Paweł Lewandowski
Rita Galkina
Kellen Hofer
Luci Matheus
Marie M
According to recent statistics, in this year's third quarter, the entire performance of Chinese apparel and textile industry stayed steady. Among all sectors, textile industry continued to grow steadily, whereas apparel manufacturing and chemical fiber industry went steady with a tendency of a slight decline.
In the third quarter of this year, China Textile Industry Index recorded 101 points, 1.1 points more than the previous quarter. China Apparel Industry Index hit 99.1 points and China Chemical Fiber Industry Index stood at 100.3 points with an increase of 0.1 points, in comparison with the second quarter.
Meanwhile, China Textile Enterprises Index registered 128.9 points, 2.8 points up compared to last quarter whereas China Apparel Enterprises Index recorded 146.8 points, rising 6.3 points from previous quarter and China Chemical Fiber Enterprises Index stood at 134.5 points, advancing 0.6 points from the second quarter.
The analysis of the indices suggested that Chinese textile industry is now confronted with multiple pressures. Global economy is recovery at a slow pace, adding burden to the recuperation of textile and apparel industry. In China, coupled with the growing demand for energy saving and emission reduction in the production, the continually rising prices of textile raw materials have made it more difficult for the country's textile industry to recover. Given the circumstances, it is anticipated that the indexes in the next quarter will have a tendency of declining.
One of the hottest names in fashion is Phillip Lim, the new darling of the American catwalk. Gan Tian explores his success story.
Top models and celebrities were out in force, and the fashion runway was perched on top of Dongbianmen, a 600-year-old landmark in Beijing. This was Chinese-American fashion designer Phillip Lim's first show in Beijing, and he was wowing the gathered fashionistas with his collection of slim-cut jackets, black-and-white shirts, loose pants, leather bags and gloves. His outfits were hanging on the country's top models, including Du Juan, who was making a rare appearance at home with Lim's white qipao-inspired evening dress, shimmering with diamonds. Also on the catwalk were top models Pei Bei, Sun Feifei and Qin Shupei. And right with them were A-list celebrity guests Geng Le, actress Gong Beibi and Japanese football player and fashion icon Hidetoshi Nakata.
For designer Phillip Lim, the show was "paying tribute to my homeland" and his Chinese ancestry.
"It is the perfect time to introduce us to Beijing. My partner and I are both Chinese, and my parents came from the mainland. We are amazed by what's happening in Beijing and how fast things are changing," the 36-year-old says.
Lim founded his own label with Wen Zhou in the autumn of 2005. Because the two were both 31 at that time, they named it 3.1 Phillip Lim.
To illustrate the label's core value, they chose a white rose as the logo - simple and elegant.
But it was not until 2007 that success came. On a morning during the New York Spring/Summer Fashion Week, Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue, had her assistant wake Lim up, saying she wanted to take a look at his collections.
Later, she promised Lim that he was "sure to succeed", and if he needed any supermodels, to just give her a call.
Lim soon shone under the spotlight. Celebrities like Cameron Diaz, Nicole Richie and Scarlett Johansson added jackets, short skirts and evening dresses from 3.1 Phillip Lim to their wardrobes.
He was named the best new designer by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2007. The same year, his first flagship store opened at SOHO, New York, and Wintour came to celebrate and congratulate the young designer.
Lim seldom uses traditional Chinese icons such as the color red or dragon and phoenix symbols, but he believes Chinese culture is deeply rooted in him.
"Chinese design is not about an exclusive garment. It's about mystery, essentiality, intrigue and a quiet appeal that is yet loud and powerful," he says.
These ideas came with his education. Lim is the youngest child and when he was growing up, the whole family depended on his mother, who worked as a tailor in a factory.
Lim's mother had hoped he would become a lawyer, a doctor or a banker.
"I lived two lives. In the day when I went to school, it was Western culture, but when I was back home, it was completely Chinese. We spoke Chinese, ate Chinese and I was taught to respect the elders. This was always something I grew up with," Lim says.
He admits that this conflict was the push factor. In five years, the designer had expanded his business to 400 boutiques and stores in more than 50 countries.
Now his designs are everywhere. His latest fan is "Queen Bee" Leighton Meester, who was spotted wearing a Phillip Lim shorts-skirt in a scene of TV's Gossip Girl.
