Flávia Linden
Manuella Lupascu
Crystii Lin
Martina M
Ala Konturek
Gap Inc announced that customers in eight additional European countries can shop Gap and Banana Republic online through its dedicated European e-commerce sites. Customers in these additional countries can immediately shop the English language version of the websites, pay in GBP (British Pounds) and have their order shipped right to their doorstep in as little as 2-3 days for an introductory flat rate.
Customers in Austria, Estonia, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia can now shop Gap and Banana Republic from the brands' European sites.
These dedicated sites were first launched to customers in the UK in August 2010 and expanded to include nine additional European countries in October 2010. With this recent expansion European customers in 18 countries can now buy from our dedicated European sites. They provide a fast, easy shopping experience for customers, with reliable, convenient, European shipping and no hidden charges or fees.
"We're excited to accelerate Gap Inc.'s global online expansion and extend our exceptional online experience to more European customers," said Stephen Sunnucks, President, Gap Inc. Europe and Strategic Alliances. "Launching in eight additional European countries underscores the loyalty and enthusiasm customers in Europe have shown for our online brands since the sites launched last August."
Fashion Week El Paseo (March 20-28, 2011) will feature a thrilling evening of American popular culture with a runway show showcasing three Project Runway Season 8 contestants: Michael Costello, Mondo Guerra, and Christopher Collins. Each will present a new original collection on Wednesday, March 23, at 7 p.m.
Costello will present a dazzling new collection including 30 of his trademark evening gowns. Collins will show his latest collection of ready-to-wear that is featured in Neiman Marcus stores as well as other boutiques and stores in the United States, while Guerra will reveal 15 of his cutting-edge designs.
The event also features a special performance by Season 5 American Idol finalist Kimberly Locke, who will entertain and delight the audience during the evening.
The sixth annual Fashion Week El Paseo, produced by Palm Springs Life in partnership with the City of Palm Desert, is the premier West Coast fashion event, providing a week of high-quality fashion events for the consumer as well as the fashion industry. Other Fashion Week El Paseo sponsors include El Paseo Merchants Association, The Gardens on El Paseo, El Paseo Village, and El Paseo Jewelers.
Attendees will enjoy a week of fun and glamorous events — from makeup and hair makeovers at the Style & Beauty Bash to high-energy runway shows by Oliver Tolentino, Trina Turk, Saks Fifth Avenue, and top design students from FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. The appearance by Costello, Collins, and Guerra adds an exciting evening of Project Runway Style. Fashion Week El Paseo runway events will benefit a variety of worthy charitable causes.
During the days, more than 60 in-store events on El Paseo — including trunk shows, informal modeling, fashion seminars, champagne receptions and more —showcase luxury brands and style trends.
Some 134 accessories suppliers from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand and mainland China, an 11 percent participation increase from last year's show will be grouped together on 4,600 sqm of trade space, up 9.5 percent year-on-year, at Intertextile Beijing Apparel Fabrics.
The show, runs this spring from 30 March – 1 April 2011 at the China International Exhibition Centre. The expanded accessories area will occupy the entire hall 9 and a portion of hall 7, meanwhile European accessories will showcase at the SalonEurope In hall 3. In its entirety, the trade fair will cover an exhibition space totalling 50,000 sqm.
"The Intertextile brand is one of the best in China and we believe that the Beijing fair will be a great opportunity for us to expand business in not only northern China but a good chance to reach out to international buyers as well," said Mr Luo Sheng Jie, a representative for Goda Embroidery Co Ltd from Japan. The first time participant will display computer embroidery, sequin embroidery, cord embroidery, special embroidery plus hand - made and crochet embroidery.
Confirmed suppliers will introduce new products to the massive Chinese market. This feature reinforces the importance of Intertextile Beijing Apparel Fabrics amongst industry professionals from China and abroad.
Return domestic exhibitor Dalian YKK Zipper is one such brand who plans to display Metaluxe, a new light-weight metallic-plastic zipper designed from polyacetal resin and comes in six colours that have a scratch-resistant pigment, which gives it a shiny and glossy look.
Also on show will be a variety of buttons, lace and embroideries as well as thread & tapes, labels & tags, ribbons, hooks & loops, appliqués sequins, beads & rhinestones plus many other items.
The show is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, The Sub-Council of Textile Industry – CCPIT and China Textile Information Centre.
Buyers and exhibitors benefit from the crossover of three industry events
Intertextile Beijing Apparel Fabrics takes place during the region's hottest fashion seasons and runs concurrently with China International Clothing and Accessories Fair (CHIC) from 28 – 31 March 2011 as well as Yarn Expo Spring from 31 March – 2 April 2011.
