Flávia Linden
Cassy Bhairo
Manuella Lupascu
Mirka Germanova
Mallory W
Following a hike in cultivated area, cotton production is expected to ascend in the new cotton season 2011-12 beginning from October.
This was revealed by Textiles Commissioner, Mr AB Joshi.
Cotton output may surpass 32.5 million bales (1 bale = 170 kg), he said after a meeting of the Cotton Advisory Board (CAB).
The CAB has estimated the cotton crop in the current season at 32.5 million bales.
He added that cotton acreage in the next season is also expected to touch above 11.4 million hectares, the sowing area reported last year.
In its domestic cotton consumption estimate, CAB has reduced overall mill consumption estimates from the earlier 25.8 million bales to 23.6 million bales, considering the slowdown in cotton off take in recent months.
Intertek has launched its Passport Express Inspection Program, which enables consumer goods retailers, manufacturers and brands to advance their products to market in less time while maintaining quality standards.
Intertek's Passport Express Inspection Program is available onsite at manufacturing facilities in China for goods manufactured there and exported around the globe. The program features a simplified and standardized inspection program that offers online convenience for scheduling inspections at www.onlineinspection.com. Backed by Intertek's network of 1,200 quality practitioners, Passport Express enables retailers, manufacturers and brands to easily implement an inspection program that addresses sample sizes, acceptable quality levels (AQL), inspection protocols and reporting requirements.
"Passport Express allows retailers, manufacturers and brands to manage their risk and product quality while enjoying simplicity and speed to market," said David Horlock, Vice President Global Inspection and Auditing, Intertek Consumer Goods. "Our inspectors have industry-specific experience and use best-in-class inspection protocols and defect classification lists to ensure product quality while enhancing turnaround times."
Passport Express offers simplified reporting in a concise 2-3 page format, same-day reporting, web-based inspection booking, realistic and reduced AQL and inspection protocols for more than 200 product categories.
Intertek is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek people are dedicated to adding value to customers’ products and processes, supporting their success in the global marketplace. Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 30,000 people in more than 100 countries around the world.
Eurotique continues to expand their footprint of high quality corsets by adding After Dark, Fashion Corsets to their well known brand.
Eurotique, the premiere corset manufacturer, has recently launched a fashion corset collection to compete with the bustier market. Eurotique wanted to offer an alternative to Bustiers which many companies incorrectly call corsets. The After Dark collection is their answer to the entry level corset market. The After Dark corsets will give customers the experience of a corset at the price of a bustier.
After Dark Fashion Corsets
Stainless Spiral Steel Boning
Stainless Steel Busk or Zipper
All After Dark Fashion Corsets are lined.
Every After Dark Fashion Corset includes a Modesty Panel & Garters
After Dark Corsets are available in numerous Styles and Colors
Available in sizes XS to 5X
Made in Plus Sizes up to 5X
Chrissy Grieco, CEO of Eurotique says, “Eurotique has improved the manufacturing process and built upon our past success with this new line of corsets. We have improved quality and lowered costs to make our corsets extremely cost effective for more stores to carry.” Corsets can be ordered in a large variety of colors and fabrics and are available in sizes from XS to 5X, Eurotique is one of the few companies offering plus sizes.
Eurotique has been specializing in corsets for almost 20 years and has a unique perspective on what customers want as they have had retail operations for that entire time as well as design, manufacturing and wholesale experience. Eurotique is known as having high standards regarding producing quality products, great customer service, and reliability. We offer Fullbust, Underbust and Waist Cinchers.
Visit their booth #103 at the International Lingerie Show September 19-21. 2011.
"Wise up and wear something smart on your butt & body," said Roger Maxey, National Sales Director at Polarmax and AYG. "Why strive for outstanding fit and function with all your clothing and gear EXCEPT your underwear?" Maxey asked. "Whether it's hot and muggy or cold and damp, we've got your most important parts covered. Overachievers demand it!"
Built for all-season wear, AYG 365's is a collection of underwear featuring the breakthrough quick-dry performance fabrics: TransDRY Cotton, and Polarmax's airy and comfortable proprietary 4-Way Stretch and Tech Silk. Women's specific styles feature an additional patent-pending TransDRY Cotton crotch panel with Acclimate Fresh anti-microbial treatment designed to alleviate irritation and health risks.
All-new products include a W's Thong and Leggings and M's Short Sleeve Crew V-Neck, among youth specific sizes and others (listed below). An emphasis on colorways and prints will also resonate well with AYG customers, because it's about more than just performance.