Women who love Lim's designs have a preference for simplicity. He believes a simple dress is the hardest to make, and he is spare on details, so much so that his creations give the illusion of looking basic. But his inspiration is drawn from an eclectic range.
It can be from works of art with depth like when he presented a collection inspired by Picasso's work Mosqueteros during the 2010 Paris Spring Fashion Week.
Or he looks for inspiration from street culture, or the films made by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai.
People may jump to the conclusion that his Asian designs stem from his Chinese heritage, but Lim says: "I don't design Chinese clothes. I design global clothes."
Another generality that dogs him is the growing success of Asian names such as Jimmy Choo, Vera Wang, Jason Wu and Alexander Wang, which some dismiss as a transient vogue.
Lim does not think it is a trend.
" The Chinese have been in fashion since when there was no fashion. It only means there are more opportunities now. It's not coincidence, and there is no real connection except the fact that we are all of Asian descent."
The lessening of the economic and financial crisis is also having a noticeable effect on the traditional export markets in the German clothing industry. In particular, there is a renewed strong demand for products from the OLYMP company, such as shirts, polos and ties in the markets in Eastern Europe, Russia and China, which are booming once again. This positive trend confirms the company’s strategy of achieving sustained export growth.
The export markets most particularly in the East have recognised the true value and the high quality of the OLYMP brand. Following a temporarily reduced demand in certain recession and crisis-hit countries in Western Europe and Russia since 2008, which were able to be offset through increased sales in the other regions, it was still possible to achieve increased revenues overall and in 2010 the company has once again been able to enjoy significant growth rates everywhere. The regeneration of exports most notably to Poland, Hungary, Russia and China has given rise to additional exponential growth.
Mark Bezner comments as follows: "In individual cases, depending on the country, we are in the meantime experiencing positive growth rates of more than 40 percent and above in the area of preorders. Here there is also evidence that the economy and the willingness to invest in the Eastern hemisphere have clearly stabilised again. This has also contributed towards an increased demand for quality products from OLYMP."
The OLYMP expansion and the above-average increase in the sales of shirts, polos and ties in China since 2005 have developed into a real success story. The fashion-conscious, young people in the large cities in China place particular value on the renowned quality products and brands from Germany. In 2010 OLYMP was able to open its 36th sales outlet in China and has already recorded sales increases of more than ten percent in comparison to the previous year. OLYMP is currently represented primarily in the rapidly growing commercial centres of Guangzhou, Peking, Shanghai, Jiang Su, Zhe Jiang, etc.
OLYMP has an export ratio of 33 percent and today has a presence in more than 40 countries around the globe. These include Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Ireland, Croatia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
In order to be able to continue the rapid growth which we have experienced since the beginning of the 21st Century in line with the market, the company is planning to make a succession of further investments in resources, personnel and facilities over the next few years, as well as significantly increasing production in partner firms abroad.
Stella McCartney launches her first kids' collection with a capsule collection for Holiday 2010.
Stella McCartney Kids, reflecting the designer's signature modern aesthetic and ethical values, is launching with a primarily online distribution. The fun and modern styles for boys and girls, aged newborn to 12 years, will be available to ship in up to 200 countries.
Stella McCartney comments: "I wanted this first collection to include basic pieces that are comfortable and that address a child's needs, without sacrificing the fun and carefree elements."
Each piece from the Stella McCartney Kids collection which also includes styles that have been adapted and shrunken from the main line; has been given a kid's first name. The Lara tee, an organic cotton two-tone baseball shirt with a stripe and floral print; a knitted reindeer intarsia cashmere jumper called Luis for boys, and Frida, a dress version.
The range also includes unisex pieces like the Sam double-breasted pea coat with two chest and flap pockets in deep blue, the Lee military jacket with embroidery and epaulette details. Other highlights within the collection are playful pieces like the Andrea and the Stephane pyjamas featuring a glow in the dark bumblebee and sheriff uniform print respectively in 100% organic cotton. Additionally, a percentage of online sales of the Leo fox-print sweatshirt, also made of organic cotton, will benefit "Meat Free Monday."
