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LONDON (Reuters) – London kicked off the British leg of the fashion calendar on Friday, with designers eager to lift the gloom on the high street with the glitz of the catwalk through some of the edgiest shows in the season.
As summer draws to an end and retailers pack their stores with winter stock, September is one of the most important months in the fashion calendar as the four big catwalk fixtures -- New York, London, Milan and Paris -- gear up for next season.
In London, names like Burberry, Paul Smith and Mulberry will unveil their collections for spring/summer 2012 -- when the British capital will be thrust into the spotlight as it hosts the Olympic Games in July and August.
The dozens of British and international catwalk shows, presentations, including one by fashion darling Tom Ford, and parties cannot come soon enough for a capital city rocked by summer riots and a phone-hacking scandal that damaged confidence in the establishment.
"In 2012 the eyes of the world will be upon us - we want to show the world that Britain is the leading force in the global creative sphere," British Fashion Council Chairman Harold Tillman said in a statement.
"Our fashion reputation is second to none and we will ensure that reputation is showcased and celebrated to the broadest possible global audience and that there are opportunities for the whole of the industry to get involved and participate."
London is best-known as a showcase for cutting edge talent and avant garde trends, mixing up-and-coming names like Erdem with established designers like Vivienne Westwood.
It has produced some of fashion's biggest names but has struggled to maintain a global profile on a par with the other fashion capitals.
London Fashion Week will run until September 21, with one day dedicated to menswear. But whether cash-strapped shoppers here can keep up with the trends remain another matter.
SLUGGISH SALES
Sales growth in the fashion market stood at 1 percent over the past 12 weeks, according to market research group Kantar Worldpanel. But with average prices rising 6 percent over the same period, it said inflation was affecting the market as volumes fall.
"The number of fashion items sold across the whole sector has not increased year-on-year since January 2009, the same month that the UK entered recession," Ian Mitchell, insight director at Kantar Worldpanel, said in a statement.
"The economic downturn has certainly affected shoppers' behavior - fashion items are more expensive than they used to be so people can no longer afford to go on big shopping sprees and are buying less."
Recent surveys have shown UK consumer confidence and sales falling. Consumers' purchasing power is being squeezed by higher prices, muted wage growth, a lack of credit, job insecurity, a stagnant housing market, government austerity measures and fears of eventual interest rate rises.
The direct value of the fashion industry to the British economy is nearly 21 billion pounds ($32.77 billion) out of an economy worth just over a trillion pounds.
As the 15th largest British industry out of 81, it is similar in size to the food/beverage services and telecommunications industries and bigger than the wholesale and retail of automotives, sports activities, chemical manufacture and advertising/video sectors.
The fashion community has been reaching out to the public through the power of the internet and many London shows will be streamed live. The British Fashion Council will also hold question and answer sessions on the event on Twitter.
A string of celebrities are also taking their talents to the catwalk during London Fashion Week. Pop star Robbie Williams unveiled his Farrell collection of jackets and jumpers on Thursday, while singer Beyonce takes her House of Dereon range to one of the capital's top upmarket stores, Selfridges.
Friday's shows began with staple names Paul Costelloe and Caroline Charles. At the weekend, all eyes will be on Julien Macdonald, Vivienne Westwood, Matthew Williamson and Issa London, whose blue crossover knee-length dress Kate Middleton wore when her engagement to Britain's Prince William was announced last November. The dress sold out within 24 hours.
New York – In a season over run with floral prints, far too many of them formulaic, retro miss-mashes, it was a merciful relief to attend the latest collection by Diane von Furstenberg on Sunday, Sept. 11, and enjoy the far more inventive patterns created by the DVF team.
Where other brands offered hackneyed florals, DVF sent out far more painterly fare where the very erratic quirks of the designs made the whole collection looks so much more powerful.
If one had any doubt of the importance of prints both this season and at von Furstenberg, one had only to look at the runway - a beige and white carpet, in an off-beat petal pattern.
The show opened with a couple of all-white looks, forgivingly cool wrap mannish shirts and dresses - albeit one in floral lace - that summed up the slightly forced gaiety of this week in New York.
The designer said the collection was targeted at the "nomadic," who "embraces all that is new." Like, well, Japanese Kimono style patterns that looked great, especially used in some cocktail dresses embroidered with sequins; or a stupendous shirt dress meets kaftan at the finale.