To introduce the AYG line, Polarmax is utilizing an integrated, interactive campaign based on the concept of Overachieveies: That your underwear can be so amazing that it can do anything… including talk. The campaign includes a social media effort, dedicated AYG microsite, email outreach, an interactive contest at ORSM '11 (Booth #21039), which includes a crowdsourcing element and a $1000 cash prize, and an iPhone app that will allow users to take pictures with an underwear overlay and add captions. Talk about envisioning someone in their underwear.
Weighing in at 4.5 oz/sq. yd, Lightweight TransDRY Cotton feels and breathes like regular cotton, but has the benefits of fast-drying synthetics. Polarmax's Lightweight Tech Silk fabric weighs in at a breezy 4.0 oz/sq. yd, is treated with Acclimate Dry, one of the fastest wicking agents in the industry, and featuresAcclimate Fresh anti-odor and anti-microbial protection for improved personal hygiene. Similar to Tech Silk in features, the 4-Way Stretch fabric weighs in at 4.5 oz/sq. yd but is constructed of 92% AcclimateDry Poly 8% spandex for fit. All fabrics vary in degree of UPF sun protection.
It will be available at retail in February 2012.
AYG 365's is a collection of incredibly comfortable Men's and Women's underwear tops and bottoms featuring breakthrough performance fabric TransDRY Cotton and Polarmax's proprietary Tech Silk and 4-way Stretch.
Based in West End, North Carolina, Longworth Industries manufactures and markets Polarmax, XGO and AYG branded technical base-layer apparel and underwear. Longworth Industries products are 100% made in the U.S.A.
Over 67% of women over 50 have cited shopping for ladies' jeans as the activity that they find most stressful. A massive 43% of those asked even ranked the search for a good pair of jeans higher on the stress-o-meter than buying a house.
Despite being one of the most popular pieces of casual wear, mature women have said that they feel that shopping for jeans is 'unbearably stressful' due to the poor fit of the classic denim trousers.
According to research by online retailer, isme.com, an increase in 'younger styles' such as low-rise hipsters and skinny jeans has led to the over 50s turning their back on their jeans and instead plumping for a more comfortable style of denim, in particular tummy control jeans.
As a result, the over 50s online retailer, isme.com, has found that sales of their tummy control jeans are soaring, outselling standard style jeans by a whopping 20% since the website launched in January 2011.
Brands such as 'Not Your Daughter's Jeans' and isme.com's exclusive Savoir range of tummy control jeans are both specifically tailored to suit a more mature figure.
These are jeans with a difference, designed with a higher waist and discreet front control panel for a sleeker look, simultaneously countering the 'saggy bottom', 'muffin top' and 'bum cleavage', all common problems cited by the more mature woman.
Jackie Lewis, Shapeologist at isme.com, comments:
"However much you might spend on a pair of jeans, an ill-fitting pair can take you from fashionable to frumpy in seconds. For trousers and jeans it's all about the waist, which thickens as you age - if mature women simply buy a larger size to accommodate their waist, they find that the trousers are too large on the hips and sag around the bottom.
"We have developed the Savoir tummy control trousers to fit and flatter a mature figure - we found from talking to our customers that low-rise jeans are a complete no-no as the constant pulling up or flash of underwear when sitting absolutely infuriates mature women."
Loose Women presenter, actress and brand ambassador for isme.com, Lynda Bellingham, 62, agrees:
"We've all been there, trying to squeeze into the skinniest of jeans or doing up a pair to find they create that dreaded muffin top. I have found a go-to pair with isme.com's 'Not Your Daughter's Jeans' - I even wear them on stage in Calendar Girls as they are so flattering.
"Like so many people, I am tired of the high street's 'one-size-fits-all' philosophy - that's why I'm thrilled to be part of a brand that realises that 50+ women still want fashionable clothes, outstanding choice and prices to suit all budgets - and one that understands what looks good on a more mature woman's shape."
NEW YORK – In the '70s you had your bellbottoms and in the '80s your tight designer jeans. In the '90s, you went from distressed grungy to dressy denim, and then came the skinny-jean revolution in the 2000s.
But, say insiders, there isn't a defining denim trend heading into the important fall shopping season this year — and that's expected to be a good thing for the women's apparel market.
It takes multiple pairs to round out your wardrobe. Skinnies and their close cousin the jegging are still going strong. There also is a more wearable interpretation out there of the high-waisted, flared-leg pant that was popular on the runway for fall, and boot-cut and boyfriend jeans have earned "classic" status.
"The consumer is passionate about denim, and it seems like you can't have too much," says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with market research firm The NPD Group.
