Paweł Lewandowski
Tini Tani
Manuella Lupascu
Millie V R
Austin Levine
The 15th China Fashion Fair kicked off on 1st, September. This three days fair is held in Sunshine City, Tokyo, which attracts 242 Chinese garment enterprises to display their products here. The very first China Fashion Fair was held in 2003 in Osaka. With its development, it wins the reputation among China and Japan's fashion industries. Now, it has become an important bridge for communication of fashion industries in both countries.
According to one organizer of this fair, the export value of Chinese textiles and garments to Japan reaches 20 billion US dollars a year. Garment trade is a key part of the bilateral trade.
In terms of the cooperation between two garment industries, it is the primary pattern of cooperation that Japan delivers orders and China produces. However, this pattern cannot consist with the changing markets in both countries. Chinese enterprises face heavy pressures from rising labor cost, material cost and environment protection so they have to choose the orders. Moreover, Chinese enterprises begin to pay more attention to the domestic market. As a result, both garments industries should work hard to find a new cooperation pattern.
Japanese garment enterprises are superior in design, technology and human resources and so on but the cooperation in these areas is rare. So enterprises from Japan and China should make use of this fair to deepen their cooperation.
The cotton price surges at global market recently. The price in last week hit 15 years' record high. Most experts attribute this big rise to the serious floods stricken Pakistan. The floods destroy a large number of crops and consequently the supply of cotton will reduce drastically. However, yarns and textiles made in Pakistan enjoy a good reputation all over the world and Pakistan is one of five largest importers of cotton in the world. As a result, Pakistan will import much more cottons than before due to the shortage caused by the floods. The demands at a global scope will increase too.
Cotton price of October in New York ICE is 90.1 cents per pound with a rise of 3.5%. Morgan Stanley expects the continual rise of futures price of cotton.
Television personality and star of MTV’s The Hills, Lo Bosworth will officially kick off Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) at Fashion Island on Friday, September 10 with a styling sweepstakes and personal appearance.
"I am thrilled to be a part of Fashion’s Night Out at Fashion Island,” said Bosworth, creator of The Lo Down lifestyle blog. “I am looking forward to the styling session because I love fashion and helping others experiment with new looks and trends. Plus, I always enjoy meeting my fans, especially those from my hometown.”
Fashion Island will feature a variety of festivities in celebration of Fashion’s Night Out from 5 to 9 p.m. including the kick-off and meet and greet with Lo Bosworth, sweet stations and live DJs throughout the center, in-store events and a tote bag giveaway.
The first 1,000 shoppers to visit the Concierge desk in Atrium Court with a receipt from any purchase made at a participating FNO retailer during the event will receive a limited edition Fashion Island tote bag. The tote bag giveaway will run while supplies last, with a limit of one bag per person and no minimum spend requirement.
More than 30 merchants will host in-store events featuring fall fashion presentations, beauty events, giveaways, gifts with purchase, DJs and refreshments. Participating merchants include Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Elie Tahari, 7 For All Mankind, Trina Turk, Jonathan Adler, True Religion Brand Jeans, American Rag Cie, Jonathan Adler, Ever and Kate Spade.
As Orange County’s premier coastal shopping and dining experience, Fashion Island features specialty boutiques, world-class department stores and a wide assortment of restaurants and cafés. Visited by more than 13 million people annually, Fashion Island offers a sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere that is distinctively Southern California.
U.S.textile groups and cotton farmers on Wednesday strongly objected to proposed new trade benefits for Pakistan, saying the United States should send aid to the flood-ravaged country, not U.S.jobs.
The groups expressed their concern in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Trade Representative Ron Kirk, who were urged last week by the Chamber of Commerce, a leading U.S. business group, to press Congress for a generous package of U.S. textile tariff cuts to help Pakistan recover.
"If this proposal were to be accepted, it would cause irreparable damage to the U.S. textile industry resulting in significant job losses," the National Association of Textile Organizations, the National Cotton Council and three other industry groups said in the letter.
"We understand and recognize the magnitude of the recent torrential flooding in Pakistan and the enormous human tragedy this disaster has caused. We believe, however, that the proper response to this situation is for the United States and other governments to continue their outpouring of humanitarian aid," the groups said.
The groups, which also included the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, said they supported a carefully crafted "Reconstruction Opportunity Zones" trade package for Pakistan that the House of Representatives has already approved and a similar bill that has been stalled in the Senate.
"These bills provide Pakistan with special tariff preferences for products constituting 74 percent of the volume they ship to the U.S. market, while preserving normal duty treatment on the categories critical to workers and producers throughout our hemisphere," the groups said.
But "any expansion of the product or geographic coverage beyond the language included in the bills listed above would result in a significant loss of U.S. textile and apparel jobs and would force the domestic industry to strongly oppose such legislation," the groups said.