The easy attitude was emphasized by the loose, beehive chignon hairdos the models sported above some great new chicly nerdish high-tech shades.
Terms like "bud-landscape" or "pop meadow" riddled the program notes, as well they should have, as abstract garden imagery was the key to this show, in a season where New York designers are obsessed with injecting spring-time color bonhomie into the gloomy mood of the economic recession.
Von Furstenberg also tapped into another key trend - the giant pocket. Lifted from active sports clothing, the roomy exterior pockets finished both safari jackets and cargo shorts, even if one assumes no women will ever want to put anything much inside them, since that would spoil the silhouette and really would not do.
At the finale, von Furstenberg took her bow with design partner Yvan Mispeleare as she handed out mini American flags to friends in the front row, all to great applause.
The 14th edition of All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE), China International Footwear Fair (CIFF) and Moda Shanghai opened its doors in Shanghai. Making use of the brand new East wing facilities of the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, the exhibitions are spread over 80,500 square metres, occupying seven halls.
All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) China International Footwear Fair (CIFF) and Moda Shanghai 2011 will be held at Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Pudong on the date od September 6 - 8, 2011.
This expansion demonstrates the positive trend and healthy outlook of the leather industry in China, which has so far resisted the global economic downturn. Witness the figures for the period of January to July 2011 announced by Mr. Su Chaoying, Chairman of China Leather Industry Association: the gross industrial output value for China’s leather industry recorded an increase of 25.9% year on year, while the total exports of leather, fur and leather products increased by 27% over the same period last year. This is despite a decrease of 18.5% and 17.2% respectively of the volume and value of the export of leather garments.
The atmosphere was intense, as visitors and exhibitors were discovering the new premises, and were getting ready for three days of business meetings, discussions, and happenings.
Exhibitor is meeting with quality buyers
According to Michael Duck, Director of APLF, the show is expected to attract more than 18,000 visitors. At the end of the second day, over 15,000 buyers had already rushed through to the 7 halls of the exhibition (over 10% increased in attendance as compared to 2010).
"ACLE is the largest trading platform for sourcing various component and leather supplies. I have met high quality suppliers from New Zealand and Italy, and placed an order of leather, components and machinery." said David MENG, General Manager of Shanghai Arche Shoes Co., Ltd.
With 51 exhibitors in total, Turkey has become one of the best represented countries of the fair. The Turkey Pavilion was buzzing with activity yesterday as Turkish exhibiting companies were busy meeting potential clients. Jak Galiko, chairman of the Aegean Leather Products Exporters' Association is confident that Turkish suppliers will establish their presence in China. "I expect one third of the capacity of Turkey's leather production will be channeled to china in the next two to three years", he predicted.
Elsewhere, the Jinhou Group, one of the main suppliers of the People's Liberation Army, is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its creation.
Meanwhile, judges of The Tannery of the Year Award (ToTY) were engaged in the challenging process of selecting the best tannery and winner of the competition. The winner, Heller - Leder, was revealed at a lavish reception held at the Jumeriah Himalayas Hotel.
ACLE is organised jointly by the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA) and Asia Pacific Leather Fair Ltd (APLF Ltd).
Itty Bitty Bra, the leading intimate apparel brand for petite to average sized women, introduces a brand new group called FLATTER ME BRA, specially designed for women with petite breasts but broader body proportions. Sized 40AAs, As and Bs to 48B and available in nude and black, with removable pads, this all-new bra will be in stores this Fall.
Manufactured from fine quality fabrications and a patented cup, Flatter Me Bra features the same meticulous quality design by Itty Bitty Bra that provides accurate sizing for superior comfort and fit while preventing gapping or puckering.
Conceived as the superior alternative to pricey brands or labels with imprecise sizing, Itty Bitty Bra combines comfort and style to deliver a healthy confidence in one’s body shape. Since its inception, Itty Bitty Bra has drawn a growing number of devoted followers from career women, homemakers and celebrities.
The Itty Bitty Bra collection also includes Signature looks in essential tones of nude, black, white and pink to more fashion forward Couture pieces in leopard and polka dot prints and rhinestone detailing as well as strapless pieces. Available in a range of sizes 32AAs through 38B as well as matching camisoles, thong panties and boy shorts.
