reptile skin trade and for being creative director at fur-free fashion chain Liz Claiborne.
Both stars will be awarded plaques and a letter of appreciation.
Carrying a big golden Gucci shopping bag, dragging a huge piece of luggage, Miss Wu from Dalian, China, has just picked up the last item on her shopping list, in time to head to the airport for her flight home.
She and her friend surnamed Liu, both in their 20s, had been on a five-day shopping spree in Hong Kong.
"The discount is much lower than last year," Wu said in a tone reflecting her disappointment. The branded handbags are just about 80-90 percent of full price. Some luxury brands don't have discounts at all. Last year, some even were selling at up to 50 percent off, she said, shaking her head.
Still, she spent between HK$30,000-HK$40,000 during the time she was here.
Attracted by the big year-end discount, Wu comes to Hong Kong every year at Christmas to shop for handbags and cosmetics. "The cosmetics I buy at one time in Hong Kong are usually enough to use for half a year," she said.
Unlike Wu who came with a list, another couple from Shanghai takes a more leisurely, relaxed approach - to shopping.
"My two children are studying aboard, we have to find some fun on our own," the husband said.
"I have spent Christmas in Western countries before. It was too quiet, not like Hong Kong, many people in the street, very lively," he said.
His wife had walked into a cosmetics shop in Causeway Bay about half an hour earlier. Her husband sat outside waiting to get the call to go and pay the bill. "We don't have any shopping plan, and no budget," he said. He patted the pocket on his chest, and said, "I brought my credit card, as long as my wife is happy."
Although the discounts may not be as attractive as last year's, mainland tourists are still heating up Christmas shopping in Hong Kong.
Long queues extend in front of luxury brand shops. At a Gucci shop, the manager has to stand outside the shop to limit the number of the customers.
"As far as I know from the latest statistics from the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the number of tourists from the mainland is growing," said David Jones, associate professor of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at Polytechnic University.
"The situation is better than last year because the recession has just passed," he said. "It also has brought up hotel prices, compared to last year."
"We have had to raise the price of the package to Hong Kong during Christmas and New Year, just because the hotel prices are going up," said a staff of a travel agency in Shenzhen.
Christmas carols fill the street with joy, and neon and gorgeous decorations create just the right atmosphere. But most of mainlanders aren't concerned about Christmas. They're here to shop.
Retail sales in Hong Kong last month rose by the most in 18 months, as falling unemployment and resurging stock and property markets encouraged consumer spending.
Sales grew 11.7 percent from a year earlier to HK$22.87 billion, the government said yesterday, after rising 9.8 percent in October. Sales volume rose 9.8 percent over the same period.
Hong Kong exports, meanwhile, are likely to benefit from recovering consumer sentiment in the United States and Europe.
US retail sales climbed during Christmas week, with sales at stores open at least a year rising 2.3 percent from a year earlier, the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs said
With shoppers out in force this Christmas, Hong Kong's retail figures for this month are expected to remain rosy.
Cosmetics retail chain Bonjour Holdings (0653) posted a 20 percent growth in same-store sales, said executive director Alan Chan Chi-chau.
"Customers spent 10 percent more on average,"said Chan.
Sales of watches and jewelry recorded a 20 percent growth during Christmas.
Department stores may also register double-digit growth, the Hong Kong Retail Management Association forecast.
Harbour City and Times Square - two malls owned by Wharf (Holdings) (0004) - said sales improved since last month and high turnover is expected to last until the Lunar New Year.
The malls' more upmarket stores have often benefited from strong foot traffic, with many of those eager to spend their cash coming from the mainland.
Restaurants, too, did a booming business over the festive period.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong exports are set to grow by up to 9 percent this month, thanks to mild improvements in retail sales in the US and European markets, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said.
The council forecast a 5 percent growth in exports for 2010.
India has imposed anti-dumping duty on imports of flax fabrics from China and Hong Kong, primarily used in curtains, with the maximum duty levied being at the rate of Rs 209 per metre.
The anti-dumping duty is applicable for a period of five years and ranges between Rs 206.24 to Rs 209.72 to per meter due to the claim that China and Hong Kong were dumping flax fabrics at low prices.
Designer Cynthia Shapiro has recently announced the release of Cinzia Designs' latest eyewear and accessories collections for Spring 2010.
Cinzia Designs, celebrated for providing women and men with sophisticated solutions to the reading glass dilemma, continues to reach new levels of design and originality with their functional fashion accessories created for people that are confident in their own skin. For the upcoming season, Cinzia has focused their signature cutting edge, minimalist style in a timeless, go-with-everything color palette. Offering 12 new styles of sleek, swanky readers, sunreaders, and sunglasses, including four new additions to the very popular Sport series of unisex sunwear, the spring collection has something for everyone. As always, every style comes with the coordinating, custom-designed cases that Cinzia is known for.