The Stella McCartney Kids website will have interactive functions for both parents and kids, such as the 'playground section,' where kids can have fun and explore various features like downloading wallpapers that are a print from the collection or a drawing game. The "Stella's picks" section highlights the designer's personal favorites from the collection.
The Stella McCartney Kids iPhone application includes special features such as a mechanical drawing game and the ability to instantly shop and browse the designer's collections through the online store.
In addition to the online shopping service, the collection is also available in Stella McCartney stores in London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Milan, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Beirut and the soon to open location in Las Vegas. In March, a full range Spring-Summer collection will hit stores with an expanded retail distribution.
London, Paris and Milan may be the cities that come to mind when it comes to high fashion.
But for many designers, debuting their collections at Vancouver Fashion Week this week was an important stepping-stone on their way to fashion stardom.
Vancouver Fashion Week celebrated its 10th anniversary and 16th season this year.
Recognizing that Vancouver is not a world center for fashion design, producers pride themselves on their commitment to fostering the growth of newer designers and celebrating cultural diversity in the fashion industry.
Last year, 25 designers participated in the show.
This week's spring/summer show featured 46 designers from Canada and around the world, including 17 international designers from the United States, Britain, Mongolia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.
"What makes Vancouver unique is the diversity, and so we are showcasing designers who are from Asia, India, different parts of the world," Vancouver Fashion Week producer Jamal Abdourahman told Xinhua.
"Different regions, not just France and Italy, like other fashion weeks."
The twice-yearly show also features special events showcasing new up and upcoming designers, providing them with a first crack at the runway.
"This is where people can find new talents, and most of the new designers are courageous enough to do something different, and that's why it's great for us to showcase," Abdourahman said.
Over the years, Abdourahman said he had watched young designers who got their start here make it big in the fashion world.
"Cheri Milaney was what we showcased in 2001, now she's in Italy, she has her own perfume, she's an established designer that's selling in a lot of places, that's just one example," he said.
For the past five years, Vancouver Fashion Week has included a special section entitled Eastern Allure to focus on Asian design.
This year's Eastern Allure event featured two Chinese designers, Eva Chen and Fala Chien.
They both moved from China to Vancouver as they began forging their way in the North American fashion design.
Chien debuted her own brand, Play with Fala, in 2007, two years after she arrived in Vancouver from Taiwan. Aiming to provide high fashion at affordable prices, her pieces have sold in Vancouver, Shanghai, and Taiwan.
But the collection she showcased at Vancouver Fashion Week on Friday, Secret Garden, had a different goal in mind.
Her playful collection included short dresses in bright blues and pinks, flower printed cotton tops, and simple white silk backless dresses.
Using almost exclusively organic fabrics like cotton, bamboo and silk, Chien said she hoped her collection would help show the world that high fashion and environmentally sensitive design were not necessarily mutually exclusive.
"I think most of the designers using organic fabrics are making T-shirts, sweatshirts, and things like that. I want to give people something fashionable. People think organic is old school, casual. I want organic to be fashionable," she said.
Abdourahman said Vancouver was the perfect location to premier eco-friendly fashion. For the past four years, Vancouver Fashion Week has even included a special event for environmentally sensitive design.
"If you see Vancouver, we promote sustainability, we promote conservation, so we promote the old way of thinking. Not just the green and jumping into a new fad. And we've been showcasing it for the past four years."
Eva Chen settled down in Vancouver to raise her daughter after leaving China to travel and work in the United States and Singapore.
In contrast to Chien, Chen's collection featured dark, complex evening gowns laden with natural feathers, jewels, and elaborate headdresses.
Using elements like feathers and silk, she said her collection was inspired by nature, as well as her background in music and dance.
"My inspiration is from the natural flower garden and animal feathers, put together," she said.
"The collections are always gorgeous, elegant, classic, and very feminine."
Alongside the special themed evenings, Vancouver Fashion Week included fashion seminars and special events for children.
In partnership with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, most designers also featured at least one breast cancer survivor modeling their designs in an effort to bring more awareness to the issue.
Next year, Abdourahman said Fashion Week goers could expect more designers from around the world to increase the variety of cultures on the world's catwalk.
"We're going for a big effect where it's almost like the Olympics of fashion, in Vancouver," he said.