University of Delaware researchers Tsu-Wei Chou and Erik Thostenson continue to advance understanding of hybrid micro- and nano-composites as part of a collaborative research partnership between UD's Center for Composite Materials (UD-CCM) and the Korean Institute of Materials (KIMS) on nanotechnology.
First initiated in 2007, the nine-year research grant totaling $5 million is funded under the Global Research Laboratory (GRL) program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF). The GRL program, established by the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST), is now in its second three-year phase.
Chou, Pierre S. du Pont Chair of Engineering in UD's Department of Mechanical Engineering, is the foreign principal investigator for the grant. Thostenson, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, serves as UD co-principal investigator.
In the past three years, 35 international research teams have been established under the GRL program with major focus in the areas of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and environmental sciences, according to Joon-Hyung Byun, Korean principal investigator at KIMS. Byun is a UD alumnus who completed his doctorate in mechanical engineering in 1992 under Chou's supervision.
The UD-KIMS team is one of the teams awarded GRL funding in the nanotechnology area. UD-CCM and KIMS investigators have focused on developing advanced fiber composites capable of sensing the initiation and growth of microscopic damages, such as minute matrix cracking and delamination, using carbon nanotubes.
This method of electric resistance-based damage sensing affords a unique opportunity to also sense the effectiveness of autonomous repair, also known as self-healing, in fiber composites, says Chou.
During the second phase of the GRL program, the UD-KIMS team will explore these sensing capabilities with particular focus on three-dimensional textile composites.
Chou and his peer Korean and foreign principal investigators will present their research findings to MEST and NRF officials and the Korean academic community at a Feb. 22 symposium in Seoul.
"Tsu-Wei's work on the use of carbon nanotubes as an integrated sensing system for composites exemplifies the potential for embedded multi-functionality offered by advanced materials," says Jack Gillespie, CCM director and Donald C. Phillips Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "The research is establishing the foundation for structural health monitoring for composites in a wide range of applications."
"This work may ultimately change the way we view and use materials, in that a structure may provide advanced warning that it is about to fail, and may even be able to heal itself," adds Anette Karlsson, chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. "Such advance concepts can only be accomplished by collaborating with first class researchers and the UD-KIMS collaboration is an important part of Dr. Chou's efforts."
The 25-year old model Bar Refaeli Caprio, who is associated with Passionata, lingerie brand from France, as a model since 2009 onwards, has concluded yet another shoot for the brand for its spring-summer 2011 collection.
As it appears in a behind-the-scenes video on the Passionata’s website, the mischievous shoot portrays the Israeli-born model as a present day celebrity.
The model is not new to the marketing of inner wears, as prior to this too she has modelled for lingerie for big brands like Marks & Spencer and Victoria’s Secret.
Passionata, as a brand is affiliated to Chantelle, which was launched in 1988. However, Passionata’s lingerie collections embracing the concept of modernity and seductiveness helped Chantelle to establish itself at a top position.
NY futures resumed their uptrend this week, as March rallied 1572 points to close at 187.58 cents (synthetic close at 192.25 cents!), while December advanced 1544 points to close at 131.50 cents.
The market seems to have entered the much-dreaded blow-off phase of this historic bull market and it is still anybody's guess as to where and when the top will ultimately be made. Judging by the open interest, which has continued to rise rather than decline, we have to assume that there is still enough fuel left to keep this uptrend going for a while.
Open interest in futures measured 223'405 contracts this morning, the highest reading since November 11, and 157'638 of these contracts were in current crop March, May and July. Tomorrow's March options expiration will probably lead to a significant drop in open interest, since there are nearly 66'000 calls 'in-the-money', which will lead to some offsets. The shorts are hoping that this will set the market up for another big drop, similar to what we experienced three months ago when the December contract collapsed some 40 cents in the wake of its options expiry.
However, what worries us is that according to the latest CFTC report (February 1) the trade has further increased its net short position by 0.4 million bales to a 10.7 million bales net short. This number represents a 'delta-adjusted' net position that includes both futures and options.
As long as the trade carries such a sizeable net short position in a market that is basically sold out of physical cotton, it will be difficult to turn the bullish momentum around. Also, it is quite remarkable to see the market rally so strongly during the ongoing Index Fund roll period, since it is typically associated with some price pressure. It will be interesting to see what will happen next week when the currently abundant liquidity is no longer going to be there.