A brand new training initiative, developed specifically for the Chinese cotton community, will be launched this September in Zhangjiagang, China from 20-22 September 2011 in a joint venture between the International Cotton Association (ICA), Beijing Cotton Outlook Consulting (BCO) and Zhangjiagang Cotton Association (ZCA).
The three-day-seminar will focus on key areas currently impacting on China’s international cotton trade. Each training module will be conducted in Chinese and will be delivered by leading industry experts.
Speaking on behalf of the joint venture group, Dr Robert Jiang, ICA’s China Business Development Officer, explains: "During the 2010/2011 season, the global cotton market has endured a 'rollercoaster ride' and we have experienced a dramatic rise and fall of the cotton price. This has greatly tested every cotton firm on their assessment of the market and their risk management. With such an uncertainty in cotton prices, many firms have suffered difficulty and even tremendous losses. This training has been developed to address the important issues todays China cotton import companies have to face by sharing best practice, industry knowledge and practical learning."
The training is open to individuals of all ages from within the China cotton trade. The training will focus on three specific areas: 1) International cotton trade - what is the fundamental knowledge about the world cotton production, cotton import and export. 2) How to establish trade cooperation, sign an international trade contract and strengthen risk management in a rapidly changing market. 3) How to resolve trade disputes to minimise loss, seek arbitration and what are the arbitration procedures.
Robert concludes: "We are extremely excited by this new venture. We believe that the training will have a very positive impact and we are confident that the benefits will be far reaching."
The Ningbo-based Youngor Group, a fully integrated producer that has its own brand names and retail outlets, has installed China’s first Thies iMaster H2O dyeing machine at its Ningbo Sunrise Dyeing and Finishing subsidiary.
China's Ningbo Sunrise Textile Dyeing & Finishing Co, a subsidiary of the giant Youngor Group whose core business is in branded garment manufacturing and marketing, has invested in China’s first Thies iMaster H2O dyeing machine as part of its strategy of continual investment in quality production technology.
The recently-launched iMaster H20, designed for fabrics and knitted goods and offering ultra-low dye liquor levels, was installed at the plant in January this year.
"We have been working with Thies equipment for the past few years and so are very familiar with the product and with the company's office and personnel in Shanghai," says Ningbo Sunrise dyeing manager Cao Xiao Dong.
"As a group, our policy is one of continual investment for quality, and we were very interested when the iMaster H2O was announced. We discussed the potential with the Thies people in Shanghai, and installed the machine directly after Chinese New Year."
The Youngor Group, a multinational corporation employing over 50,000 people and listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, has in recent times become a vertically integrated organisation in textile and garment manufacturing.
The business stretches from all stages of production and development through to the branded garment sectors, with the group now operating a network of over 100 branch offices, 400 company-owned stores, and over 2,000 outlets across China.
Own-brand names include Mayor, Youngor, GY and Hemp Family, and range across the product range from shirts, suits and trousers, to casual jackets, ties and T-shirts. Youngor shirts and suits have been brand leaders in the Chinese market for several years. Youngor also represents US brand name Hart Schaffner Marx in the Chinese market.
Ningbo Sunrise Textile Dyeing & Finishing Co is chiefly engaged in yarn dyeing, weaving, printing and finishing, and is regarded as being one of the most advanced production lines in China of cone and beam yarn dyeing, airjet weaving and continuous roll dye finishing.
The mill’s annual production capacity is 11,000 t of yarn for dyeing, 45 million m for weaving and 50 million m for finishing.
Ningbo Sunrise is located within the Youngor Textile Industry Complex at the new urban district of Yinxian, at Ningbo city, alongside other specialist subsidiaries including Ningbo Youngor Worsted Spinning, Weaving & Dyeing Co and Youngor Knitting Fabrics.
Driven by the latest international developments in textile technology, Youngor has recently invested in the highest quality dyeing, spinning, weaving, and finishing machinery and equipment, and now possesses a solid foundation for an efficient production process from raw material to fabric.
"We have invested in advanced production facilities in our knitting workshops for the production of jersey fabric, terry cloth, rib fabric, interlocking rib fabric, spandex fabrics, single-sided dobbies, double-sided dobbies, and other solid coloured or non-solid coloured fabrics," says Mr Cao.
