Rita Galkina
IVANA J
Crystii Lin
Nhi Py
Theo Ortengren
With an aim to develop high-end materials for China’s fashion industry, a wool textile research institute has been set up in the port city of Longkou in northeastern Shandong province.
The institute has been established by Xi'an Polytechnic University in collaboration with Shandong Nanshan Textile Apparel Company.
Currently, China imports most of the high quality wool as about 80 percent of its locally produced wool is of low quality. The non-availability of good quality wool impedes the growth of fashion industry in the country.
Sponsored by M&S, MAS Holdings, SLDF and Reclaimed-To-Wear, Sri Lankan eco fashion designers Charini Suriyage and Kanchana Talpawila, winners of the Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) Ethical Fashion Designer Award 2010, launch their sustainable collections for the first time in London this autumn. Lingerie brand Charini and ready-to-wear women's brand K T Brown, as part of the award prize, worked alongside ethical fashion and business experts from the UK and Sri Lanka to develop collections for the European marketplace.
Drawing from a pool of experience within the ethical fashion sector, the intensive three month mentoring programme gave the designers the opportunity to develop their brand identity and refine their collection signatures. By boosting their business potential and focusing on a sustainable supply chain they are set to have a competitive edge with European buyers this autumn.
"Recognizing, nurturing and launching designers is essential to sustain a healthy fashion industry and as the world increasingly operates as a global village, breaking geographical boundaries is our future. The SLDF Ethical Fashion Designer Award is a bridge, a journey of discovery and cultural intermix, an opportunity for young designers to think of design as a universal language, understood by all."
Orsola de Castro, Founder of award winning eco brand From Somewhere
Luxury eco lingerie brand 'Charini' celebrates exquisite artisanal Beeralu lace through working with community enterprises in Sri Lanka. Charini's S/S 2012 range also focuses on architectural support in design and sets a standard of no elastics, no metals, no underwire and no harmful dying. Wellbeing is at the heart of her working and production ethos. Charini Suriyage will be showcasing her collection at the London Fashion Week Esthetica this September.
Ready-to-wear eco brand 'K. T. Brown' has been inspired by the iconic Sri Lankan artist Ena De Silva and brings the mastery of surface design to work alongside her innovative pattern techniques of using circles as a base for garment structures. K T Brown's vibrant collection also supports sustainable livelihoods, fabrics are sourced locally and all garments are exclusively made by the dedicated team at her studio in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Kanchana Talpawila will be showcasing her collection at PURE London this August.
The mentors who worked alongside the winning designers included, award winning designer Orsola de Castro, Founder of Reclaimed To Wear Filippo Ricci, Claire Hamer from E8ight ethical fashion consultancy, ethical fashion consultant Elizabeth Laskar, Soozie Jenkinson and Paschal Little from M&S, Subramaniam Eassuwaren from Carbon Consulting Company and Ajay Amalean from MAS Holdings Sri Lanka.
"We are proud and delighted to support the SLDF ethical fashion award. We really enjoyed being involved and working with all the designers throughout the mentoring process and congratulateall of them on their excellent work. We were inspired both by their creativity and their original and innovative approach to sustainable design" Head of Innovation and Quality for Lingerie and Beauty, M&S
The Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) Ethical Fashion Award searches for and launches exceptional design talent from Sri Lanka and South East Asia into Europe. Supported by industry and commercial partners, the award aims to support South East Asian designers through brand and design development to reach new markets and expand their business potentials.
"We are excited to see the exceptional work of the winners of the SLDF Ethical Fashion Award. Both Charini Suriyage and Kanchana Talpawila build on the strong ethical manufacturing background of Sri Lanka, and drawing on the local artisanal roots to create fabulous, sustainable apparel. We are keen to build sustainable design capabilities of Sri Lankan designers and this is a strong first step towards that goal."
Dian Gomes, Group Director, MAS Holdings, Sri Lanka
Supporting local artisanal communities, providing livelihoods through cooperative collaborations, up-cycling textiles to applying innovative techniques to save water and energy – the SLDF Ethical Fashion Award continues to celebrate a principled approach towards fashion and through partnering with European commercial platforms introduces international designers onto new markets.