According to economic theory rising prices should lead to demand rationing, as fewer people are able or willing to pay for a certain product. However, in reality this is not as straightforward as it sounds, because hoarding can delay the anticipated demand destruction and even lead to a short-term boost in demand. There seems to be some evidence of this happening in the cotton market at the moment.
While cotton prices are up by more than 150% since last July, price increases in the downstream sectors have not been nearly as pronounced just yet. Anecdotal evidence suggests that buyers at the wholesale and retail level are therefore stocking up on goods in anticipation of higher prices down the road. Last week the Wall Street Journal ran a story that talked about this kind of behavior and it mentioned a T-shirt buyer who boosted his inventory of 30 boxes to over 2500 boxes.
If this is happening on a widespread basis, it can lead to a distortion of the supply/demand picture. As hoarding moves future consumption into the present, it inflatesdemand at a time when the market is ill equipped to meet it. At the same time it creates a void of demand at some point down the road.
The strength we have been seeing in the physical market seems to support this stockpiling theory, since there is no evidence of any significant demand destruction yet. US export sales continue at a brisk pace despite the high price level, with 326'500 running bales of Upland and Pima for both marketing years finding a home last week. Once again there were over 20 different markets participating in the buying. According to our calculation the US is now nearing the point of being completely sold out of current crop cotton.
The A-index (209.75 cents) and the CC-Index (around 199 cents) continue to trend higher as well, reflecting strong fundamentals in the physical market. Meanwhile, the September futures contract at the Zhengzhou Futures Exchange is trading at around 232 cents, which is over a dollar higher than the December contract in New York. While several weeks ago many traders were still of the opinion that current crop prices would sooner or later have to collapse, it now looks like new crop prices might be trading up to current crop levels.
Last Friday the NCC announced planting intentions of 12.5 million acres, up 14% from last season. Even if this figure grows to over 13 million acres by planting time, we have to allow for greater abandonment and lower yields due to the ongoing La Nina pattern, which is likely to cause growers some headaches this spring and summer. In other words, despite increased plantings the US crop may not reach more than 20 million bales next season.
The world's largest cotton producer, China, may also find it difficult to boost its output by any significant margin. China's eastern agricultural region is currently experiencing one of its worst droughts in decades and the Chinese leadership may therefore incentivize the production of food crops, which could come at the expense of cotton.
So where do we go from here? As of last Friday unfixed on-call sales in current crop still amounted to 7.36 million bales, of which 1.6 million were on March alone. As time is running out for these mills and any other short that may have missed the chance to get out, there is likely to be some last-minute panic short-covering that could propel the market even higher.
There was definitely some evidence of that, as March closed up more than 1100 points synthetically. In order for the market to reverse, hedge funds and other speculators on the long side would have to be willing to sell, which is not likely as long as the market displays such strong bullish signals (strong trend, high volume and increasing open interest). Maybe a big drop in open interest as a result of the March options expiration could trigger some profit taking, but we wouldn't bet on it just yet.
New from the MtnHaus design and development team at Berghaus is the Mount Asgard Hybrid jacket. Combining new hydrophobic down, Primaloft One and Pertex Quantum, this unique jacket offers unrivalled warmth and comfort for alpine routes and ice climbing, where weather conditions are changeable and lightweight performance is essential.
Hydrophobic down offers all of the natural benefits of down, such as superior warmth to weight, compressibility and resilience, enhanced by an innovative water resistant treatment applied directly to the down itself. The result is down clusters that are more resistant to wetting, and therefore maintain their loft when damp, take up less water, and both dry and recover their loft more quickly. All of this leads to notably enhanced performance in damp conditions.
The Mount Asgard Hybrid jacket uses an extremely lightweight wind resistant and water repellent Pertex Quantum face fabric to protect the insulation from the elements. Hydrophobic Down is used as core insulation in the jacket, providing optimum warmth. Following extensive input from climber Leo Houlding and mountain guides from Mountain Tracks, Berghaus has also incorporated Primaloft One insulation in the jacket, in key areas that are prone to getting wet during extended use – the hood, shoulders, sleeves and hem.
The Mount Asgard Hybrid jacket includes key features for use by climbers in extreme conditions, such as a fully adjustable mountain hood with peak, an elasticated and adjustable hem drawcord with one handed closure, an internal security pocket and two handwarmer pockets for use while belaying.
Thanks to the application of advanced garment design and the use of the latest materials, the jacket is also lightweight at only 472g (size large) and packs down very small when not being worn. The result of all of this is a highly innovative jacket that offers the insulation expected of down, while significantly extending the scope of its use compared to a traditional down garment.