"Our dyeing workshops likewise have advanced equipment designed to process all types of cotton, polyester-cotton blends, Modal, Tencel, and ultra-fine nylon fabrics."
The iMaster H2O is a two-chamber unit with 500 kg capacity, which is usually loaded to the full 500 kg, says Mr Cao.
"We are using it mainly for collars, interlocks, rib fabrics and lacoste," he says. "Dyeing times vary depending on the colour."
The reliability of the iMaster H2O is a significant factor in the dye shop's production cycle, adds Mr Cao, as the entire process uses the concept of lean manufacturing to precisely coordinate processing times, fine-tune production plans, shorten cycle time, improve efficiency, and lower costs.
"We operate the first just-in-time production line in the domestic dyeing and finishing industry," he says.
The iMaster's H2O economy of usage is also a valuable factor in the tightly-run plant, the very low dye liquor levels achieving cost-effective dyeing, while the minimal rope lifting results in a low shrinkage factor.
The adjustable ij-box makes the machine suitable for all weights of fabric, while the dyeing, bleaching and rinsing is carried out with extremely low nozzle pressures, which helps to achieve the best quality fabric surface.
Under Youngor's drive for excellence, and its aim of further spread and penetration throughout the China market, the group has recently expanded its R&D centre, which amongst its many achievements has developed at least 10 innovative patents in processing techniques.
"Investing in the best technology such as Thies enables us to progress in this way and continually stay in front of everybody else,” says Mr Cao. “The iMaster H2O does everything we want it to do, it is efficient, and it fulfills all the environmental protection criteria."
China Linen Textile Industry, Ltd, one of China's leading linen fabric and linen yarn producers and exporters, announced the engagement of Mr. Manuel Henares Arenas as Senior engineer and consultant to the Company.
Mr. Henares, who accepted this position on August 28, 2011, is 63 years old. He graduated from Industrial School of Sabadell Spain with a degree in Textile Engineering in 1973. From 1976 to 1991, he served as an assistant technician, production manager and quality manager in a linen mill. In 1991, he established Lino del Valles, a textile company, and sold it after 10 years. From 2001 to 2011, Mr. Henares served as an independent technical consultant, engineer and production manager in several linen mills in Europe, Egypt, China etc., with the main duties of developing and providing new yarn technology.
In 2011, he founded a company to research and developed a connector between a hackling machine and a first drawing machine. His company's technical improvements to the machines are expected to reduce workloads, numbers of workers, and improve product quality significantly in linen mills.
Mr. Gao Ren, Chairman and CEO of China Linen, commented: "I am pleased to welcome Mr. Henares to our Company as senior technical engineer and consultant. Mr. Henares holds 35 years of experience in the linen industry and possesses abundant experience in linen mill management, equipment technology and technical operations. The engagement of Mr. Henares is expected to improve China Linen's equipment technology, technical skill, production quality and manufacturing management to a greater extent. We expect this engagement will help China Linen to produce world-class quality products, demand higher prices and further solidify China Linen's leading position in the world marketplace."
China Linen Textile Industry, Ltd is principally engaged in the production and sale of linen yarn and various types of linen fabric. The Company is also involved in consultation and R&D related to linen technology and linen products. The Company carries on all of its business activities through its subsidiary, Heilongjiang Lanxi Sunrise Linen Textile Industry Co., Ltd, established in June 2002 and located in Lanxi County, the "Homeland of Flax in China," near Harbin City in China.
Lanxi Sunrise has one yarn-spinning factory, one bleaching factory and two fabric weaving factories in its 35,120 square meters of building area with a staff of 1,400 and 430 sets of world-class, advanced production machinery. Annual production capacity totals approximately 2,220 tons with 50 different types of yarn and 10 million meters of fabric with 110 types. Approximately 50 percent of its products are exported to more than 10 countries.
In order to push their demands before the Government, around 22,000 workers of Egypt’s biggest public sector textile factory, the Egypt Weaving and Textile Company have announced that they would resort to an indefinite strike since September 10.
Workers of the Mahallah city based factory are demanding that Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s Government should raise its capital investment in the firm and ensure enough raw cotton supply for production.
The workers are demanding a hike in minimum wage to help them keep pace with mounting inflation. They are also asking the Government to immediately make payments for merit allowances that are outstanding for two months.