Spring will also see the expansion of Cinzia's line of sophisticated lifestyle accessories, with new offerings including bracelets, watches, hair accessories, scarves, and handbags. To complement the new looks in reading and sunwear, Cinzia Designs is presenting a new line of coordinating eyewear necklaces. Each necklace is carefully hand-crafted in their Scottsdale design studio and is created to be a unique piece of wearable art with an open pendant designed to hold your eyewear when not in use. All Cinzia accessories are made to mix-and-match, giving the wearer endless options to create a look to suit every whim and every wardrobe.
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Cinzia Designs is a division of Europa International, an eyeglass manufacturer known around the world for high-quality and high fashion eyewear with a deep commitment to customer satisfaction. Drawing on the unparalleled knowledge acquired from Europa's 32-plus years in the optical industry, Cinzia Designs was founded in 2002 by Cynthia Shapiro. A true visionary in the eyewear industry, Cyn is passionate about creating statement-making, unconventional, avant-garde readers, sunwear, and accessories to express one's personal style.
We believe this to be true because we have found a designer/maker who knits, crochets and screen prints fabric to make fabulous jewellery. So we are pleased to announce that Rose Sharp Jones has joined the makers-online website.
Rose is a textile designer who makes a gorgeous range of products, she graduated with a M.A in textile design in 2008. All her designs are original and hand made using environmentally friendly material.
She pushes the boundaries of contemporary Jewellery design.
By using 100% wool yarn she makes fabulous 'funky chunky', button bracelets which are not only for women to wear but are great for little girls. They can be worn to liven up a simple t-shirt or on a coat or bag as decoration. They are young and fun and will brighten up your day.
To complement her jewellery designs Rose also makes knitted accessories her incredible 'gorgeously warm', crocheted mitten's made from soft organic wool and dyed with natural pigments are a great practical addition to her range.
So is there a future for wool/fabric jewellery? well, we believe there is, its great for young girls, the products are safe and fun to wear, they can be quirky, colourful and fresh and are guaranteed to brush off the drearies in anyone's day.
The ethical, fashion-conscious consumer may have been the intended ally of the world’s poorest cotton farmers, but the credit crunch and the recession put paid to that — so Fairtrade is turning its attention to the business world. Fluffy towels and pristine sheets, hotels and hospitals are being targeted under plans to increase sales of Fairtrade cotton.
While demand for other Fairtrade products, such as coffee and chocolate, has continued to grow despite the recession, sales of cotton were hit this year as fashion stores and shoppers focused on low-price clothing rather than ethical concerns. Fairtrade cotton sales fell by more than 25 per cent as a result — after double-digit sales surges for Fairtrade cotton in 2007 and 2008, as shoppers sought to help farmers in developing countries and retailers competed on which could be most fashionably green.
Two years ago, for example, Marks & Spencer said that it would use a third of the world’s Fairtrade cotton, Tesco aimed to sell up to 20 million garments using the fibre and J Sainsbury three million. Farmers expanded as British retailers promised big orders for the cotton. Now, while Debenhams and some small brands, such as Gossypium and Pants to Poverty, have continued to report growth, sales at others, including M&S and Tesco, No 1 and No 2, respectively, in the list of Fairtrade cotton purchasers, have stalled.
According to Victoria Morton, head of non-food business development at Fairtrade: “Since the recession hit, retailers and consumers in the UK have bought less and obviously this has a big impact on farmers, who were given the impression that there was a huge appetite for Fairtrade cotton in the UK and got themselves certified. Those farmers may now have to go back to selling cotton for whatever price they can get, which has an impact on families getting into debt and many repercussions on health, education, food and water.”
The ethical, fashion-conscious consumer may have been the intended ally of the world’s poorest cotton farmers, but the credit crunch and the recession put paid to that — so Fairtrade is turning its attention to the business world. Fluffy towels and pristine sheets, hotels and hospitals are being targeted under plans to increase sales of Fairtrade cotton.
While demand for other Fairtrade products, such as coffee and chocolate, has continued to grow despite the recession, sales of cotton were hit this year as fashion stores and shoppers focused on low-price clothing rather than ethical concerns. Fairtrade cotton sales fell by more than 25 per cent as a result — after double-digit sales surges for Fairtrade cotton in 2007 and 2008, as shoppers sought to help farmers in developing countries and retailers competed on which could be most fashionably green.
Two years ago, for example, Marks & Spencer said that it would use a third of the world’s Fairtrade cotton, Tesco aimed to sell up to 20 million garments using the fibre and J Sainsbury three million. Farmers expanded as British retailers promised big orders for the cotton. Now, while Debenhams and some small brands, such as Gossypium and Pants to Poverty, have continued to report growth, sales at others, including M&S and Tesco, No 1 and No 2, respectively, in the list of Fairtrade cotton purchasers, have stalled.
According to Victoria Morton, head of non-food business development at Fairtrade: “Since the recession hit, retailers and consumers in the UK have bought less and obviously this has a big impact on farmers, who were given the impression that there was a huge appetite for Fairtrade cotton in the UK and got themselves certified. Those farmers may now have to go back to selling cotton for whatever price they can get, which has an impact on families getting into debt and many repercussions on health, education, food and water.”