Berghaus, as a launch partner for the new GORE-TEX Active Shell fabric, is bringing a highly technical lightweight climbing range of shell products to the market for autumn/winter 2011. The men's and women's Velum jackets, the Velum smock and the Velum pant all offer outstanding performance and versatility for serious climbers.
GORE-TEX Active Shell is an exciting new fabric, designed for fast moving serious alpinists – and it is already earning great reviews from professional climbers and gear testers alike. Berghaus has been working with WL Gore for over 30 years and once again this close partnership has allowed the company to incorporate the latest technology into genuinely cutting edge products.
Leading the way, the Velum smock is constructed combining minimalist seaming and lightweight zips with a 'Bergonomic' cut, ensuring harness compatibility and excellent arm lift. The helmet compatible hood features a single handed adjustment system that was developed with, and tested by, Leo Houlding during the Asgard Project. The smock weighs in at only 312g (men's size large).
Meanwhile, the Velum pant offers great versatility for a wide range of mountaineering end uses. The fully separating side zips ensure that it is easy to put on and take off while wearing crampons or skis. Clever design and essential features ensure that this pant is an ideal companion for committed climbers in all seasons.
Thanks to a lighter, thinner membrane and new lamination technology, Active Shell is the most breathable GORE-TEX fabric ever. It's tough too, making it ideal for high octane, often punishing outdoor activities. Active Shell is tailor-made for alpinists who start early, move quickly and work hard all day – people like Philippe Gatta.
Climber and ultra distance trail runner Philippe joined the Berghaus team in 2010. For over 20 years, he has been climbing and running in extreme conditions around the world. Philippe moves fast and he needs robust shell products that really breathe. He has been putting the Velum range through its paces for Berghaus. He's a tough critic, but the Velum passed his test with flying colours.
GORE-TEX Active Shell is about to make a big impact on the outdoor market and Berghaus is in at the start as a key launch partner. The company has developed products that demonstrate a keen understanding of how to optimise Active Shell's performance, and which offer something new and very appealing to climbers.
The Turkish Safeguard Authority (UFT) has subjected the woven fabrics and apparels from Indonesia to higher protective duties.
Director of Trade Security at the Trade Ministry, Ernawati, revealed that the Turkish industry proposed to impose 21 to 30 percent additional anti-dumping duty on woven fabrics and 28 to 40 percent on apparels.
Such rise in the duties would boost the cost of woven fabrics in the domestic market by US $0.75- 4.25 per kg, while the cost of apparels would also go up by around $3.5-20 per kg.
Indonesia has tied up with the Indonesian Textile Association, to earn protection for the country's products in Turkey, Ernawati stated during her recent address in Jakarta.
Around 30 percent of the Indonesia's textile exports are towards Turkey. The country, exported woven fabrics worth $137.9 million and apparels worth $13.4 million to Turkey, in 2008, but then in 2009 a fall was registered in the export volume of both the items.
The association Chairman, Ade Sudrajat Usman, has urged the Indonesian Trade Minister to send a delegation to Turkey which could carry out talks on the issue and submit their objections.
The Indonesian entrepreneurs have conveyed their objections to Turkey in their individual capacity, but such protective duty imposition being Turkey’s government policy matter, intervention of the Indonesian government is sought in the matter.
Sanctioned Violence, an MMA clothing and apparel retailer based out of Murrieta, CA, announces a joint debut with Brown One Brand at the Magic tradeshow in Las Vegas, Nevada on 14 February 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
Sanctioned Violence, an up-and-coming name in the MMA apparel industry, and Brown One Brand, an urban street and hip-hop centered clothing line, have seen great success in a relatively short amount of time on the local level and are now looking to increase to a national level with their debut at the Magic tradeshow.
Every year a full spectrum of products and designs are presented at the Magic tradeshow, and Sanctioned Violence and Brown One Brand are prepared to do the same. Sanctioned Violence, which carries four clothing lines, Sanctioned Violence Fight Gear, SV Angels, Maniac Fighter, and I.B.U.F. (International Brotherhood of Union Fighters), will be debuting new and cutting-edge designs for all fightwear lines. Brown One Brand will also debut several new designs from their own clothing line at this year's show.
"We are proud to announce our merger with Brown One Brand," said Sanctioned Violence owner and CEO John Volpe. "Even though both companies are fairly new to this arena, we feel our fresh designs and illustrations are the key to the rapid growth we have experienced thus far." Sanctioned Violence and Brown One Brand together currently carries 75 new designs catering to both men and women.