In a statement, the workers said that they intend to protest not just to earn better lives for themselves, but even to upgrade the standard of living of all the workers in the country.
Strikes that Mahallah workers staged against overthrown President Mubarak’s regime in 2006 and 2008 gained vast popularity and several activists and analysts in the country believe that these strikes had formed the base for eruption of January 25 Revolt.
Indeed, the Mahallah workers’ February 8 strike played an important part in sealing the ex-President Mubarak’s fate, compelling him to resign as President on February 11.
For the first time, the Soil Association will be exhibiting organic products at London Fashion Weeks' Ethical exhibition Estethica from 16 to 20 September at Somerset House. Brands on the Soil Association stand, co-designed by Telegraph style guru Tamsin Blanchard, will include Monkee Jeans, People Tree and Continental Clothing.
The event coincides with Organic September, the Soil Association’s annual, nation-wide celebration of organic production.
The Soil Association certifies to the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS), the international gold standard for organic textile processing. With regulation on organic textiles set to get tighter, and consumers increasingly asking for evidence to back up sustainable or ethical claims, certification to GOTS is a great option for businesses wanting to shout about their environmental and social responsibility and prove to consumers that what they are buying is the real deal.
Estethica started in 2006 showcasing 13 brands, and has gone on to support a total of 108 international designers over the past 5 years. It is now recognised as a leading ethical designer showcase with over 20 brands exhibiting this year who have to meet increasingly stringent ethical criteria.
Georgina Thomas, Soil Association Certification textile specialist, said:
"It is increasingly clear that it is possible to produce modern, fashionable textiles in a way that is kinder, cleaner and better for people and the planet. It is great to be representing sustainable organic fashion at such a prestigious event."
"The rapidly growing certified organic textiles market demonstrates burgeoning consumer appetite and an exciting and buoyant sector. There are now almost 3000 GOTS certified textile and garment businesses worldwide and Soil Association textile licensees saw sales grow a whopping great 35% in 2010."
Soil Association Certification Ltd is the largest organic certification body in the UK, with almost 30 years experience. We operate a rigorous system, and our trusted symbol ensures high confidence in the integrity of products approved by us. Today, we certify over 80% of organic farming and food processing in the UK.
We certify to the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) – the international gold standard for organic textiles. There are now around 3000 businesses in 55 countries certified to GOTS. The whole supply chain from field through manufacture to final product must be certified, AND we check against environmental and social standards.
The British Fashion Council founded Estethica five years ago to showcase the growing movement of cutting edge designers committed to working eco sustainably. Estethica has evolved to become the hub of London's ethical fashion industry.
Jaco Clothing, the athletic apparel brand designed for high performance training disciplines, further solidifies its global position with the announcement of its new ownership structure, Power in Honor LLC and the establishment of a new operating entity, Jaco Athletics LLC.
Under this new business structure, Jaco founder Ron Wilson will remain the company President and will continue to manage the key operations of the business, including building Jaco Athletics as a top quality hybrid training and performance brand. Jaco Athletics will report directly to Glenn Robinson, Chairman, of Power in Honor LLC.
"From the start, I always believed that Jaco had the potential to grow into a category leader as a smart, high performance brand for the training disciplines targeted to an emerging culture of new athletes," said Wilson. "Jaco takes a giant step forward in making this a reality."
Originally founded as an innovative, high quality manufacturer of Board Shorts and other athletic apparel worn by premier athletes, such as UFC star and former Light Heavyweight Champion, "Suga" Rashad Evans, Wanderlei Silva and others, Jaco will restructure some key business and manufacturing platforms allowing the brand to further achieve aggressive growth opportunities, while maintaining the focus on building the brand as a leader in the quality, high performance lifestyle and athletic apparel category.
Based in Southern California, Jaco Athletics stands for respect, strength, courage, and tenacity, and will continue to design and develop high performance apparel for high performance lifestyles.
Jaco Clothing is a performance sports brand that designs apparel for the training disciplines and emerging culture of a new breed of athlete. Our dedication to understanding these athletes has allowed us to create a brand that embodies the attributes that define them: Respect for one's self, others, and the environment; Strength in mental fortitude that translates itself into capabilities and accomplishments; Courage to do what other's only dream of doing; Tenacity with the ability to view failure as a valuable part of the journey.