"Design with a conscience that is socially and ecologically aware and active is the kind of design that can make a positive impact on society and our planet; and that is the kind of design that we need for the future and therefore the kind of design we need to encourage. SLDF Ethical Fashion Award recognizes of fashion designers and entrepreneurs who make sustainability and ethical commitments a core element of their practice. SLDF aims to encourage a new movement in fashion and design thinking, and this award is a key part of this creative revolution" Linda Speldewinde, Founder of Sri Lanka Design Festival, Sri Lanka
The 'British Council –Sri Lanka' and the Carbon Consulting Company have also supported the award as knowledge partners. The award will launch again this year as the SLDF continues to support young talented eco designers to launch into the European fashion platform.
Juvie, the popular online children's retailer of clothing, gifts and accessories for boys and girls, announced new lines and their take on the trends and must-have items for back-to-school season, fall 2011.
The color watch for fall shows jewel tones mixed with darker hues (think charcoal gray) popping up everywhere for girls. Girls will be drawn to the fun mix of textures and prints from Libertalia, a Los Angeles designer known for fashion forward tunic style tops. Cotton Caboodle's designs for fall are similarly rich in tone, but with a sportier, preppy look in garnet and amethyst-hued solids. Boys will find lots of deep turquoise, reds, and greens in Chaser's line of pop-culture-referencing graphic t-shirts.
The time lag between adult and children's fashion continues to narrow this fall, with several trends that are hot on the heels of their grown-up counterparts. Skinny cargo pants take a girl's two favorite pieces (cargo pants and leggings) and combine them into one go-to garment she'll reach for day after day. Look for Juvie's skinny cargo pants in a neutral green that can be worn with everything from It Jeans.
Another grown-up trend taking the kid's world by storm is faux fur vests. The hooded faux fur vest from Peas and Queues is expected to sell out well before the cold weather actually hits. And not leaving out the little guys, Juvie has partnered with Babiators to bring toddlers their very own hip aviator sunglasses that are safe and comfy for the little active sun-lovers in your family.
If there's such thing as "subtle bling," Tiny Hiney has found it, combining retro-cool studded appliques of anchors, skulls, guitars and angel wings to darling knit pieces for toddlers sizes 2-4. These pieces are great on boys and girls, who all love a little shine in their everyday wear.
Juvie, a unique online boutique for older boys and girls, features clothing for children from toddlers to tweens in sizes 2T-14. Juvie's modern selections are age-appropriate and stylish, so kids and parents are both happy.
LOS ANGELES – As a young teenager, before the fame, kids, paparazzi and front-row seats at fashion shows, Demi Moore regularly passed an Ann Taylor store at a local mall, taking note of the clothes.
In the years since, she's been a red-carpet rebel, jeans-wearing mom, bikini globetrotter and Versace model. Now her style evolution has come full circle, and Moore is the star of the Ann Taylor fall ad campaign.
She is the latest Hollywood connection for a company that previously tapped Katie Holmes and Naomi Watts to court its shoppers. "I feel like I've known Ann Taylor since I was a kid. I've watched the clothes move into support for the working woman," said Moore, 48, during a break at a recent photo shoot in L.A. "It used to be a lot of suiting. I've seen as we've changed, that they've changed, reflecting on how we live as modern women, which is wearing things that take us from day to night . from workout to work to weekend."
Looking at Moore's own fashion history, she's changed a lot, too. She has done the menswear thing, the retro siren and many plunging necklines. She's been bald and buff — and totally bare. (Remember the Vanity Fair cover when she was pregnant in 1991?)
In recent years, she has developed more of a signature look — one that's both sophisticated and sultry — which has won her praise from fashion insiders.
"We have to remember it's OK to take risks. Sometimes it will work and sometimes it won't. For me, I know there's a certain kind of balance of criteria. I like things that are classic. I want to know that I'll look in my closet five years from now and that piece still has a place. I don't have room or time for something's that just absolutely of the moment."
She has no problem taking some cues from the past, though. "I look at Katharine Hepburn, from the `30s and `40s, and the women of the `70s, Bianca Jagger," said Moore. "When we're young, we're finding ourselves, what we like. I can say there are certain things that remain a constant. I've always loved vintage. I've rested in a place that's classic, with a twist."