Al Jaber Optical has introduced Vogue Eyewear’s Autumn-Winter 2010-2011 collection which is the latest icon of style and glamour. Feminine and flattering, the glamorous eyewear is designed to emphasize your features. Since the ‘70s, Vogue Eyewear has been designing optical and sunglasses for young women who are dynamic and curious, who love fashion and are eager to explore different styles.
Fashion is an adventure to be experienced with irony. The most passionate fashionistas are the ones who waste no time in embracing the latest trends and seek a multi-faceted and ultra-glamorous style defined by an element of fun. They choose Vogue Eyewear to channel their inner top model in their everyday lives, as conveyed by the brand’s testimonials of the past seasons. These extraordinary models and legendary icons of modern fashion interpret an intriguing play of styles temptingly worthy of imitation.
Ahmed Jaber, Managing Director of Al Jaber Optical, articulated: “Update your look with Vogue Eyewear’s new autumn/winter 2010-2011 collection. Cool, classic and chic, Vogue uses only the best materials, ranging from metals to acetate. The latest in glamour and style, this collection features three sunglass models and five optical models, stocked by Al Jaber Optical in a range of colours.”
The three sunglass models – VO 2651S, VO 2637SB and VO 2638S are inspired by the retro style and lines of the ‘70s, boasting whimsical details, bold frames and captivating silhouettes. The five optical models - VO 2646, VO 2648, VO 2650, VO 2647, VO 2635, featuring modern lines, fun decorations and bold colors underscore the fascinating and adventurous spirit of today’s woman.
After six consecutive years of showcasing a variety of fashion collections, producers A-List Communications and Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. (HFM U.S.) are thrilled to announce the line-up of exciting fashion talent and entertainment for their STYLE360 multi-day showcase at the Metropolitan Pavilion during New York Fashion Week.
From September 11th -14th, STYLE360 will once again stand apart as one of the most unique, must-attend experiences during Fashion Week, hosting a series of shows, presentations and after-parties for veteran designers and emerging talent alike.
This season's program will be the highlight of the week as Kardashians for Beach Bunny Swimwear heats up New York Fashion Week with a presentation of their 2011 collection at The Griffin as a kick-off to STYLE360. The STYLE360 line-up also includes Ali Landry's first foray into fashion with her new children's line Belle Parish, presented by BeautiControl, that will feature celebrity moms walking the runway with their daughters.
A collaboration between Caravan, Boy Meets Girl and bobi will be presented by Starbucks Frappuccino coffee drink. Returning once again are celebrated designers Walter (presented by Sebastian Professional) and Project Runway alumnus Malan Breton, who have both been part of STYLE360 for the past four seasons.
Breton, who is showing both menswear and womenswear this season, will host a large extravaganza inspired by the film An American in Paris with Swiss watch company Rado. Closing out STYLE360's events will be leading contemporary woman's retailer bebe, who will be previewing their Spring 2011 Collection.
New to the program this year is Indian menswear designer Rajvi Mohan, who will be partnering with New Era and its EK collection of caps for her runway show. Rikke Gudnitz, a Danish designer who has dressed such celebrities as Paula Abdul and Katy Perry, will be showcasing her collection Gudnitz Couture for the first time the USA.
Newcomers, SACHIKA by Celebrity Twin Designers To-Tam and To-Nya Sachika, who have dressed such celebrities as Nicki Minaj, LisaRaye McCoy and Patti Stanger, will be teaming up with Bravo TV network's The Real Housewives of New Jersey for an episode taping of their fashion show, presented by Alisa Maria, while VH1 Glam God winner Indashio, who is known for his earnest creativity and bon vivant flair, will round out the fashion show schedule with several surprise celebrity guest appearances.
Taking fashion beyond the runway as in the past, STYLE360 will continue to host the season's most desirable, see-and-be-seen parties with STOLICHNAYA Vodka as the official liquor. To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Sebastian Professional's Shaper Hairspray, STYLE360 will throw the brand a bash at hotspot The Griffin complete with models sporting sculpted do's and re-shapeable styles—the "What's Next" in hair design.
Griffin will also play host to bebe's official after party immediately following their runway show. Joonbug.com, New York's premier event planning and promotion company and lifestyle website, will be promoting with STYLE360 and follow the bebe party and the Beach Bunny Swimwear presentation with its own after-party fetes at The Griffin.
"We're excited to offer our designer and sponsoring brand partners the unique opportunity to host 360 degrees of fashion presentations and shows at the Metropolitan Pavilion this season," states Executive Producer, David Manning, President of A-List Communications.