He adds, "You're going to find a denim free-for-all where anything goes. Purchases will be spread out and people will buy by brand, but not a single trend. Price point is a factor but the features people are putting a greater emphasis on is fit and brand."
Jeans already are the rare apparel item that people don't give up on when they are feeling economically squeezed, Cohen says. He puts them in the "replenishment" category along with socks and underwear, because people feel they are a necessary thing.
Even when they're not worn out, consumers are willing to "trade up" their denim, in the way they will few other things except perhaps a new smartphone or laptop, if they find a pair they think are more flattering, Cohen adds. "They're always back on the quest for the perfect pair."
Sales for women's jeans had a period of brief decline in the middle of 2010, NPD reports, but ended up 2.6 percent and grew another 20 percent in the first three months of 2011. Jeggings were a juggernaut, finishing last year with an increase of 200 percent, but Cohen suspects those were more of a fad.
Fashion denim as a category is still poised for further growth, though, because people aren't married to a single look: They still have their casual and dressy pairs, black and white jeans, and those with light and dark washes. And all those silhouettes.
"What `denim' is today has changed from just `jeans.' ... It's crossed the boundary of just being one thing," says Rosella Giuliani, creative director of Gap's denim collection.
Designers and celebrity stylists Emily Current and Meritt Elliot say they have noticed huge shifts in trends when it came to jeans every five years. If that's still true, we're in the middle of the "anything goes" trend. "It's a fun point when there are lots of trends relevant at the same time," says Current. "It encourages personal style and lets you play with proportion and different styles."
Elliot adds, "women can dress more appropriately for body type and lifestyle. You can ebb and flow between `trends' — jeggings are not for everyone, the boyfriend is not for everyone, but one of them might be for you."
In 20 years in the business, Tana Ward, chief merchandising office for American Eagle, says she has never seen this much democracy in the denim market. Consumer interest is spread almost equally among silhouettes and leg shapes, and a particular style isn't seen as something for the very young — or not so young — or the very casual versus dressy.
"Today's designers and today's trends are built off inspiration from all the eras before now," Ward says. Denim retailers and manufacturers have also learned not to dictate to customers that there is one right way to be wearing their jeans, she adds. "Today's shoppers aren't tied to an era. They are most interested in looking good."
Trial and error is really the best way to find flattering jeans, say the experts, but there are some style assumptions:
High-rise, extreme flares are a perfect complement to a long, lean shape, says Ward, while curvier shapes bring a femininity to skinny jeans, especially with either a long, loose top, or fitted tank and open cardigan.
Wide legs look best with a shorter top — not one that shows your belly — but one that hits at the top of the jeans, Ward suggests.
Gap's Giuliani likes to see denim trousers with a blazer and heel, although she's personally wearing a lot of a "slouchy skinny" shape — a version of the skinny jean with a more relaxed cut but still a tight leg opening.
Elliot says she's often asked, "How long will skinny jeans live?" and "How long will the boyfriend last?"
"My answer: `They're here as long as they serve a purpose, probably forever."
Don't limit yourself to pants, adds Current. A denim skirt or even a shirt or jacket can give off the same hip vibe that jeans have."
"It's been interesting to watch denim move away into a whole category of casual fabrication," Current says.
The appeal of jeans is largely built on the durability of denim, but technology has allowed for manufacturers to make the fabric softer, more supple and stretchier, while maintaining its strength, Giuliani adds. It's also allowed for lighter weights of denim, making jeans truly a year-round look, she says.
Unfortunately, strong, 12-month sales of denim doesn't necessarily benefit any other category of women's apparel, observes NPD's Cohen.
Because jeans can be worn with pretty much anything — T-shirts, sport shirts, dress shirts, etc., — they don't fuel sales of another must-have item. "Denim is universal in that it doesn't create a chain reaction to dovetail from its success," he says.
Australian wool buyer and exporter Viterra is expanding its wool business into the New Zealand market.
Peter Davey, Viterra's Executive Manager Agri-Products said the expansion would provide the New Zealand wool industry with a major new player.
"Viterra enters the market with balance sheet strength and good knowledge of the international wool industry," Mr Davey said.
Viterra has appointed Steve Major and Alan Robertson to manage the export of both greasy and processed wool into various international markets and sell into the local domestic market.
"Both Steve and Alan have significant experience in the New Zealand wool industry, from direct procurement to delivery of both greasy and processed wools to domestic and international clients and markets," he said.
"Stephen has worked in the NZ wool industry for 30 years and has run his own wool export company.
"Alan has worked in the wool industry for almost 40 years; first with a major wool processing company and then his own export business."