That's the look you see in the Ann Taylor ads, shot by top photographer Patrick Demarchelier at one of Rockefeller Center's rooftop gardens in New York City against a backdrop of towering buildings. In one ad, the star of movies "Ghost" and "A Few Good Men" stands confidently, hands on her hips, wearing a `60s-esque beige wool cape and a black blouse edged in lace.
In another shot, she sports a sexy-chic long V-necked grey sweater accented by faux fur. Moore hadn't worked with Demarchelier since he photographed her as the cover of an issue of Harper's Bazaar in the `90s, one of her favorite shoots, she said.
The collection also includes animal-print jackets, tailored tweed, wide-legged pants and bling-y statement jewelry. Moore added her own creative slant to the ads, suggesting the pairing of a leopard-print shirt with khaki pants, and the faux fur-trimmed sweater.
"That was actually one of my favorite pieces, when I first looked through the collection," said Moore.
Married to actor Ashton Kutcher, with three daughters from her ex-husband Bruce Willis, Moore said she definitely identified with Ann Taylor's working-mom demographic. Looking like a casual mom herself during her break on the L.A. photo shoot, she charmingly wore Harry Potter-ish designer black round glasses and loose-fitting jeans. On set, she transformed, moving fluidly into poses, doing yoga stretches between takes.
There's back-and-forth style advice between her and her daughters, including oldest Rumer Willis, a budding actress featured in ads for Badgley Mischka's spring 2011 collection.
"There are things that I might wear with flats that they would put with heels," said Moore. "They definitely stay at a kind of cutting edge because they're still in that experimental stage, which is important to remember. You keep going outside your comfort zone. When you get too confined to `This is what I know works and looks good,' I think you also don't stay fresh and current."
Moore still can push the envelope. For example, to this spring's Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she wore a strapless Prabal Gurung gown dripping in black feathers topped by a Philip Treacy head piece.
"Some of the kind of unspoken rules of what we're allowed to do at this age, and what you can get away with, really comes down to what's in your comfort zone, what makes you feel good about you," Moore said. "I think a part of it is on average we're living 34 years longer, so it's really changing, how we look at ourselves at different times. There might have been a time when we would say, `Post 40, dress above the knee, I shouldn't be doing this.' But that depends on the person. Fashion style really comes from the inside out."
Adjoa Osei is a brand that personifies quality and detail by creating pieces for customers looking for signature pieces.
July marks the official launch of Adapt by Adjoa Osei, an exclusive and rare collection from London's newest designer of the same name.
Adjoa Osei's capsule collection, Adapt is an effortlessly chic array of hand finished jersey vests, loose fitting tops and bright maxi skirts all emboldened with a signature woven West African print detail.
The key focus of the both the collection and the brand is to enhance everyday pieces with African print, creating an 'experimentally classic' look for women who appreciate well placed accents of colour and detail without compromising on their simple, clean lined staples.
Adjoa Osei is not about seasonality, trend or shock factor but about intertwining signature West African print detail into the fabric of every day silhouettes making it accessible to everyone.
Adjoa Osei is about timeless, ever wearable pieces so you won't find any clichéd tributes to 'tribal' inspired clothing here.
As the seasons change and garment trends evolve so will Adjoa Osei, creating limited handcrafted( in London), purposefully small collections, all carrying their signature print.
Global textile consumption is estimated to expand at an annual average rate of 4% and reach 87 million tons by 2020. This growth is likely to fuel the demand for textile fibres. Asia Pacific comprises the biggest market for textile materials, closely followed by Europe.
Asia Pacific will continue to be the biggest market for textile fibres for the years to come. Synthetic fibres represent the biggest segment of the total textile fibre market.
China is the world’s largest manufacturer and consumer of textile fibres. The country also leads in the exports of filament yarn, polyester filament yarn, polyester staple fibre, viscose, and viscose staple fibre.
Global prices for all textile fibres are predicted to increase during 2011. Textile fibres are being used increasingly in many household furnishing due to their inherent performance. Synthetic fibre market is estimated to grow in globally, and more particularly in the developing countries.
Specialty products such as spandex, aramid, and carbon fibres will see a fast growth. Polyester fibre will continue to dominate the fibre market, along with which it is expected that Asian market will see a good growth.
Retail expansion is a portfolio game, with a blend of success and failures. Recouping from recession blues, retailers are currently in expansion mode, developing their networks, and expanding into new markets. A research report states that retailers planning for expansion have increased by 19% in 2011.