A favorite of Hollywood celebrities, French shoemaker Christian Louboutin plans to open its first store in Beijing in July 2011 followed by a Shanghai store at the end of 2011.
Credit Suisse AG projects household wealth in China to more than double to $35 trillion by 2015. China Market Research Group estimates China's luxury spending, excluding yachts and cars, to be $9 billion this year, up from almost $8 billion in 2009.
The luxury shoemaker famous for its Italian produced red-soled footwear wants to open up to five stores in China to take advantage of China's thriving economy.
A latecomer to China, Christian Louboutin will need to step up its marketing since the brand is not well known in China - especially in second tier cities like Shenyang and Dailan which offer luxury companies the most growth.
Wealthy consumers from these cities travel abroad less, buy most of their luxury products domestically and have slightly higher disposable income. "Per-capita disposable income grew 11 percent in the first quarter in Liaoning, the province where Shenyang and Dalian are located, compared with 10 percent for Shanghai and 8.6 percent for Beijing," based on data from the National Bureau of Statistics and Bloomberg.
Since Louboutins are widely popular among celebrities and featured in movies and series like "Sex in the City", the brand could achieve prominence quickly in China due to its high profile reputation.
Founder and designer Louboutin, whose footwear range anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, plans to tailor his shoes to fit local preferences.
"Asians don't like very high heels with pointy shoes" and prefer rounded toes while his customers in the Middle East prefer platform shoes, Louboutin said.
"Fabric is more popular in France, where women have linen shoes, but not in China," he said. "In China, when the shoe is made expensive, they expect much more leather."
Louboutin will keep production in Italy. "I'm very obsessed with quality," he said. "I don't want to triple production in a year. If you do too much production, you lose part of the quality."
Another luxury footwear company expanding in China is Salvatore Ferragamo, an Italian shoemaker, who is considering opening up to eight new stores in China next year.
For luxury companies, China is the go to market for growth.
UNIQLO will launch its first store in Malaysia when the Fahrenheit 88 store opens its doors in Kuala Lumpur on November 4. The highly anticipated store, a large-format location boasting the largest sales area of any UNIQLO store in Southeast Asia, will thoroughly showcase UNIQLO's wide range of high-quality clothing.
UNIQLO continues its global expansion with the opening of its first store in Malaysia, the UNIQLO Fahrenheit 88 Store, on Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 11 a.m. The new store--located in the Fahrenheit 88 Mall in Bukit Bintang, the most vibrant commercial district in the national capital of Kuala Lumpur--will feature a 2,140-sqm, three-level retail space and an impressive selection of UNIQLO products. The Fahrenheit 88 store, which promises to dazzle customers with its clean, white interior, will feature seasonal and promotional items on the first floor, women's wear on the second floor and men's wear on the third floor.
The store will offer a number of promotional bargains to mark the opening launch. Malaysian shoppers will also have an opportunity to check out the acclaimed +J Collection, which was developed in collaboration with renowned fashion designer Ms. Jil Sander.
Just a year and a half after the first UNIQLO store opened in Singapore, the launch of the UNIQLO Fahrenheit 88 Store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia underscores UNIQLO's rapid expansion in Southeast Asia. The store opening also highlights UNIQLO's broader push to globalize, as the company aims to become a favored brand among Malaysians and consumers throughout the world.
Wool prices surged at this week's sale on the back of strong demand and Cape Wools' Merino indicator gained 3.9% to close the day at a fresh seasonal high of R65.02/kg (clean).
This is in line with Australia where the market also reached a seasonal high and closed 4% above last season's highest level. Indications are that Europe's wool textile pipeline is still being replenished, with wool tops reportedly in short supply.
The rand, at R6.84, was up 1.7% against the US dollar, while the euro, at R9.59, was unchanged compared with last week's rates.
The offering comprised 9 960 bales of which 99% was sold. Major buyers were Standard Wool SA (3 499 bales), Modiano SA (2 801 bales), Lempriere (1 510 bales), and Stucken (1 272 bales).
Average prices for good top-making (MF5), sound, long fleeces (less than 1% seed content) were as follows: 20.5 microns gained 4.4% to R66.99/kg; 21 microns were up 4.5% to R65.68/kg; 21,5 microns were 3.2% dearer at R64.42/kg and 22 microns rose 3.5% to R63.67/kg.