Viterra provides premium quality ingredients to leading global food manufacturers. Headquartered in Canada, the global agribusiness has extensive operations in Western Canada, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Our growing international presence also extends to offices in Japan, Singapore, China, Switzerland, Italy, Ukraine, Germany and India.
New York – When Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis get together, look out. The dynamic duo that star in what Kunis calls a "buddy comedy with a little romance" love to joke around, and at the Monday, July 18, New York premiere of "Friends With Benefits," they hugged and snuggled just enough to make onlookers wonder. Are they a real-life couple or do they just play one in the movies?
Kunis chuckled when asked that question at an earlier press conference for the flim. "I think that we got lucky. We work well together. Hopefully people see that onscreen and that it translates onscreen. That's all," the dark-haired beauty insisted.
And Timberlake agreed, chiming in, "We share a lowbrow sense of humor. We actually bonded more over the rehearsal period because it was longer than a normal rehearsal period and we weren't actually on camera. So, we could get together and rehearse and laugh about the script and screw it up and find every way that we thought it was wrong so that we could find the way that we thought it was right. When you do that with someone and it's just the two of you, you become friends."
But both agree they are not "Friends With Benefits," just the stars of the movie of that name, which Timberlake says audiences will appreciate because "it's an adult comedy, a real-situation comedy from a male and female perspective about the way that two people who are close to the same age see the world right now."
Plenty of the duo's co-stars and pals turned out to catch the comedy, including Emma Stone, Patricia Clarkson, Richard Jenkins, Shaun White, Bryan Greenberg, Jenna Elfman and director Will Gluck from the film, and beauties Rose Byrne, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Melissa George, Irina Shayk, Julie Henderson and Jessica Perez. Other fans of the starring duo who came out to see the movie including Gayle King, designer Christian Siriano, singer Michael Bolton and Darryl Strawberry.
Junonia is pleased to announce the expansion of its bicycling line for plus size women, with the addition of Terry Bike products to its catalog and internet site, junonia.com. Junonia is the premier provider of plus size active and active-inspired casual clothing for women in sizes 14- 6X by catalog and internet. Junonia offers high-quality active apparel for swim, ski, tennis, golf, yoga and bicycling. Everything is designed for functional use and casual style for the larger woman.
In addition to the continuously popular QuikWik padded bicycle shorts and tops, Junonia has added Terry Bike padded knickers, leggings, commuter wrap, bolero, and a variety of fun and exciting tops for the plus size rider in sizes 14-3X. Click here to see the entire Junonia bike collection Junonia's bike Collection.
A customer comments, "I just placed an order for your padded bike shorts. I need them desperately, as my other two padded bike shorts from Junonia that I have worn and loved for many years are too big now. There are NOT many other places (if any) where I can buy size 3X high -883389534 tech clothes I need for my training." Jen W.
Junonia is the premier provider of plus size women's active and active-inspired casual apparel.
INVISTA, one of the world’s largest integrated producers of fibers and polymers, showcased highlights of LYCRA beauty fabric’s commercial adoptions from international intimate apparel brands at Mode City in Paris, July 9-11.
As of June 2011, more than 40 brands, ranging from true shapewear players, high-end fashion or mainstream brands from around the world adopted INVISTA’s innovative LYCRA beauty fabric program for shaping intimates. The program launched with great success for intimate apparel at Mode City in September 2010.
Before the launch, INVISTA commissioned global research to understand what women consider to be important attributes in their shapewear, and how well their expectations were met. The study revealed a large gap between the importance of attributes and the level of their consumer satisfaction across the shapewear market.
"We are proud to report that not even one year after its launch, internationally renowned intimate apparel brands such as Bali, La Perla, Spanx and Wacoal are already featuring LYCRA beauty fabric in their shaping designs," said Alistair Williamson, INVISTA Apparel’s managing account director for intimate apparel and swimwear in Europe and North America. "Furthermore, less than a year after the launch, we have issued close to 3 million LYCRA beauty fabric hangtags—a clear indication that our dedicated shapewear offering is addressing a market need."
This year, the LYCRA beauty platform is expanding to meet the consumers' increased desire for shaping and comfort with a wider selection of intimate apparel materials, ranging from delicate lace or ultra-lightweight fabrics to seamless garment construction technology.
Visitors were offered a glimpse of commercial samples from brands that have adopted LYCRA beauty fabric at the INVISTA stand at Mode City (Hall 1/M64 – N75) and learned about the diversity of the LYCRA beauty fabric platform, including:
Latest high performance and specialty fabrics for intimate apparel
Latest commercial and concept garments showcasing the new LYCRA beauty seamless developments
Launch of LYCRA beauty fabric for shaping swimwear and first commercially available garments