Al Silvestri, Vice President of Integrated Marketing & Creative Services for HFM U.S., adds, "STYLE360 is constantly adapting to the needs of designers and sponsors. Our ability to provide a unique—and fully turnkey—fashion show and experiential event platform, while reaching millions of consumers via nationwide media and promotion guarantees STYLE360 is a measurable and undeniable success for all involved."
Darbur Special Hidden Treasure Miss Nepal 2010 is being organized at Tribhuwan Army Officers Club in the capital Kathmandu Wednesday afternoon.
Out of the 80 applicants, 50 were short listed and 18 have been chosen for the final, it was informed in a press meeting at the International Recreation Center here on August 28.
The selected contestants were given six weeks training.
The theme for the beauty pageant this year is environmental change.
The winner of the title will also be a goodwill ambassador for Nepal Cancer Relief Society and World Wildlife Fund for Nature, Nepal.
Besides she will also receive a Chery QQ3 car and a cash prize of 50,000 Nepali rupees (some 676 U.S. dollars).
A woman operates a machine at a textile factory in Jiangsu province. Some companies have reportedly moved their factories to Southeast Asian countries due to rising labor costs after 27 provincial regions in China raised minimum wages.
Chinese companies are investing more in Vietnam in order to get better access to the Southeast Asian market and its comparative cost advantages, Vietnamese trade officials said on Monday.
"Investment from China has continued to increase in the past few months thanks to Vietnam's comparative cost advantages," Bui Quoc Trung, deputy director-general of the Foreign Investment Agency under Vietnam's Ministry of Planning and Investment, told China Daily in Beijing.
By the end of July, Chinese enterprises had invested in 743 projects in Vietnam, with China's total investment in the nation amounting to $3.1 billion. Chinese companies have invested in 53 of Vietnam's 63 provinces, said Trung.
Compared to other Asian cities such as Bangkok and Shanghai, costs in Vietnamese cities such as Hanoi are relatively low in terms of tariffs and minimum wage standards, Trung said.
Average labor costs in Vietnam are only around half of those in China.
On average, it costs about $100 to hire an unskilled worker in Vietnam, said Wan Hailong, assistant manager of HydroChina International Engineering Co's overseas department.
At the same time, in China, labor shortages in some areas have led Chinese enterprises and local governments to raise salaries.
A total of 27 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have so far raised their minimum wage levels this year
Rising labor costs in China have pushed domestic companies to alleviate cost pressures by looking at countries such as Vietnam.
However, it's unlikely that multinational companies operating in China will move to countries like Vietnam on a large scale since China's vast domestic market is very attractive, said Lu Hang, director of the Fortune 500 Brand Research Center under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Sino-Vietnamese bilateral trade is expected to reach $25 billion in 2010, said Nguyen Van Tho, Vietnam's ambassador to China.
Trade between the two nations hit $12.8 billion in the first half of 2010, up 49.5 percent year-on-year after a free trade agreement between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations went into effect in January, said Tho.
Gucci, a pioneer of the luxury online shopping experience since 2002, is pleased to announce the opening of its new luxury Digital Flagship store at gucci.com.
Following an 18 month architectural renovation under the direction of Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini, the new online retail destination takes advantage of the most innovative technologies available today thereby seamlessly integrating rich content, shopping and social networking to provide the site's monthly 2.5 million unique visitors with an aesthetic and customer-oriented experience that replicates the one they have when entering a Gucci signature flagship store in Rome, New York, London or Shanghai.
Frida Giannini’s distinct design concept for Gucci's iconic flagship stores around the world is reflected down to the last detail in the architecture, rich color palette, textured materials, structure and product display of the Digital Flagship. Visitors to the new site travel online through the experience of a physical Gucci retail store, where products are displayed against a backdrop of gold, light beige, rosewood and other sophisticated materials, adding a sense of three-dimensional richness to the site set against contextual video and photography narrating the stories behind the products.
"Through the use of new technologies I believe we have created a Digital Flagship destination, where our customers can truly experience the beauty, quality and craftsmanship of Gucci's collections in a truly luxurious way," commented Frida Giannini. "It is also very important to me that social networking capabilities are an integral part of the new site as shopping for fashion is almost always an experience that is shared and enjoyed with friends."
Another guiding philosophy of the new Digital Flagship, which is also iPad friendly, is its ease of use and functionality. The horizontal navigation, a defining feature first introduced by gucci.com, displays all available products on one page. An added scrollbar showcases items in the three-by-three product display as in Gucci’s retail stores and the drop-down shopping menu in the main navigation bar permits browsing without leaving the current page view.
The highly impactful product photography is further enhanced by a click and zoom feature from multiple angles allowing shoppers to discover each item - inside and out - before purchase, just as you would be able to do in a store. Creating optimum convenience and ease of search, ready-to-wear pages give visitors the ability to buy separates, for a more focused shopping experience. On every product page shoppers can click on links that directly connect them to relevant content - videos, news items, photos of celebrities wearing a product - from the "World of Gucci" area.