Approximately 10 000 bales will be offered at next week's sale.
For its 2015 edition, Cematex, the European association of textile machinery manufacturers, has chosen Milan as the site of ITMA, the world's primary textile machinery trade fair, which Cematex owns.
Fiera Milano beat out competition from other prestigious European trade fair sites, bringing ITMA, which is held every four years at an itinerant site among various European countries, back home to Italy after a 20 year absence.
A great event which represents a success for the whole textile machinery sector in Italy, asserts Sandro Salmoiraghi, President of ACIMIT, the Italian association of textile machinery manufacturers. This is a just recognition for a sector, represented by our Association, which has been a global leader in the production and exporting of textile machinery for years.
In 2009, Italy's textile machinery sector generated revenues of roughly 2 billion euros, in spite of the economic crisis which has hit the entire industry very hard, maintaining its pre-crisis international market share. Italian exports, which amount to 78% of total sales, reach some 130 countries.
ITMA, which at its last edition held in Munich, Germany in 2007, attracted around 120,000 visitors, occupying a total exhibition space of almost 102,000 square metres, has always been the main showcase worldwide for innovation and technology applied to the textile industry. It will be a great opportunity to reaffirm the quality of Italian products, which are well known for their high level of technology content, reliability and creativity, states ACIMIT's President.
Salmoiraghi is also looking at the positive effects on Italy's textile sector as a whole. In Italy, we can count on a textile industry which has stood up to the crisis and is evolving. Italian textile and fashion sector has a turnover of 46 billion euros, which is 28% of the European total in terms of revenues, and 43% in terms of companies involved. ITMA can represent a driving force for an even more profitable synergy between the various segments of entrepreneurs making up textile industry.
Salmoiraghi concludes, Our thanks must go firstly to Fiera Milano, which has worked very hard to bring this event back home, and to Cematex, which positively assessed the bid put forward by Fiera Milano. Finally, I'd like to thank our entrepreneurs, who have supported the Association and I'm sure will continue to do so right up to the 2015 fair, and the challenges it poses for our sector.
It's finally official. NorthPark Center is getting Texas' first H&M store.
The Swedish fast-fashion retailer plans to open a 24,000-square-foot store at NorthPark in the second half of 2011.
Hennes & Mauritz and NorthPark won't say exactly where the store will go inside the mall.
Speculation that Europe's No. 2 fashion retailer was heading to Dallas escalated in September when it started running television commercials here. The retailer still wouldn't confirm its intentions, saying the campaign was running in several markets with no stores.
It's likely that NorthPark won't be the only store H&M opens in Dallas over the next few years. It has about 200 stores in the U.S., including 10 in both Manhattan and Chicago, five in Atlanta and three in St. Louis.
The cheap-chic fashion apparel chain operates 2,000 stores in 37 countries and had sales last year of $14 billion.
H&M, California-based Forever 21, Spain's Zara and Mango chains and Japan's Uniqlo have been grabbing market share over the last 10 years from department stores and mall-based teen retailers with lower prices and more frequent shipments of new merchandise.
Some department stores have decided to partner with those retailers. Plano-based J.C. Penney Co. is opening Mango shops inside its women's apparel departments, and Sears Holding Co. has an agreement with Forever 21 to open departments in some of its stores.
H&M landed in the U.S. in New York City in 2000 to shoppers lining up outside to be first to experience the store that sells women's and men's apparel. Larger stores also include children's clothing.
In Dallas, it could be moving into the space vacated in January by upscale furniture retailer Robb & Stucky. That two-level furniture store opened in 2006 as part of NorthPark's $225 million expansion.
Known for its low prices, H&M isn't exactly the upscale coup that NorthPark brags about scoring, as it does with its recent Gucci opening. But it battles with Galleria Dallas and a plethora of regional malls and shopping centers in the market to secure the first-in-the market stores, especially if the concept has the cool factor associated with H&M.
Forever 21 has several stores in the Dallas market, including a large store at NorthPark. Zara's only Dallas store is located at the Galleria.
"Our goal has always been to consistently provide the finest selection of retail in every category and at every price point," NorthPark said in a statement. "We look forward to offering this world-renowned retailer to the Dallas consumer who seeks fashion and quality at the best value."