Retailers seeking to expand their business must be capable of analyzing various retail specific variables. They need to devise successful expansion strategies and identify emerging markets, and investment opportunities.
Vigorous initiatives from the retailers regarding expansion plans indicate a positive outlook for consumer spending in the fashion apparel sector. Apparel retailers are attempting to make the maximum utilization of this opportunity.
Discreet retailers are rewarded for their long term outlook of business, maturity with varying consumer preferences, and ability to balance opportunities.
DAILY RFID has recently released a latest Gen 2 RFID UHF Hang tag for garment tracking. Operating in the frequency range of 860MHz to 960MHz, the Gen 2 UHF tag is especially designed as a hang tag to track garment to improve inventory accuracy in the retail or rental shops, while enhancing the presentation by sales.
With the EPC Gen 2 RFID hang tag clipped on clothing, the apparel can be track quickly since the UHF hang tag can store the information of the garment. By detecting with UHF reader, hundreds of the Gen2 UHF Hang tags can be read within 4 meters per second. Thus, by using RFID clothing tracking system, all the information about the garment will be shown on the computer clearly, from the product name, model number, and place of origin to its location, etc.
Except for the information of the garment, any other information such as customer’s preferences, their shopping history can be tracked down in the UHF hang tags. Thus, value marketing data could be captured in the same time. The Gen 2 RFID tag can be printed with the logo or size number of the clothes.
The RFID UHF hang tag allows for easily added as a removable label, instead of embedding them in clothes. And it is suitable for use in apparel retail, garment rental operations to streamline the process and win more customers.
DAILY RFID CO LIMITED, a subsidiary of PAN Group Co., ltd, is the leading company focusing on the RFID LF/HF/UHF/ readers, tags in China. Also, we own a factory covering an area of 26,000 square meters. Through ease of use, wide-reaching functionality RFID readers, RFID tags and RFID kits, DAILY RFID is hoping to have a solution for serving the large variety of needs in the expanding RFID market
Adjoa Osei is a brand that personifies quality and detail by creating pieces for customers looking for signature pieces.
July marks the official launch of Adapt by Adjoa Osei, an exclusive and rare collection from London's newest designer of the same name.
Adjoa Osei's capsule collection, Adapt is an effortlessly chic array of hand finished jersey vests, loose fitting tops and bright maxi skirts all emboldened with a signature woven West African print detail.
The key focus of the both the collection and the brand is to enhance everyday pieces with African print, creating an 'experimentally classic' look for women who appreciate well placed accents of colour and detail without compromising on their simple, clean lined staples.
Adjoa Osei is not about seasonality, trend or shock factor but about intertwining signature West African print detail into the fabric of every day silhouettes making it accessible to everyone.
Adjoa Osei is about timeless, ever wearable pieces so you won't find any clichéd tributes to 'tribal' inspired clothing here.
As the seasons change and garment trends evolve so will Adjoa Osei, creating limited handcrafted( in London), purposefully small collections, all carrying their signature print.
First Lady Michelle Obama stays cool in the summer heat while wearing CHRIS BENZ' Resort Nelda Dress for her appearance on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Thursday, July 21st, 2011.
The episode, which is set to air in October, focuses on redesigning and expanding a North Carolina community resource center for homeless female veterans.
The CHRIS BENZ collection is a reflection of Chris' Seattle upbringing and his ability to transform his influences to create a unique American style. His collection reflects the ease and carefree attitude one can expect from a true American Sportswear collection, which is made in the USA. In February 2007, Chris Benz presented his first ready-to-wear collection to high acclaim from fashion press and retailers during New York Fashion Week.
Chris grew up in Seattle, before arriving in New York City at the age of seventeen to study at Parsons School of Design. He graduated in 2004 winning the prestigious CFDA Emerging Designer Award. While at Parsons, Chris interned with Marc Jacobs where he reinforced his Parsons curriculum with the fundamentals of design. After graduation, Chris joined the dynamic J. Crew team as Designer of Dresses and Special Occasion.
Chris Benz is fascinated by innovation, proportions, refined tailoring and finishing details. The Seattle color palette prevails, with its deft blend of muted and neutral tones, shaken to life with an infusion of color. Classic silhouettes incorporate specialty details and elements of surprise.