Shoppers can express their passion for Gucci by sharing product and content pages via links on Facebook, Twitter and e-mail or by simply selecting "love" for a particularproduct or page. Clients have the ability to shop by gender in the separate "Shop Men" and "Shop Women" sections. These dedicated departments are set against different environments, again as they are in the stores.
In the new Digital Flagship, inspiration and product are never far apart. The "World of Gucci" brings the House to life through five different areas: Gucci Forever, which delves into every aspect of Gucci’s 90 year history; Gucci Now, which updates visitors on news, events and fashion shows; Think Forever, which spotlights artistic and environmental initiatives; Act Now, which highlights philanthropic efforts; and Gucci Connect, which includes distributed digital content. The integration of social media such as a live Twitter feed, an interface with the Gucci official Facebook fan page, and product page links to ready-to-wear items straight off the catwalk, allow visitors to truly engage with the brand.
Patrizio di Marco, Gucci's President and CEO said, "Gucci is a company with a deep respect for the past but at the same time with an eye firmly focused on the future. We see technology as offering a means to an end. It is not the end itself. The customer experience is what counts and what has to be the focus. With the ubiquity of broadband today and the widespread adoption of social networking we have aimed to develop a rich and connected online experience that reflects the height of luxury and service one experiences when entering our flagship retail stores."
Di Marco continued, “Our strategy online is clear: all paths lead to our Digital Flagship, whether you are seeking out Gucci through a search engine, or are one of our near 1 million Facebooks fans, or are one of the over 600,000 people who have downloaded our Gucci App or are one of our 18,000 Twitter followers. The destiny of the gucci.com Digital Flagship store is that it will become our highest volume store in the world."
An integrated marketing and communications plan to support the opening of the new Digital Flagship launches on September 1st with a groundbreaking invitation to attend Frida Giannini's next women's ready-to-wear fashion show as a virtual guest at gucciconnect.com, an innovative hologram window display in signature retail locations, in-store iPad stations and a viral welcome video among a wide range of other activities. As with other flasghip store openings Frida Giannini has designed an exclusive collection of accessories in celebration, which in thus case are only available for purchase online.
Gucci was in fact a pioneer when it launched its US e-commerce site in 2002. The current site operates in 17 countries in 8 different languages, while e-commerce is offered in 12 countries. With over 2,000 skus available online the gucci.com site is considered one of the benchmarks of the luxury fashion industry. One of the reasons Gucci has been successful in attracting new customers is because of the attention paid to the internet. Through the site, Facebook, Twitter and the Gucci App, the brand reaches a growing digitally-oriented customer in a very direct and content rich way.
The GucciOfficial page on Facebook has over 900,000 fans and is growing steadily. At the end of June, the Gucci App, which is updated every two months, counts more than 600,000 downloads and over 1,100,000 updates. Innovative media and technology represent a valuable complementary business channel as well as a vital way of communicating.
Dressed in an array of bright and bold solid colored gowns, television's biggest stars dazzled in brilliant diamond styles on the red carpet at the 62nd Annual Emmy Awards.
Statements were made in classic diamond drop earrings, breathtaking diamond bracelets and diamond cocktail rings. From comedy to drama, scripted to reality, the small screen's brightest stars were all dripping in diamonds as they walked the red carpet.
Beloved on '30 Rock', Katrina Bowden and Keith Powell showed the close bond of their cast by both choosing to wear the Everlon Diamond Knot Collection, which is known for it's intricate Hercules knot design symbolizing the strength of love.
Katrina Bowden glowed in multiple pieces from the collection including Everlon Diamond Knot Double Twist Pave Earrings and an Everlon Diamond Knot Pave Ring. They were the perfect complement to her airy purple gown. Looking dapper in his tux, funny man Keith Powell chose the perfect accent in a pair of Everlon Diamond Knot Cufflinks by Martin Katz.
Not to be outdone by their more traditional scripted counterparts, reality television's leading ladies sparkled in diamonds of every variety. America's favorite mom Kate Gosselin took a night off and piled on the bling in Everlon Diamond Knot Collection Hoop Earrings by Martin Katz and Everlon Diamond Pave Double Knot Ring and Everlon Diamond Pave Knot Ring. Gail Simmons, judge on Best Reality Show Winner 'Top Chef', shined walking the red carpet with her husband wearing Everlon Diamond Knot Oval Drop Earrings and an Everlon Diamond Knot Four Row Bangle both in oxidized white gold.
Everlon Diamond Knot designs were the perfect accessories for a night of celebrating television's best and brightest- highlighting how the unbreakable bonds of cast and loved ones in the lives of television's luminaries will make success even sweeter.
