USA : We Are Heroes endorses streetwear fashion - Fashion News USA

Streetwear company Wildchild Nation, LLC announces a new partnership with We Are Heroes, champions of season four of MTV's hit show, "America's Best Dance Crew." Wildchild Nation will provide online distribution of We Are Heroes' collection of garments and products as part of Threader, the first online urban clothing marketplace for the dance and entertainment industries. Crew member Alison Iannucci said, "Winning MTV's 'America's Best Dance Crew' immediately opened the door to lots of opportunities for merchandising, but we immediately sought out Threader, as their reputation of success preceded them. It's been a pleasure working with the Threader team, and we're excited to be able to offer our fans a way to support and represent." Wildchild Nation co-founder, Luam, commented, "As the first all-female crew to win ABDC, We Are Heroes has a unique opportunity to be able to inspire and positively affect the lives of all their fans. Helping them create streetwear and market it through Threader gives their fans a way to take a tangible piece of the crew home." Wildchild Nation is working with We Are Heroes not only on distribution through Threader, but they also manufacture We Are Heroes' merchandise. "One of the benefits of working with Wildchild Nation is that they are a one-stop-shop for all of our merchandise needs -- from manufacturing to online distribution," crew member Riquel Olander said. Wildchild Nation is a lifestyle urban clothing company based in New York City. Wildchild Nation's urban clothing brand, Wildchild, produces men's and women's quality, trend-right designs influenced by the Soho, urban wear, streetwear, and vintage markets. Their Threader brand is the first Website of its kind in the streetwear dance industry offering everything from basic fulfillment of products, warehousing and customer support to private labeled manufacturing of garments.

India : MMF textile exports on the path of recovery - SRTEPC - Textile News India

Despite the continuous decline in overall exports, there have been signs of recovery in the exports of man-made fibre textiles from India, according to Shri Ganesh Kumar Gupta, Chairman of The Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC).He opined that this was a good indicator that Indian exporters have started recovering their lost momentum steadily, leaving behind the worst days of global financial crisis of the last year. He expressed the confidence that Indian MMF textile exports would register a positive growth in this calendar year.Shri Gupta pointed out that according to the April-September 2009 export data, India’s Man-made fibre textile exports had grown by 10.13% in dollar terms and 26.32% in rupee terms, as compared to the same period of last year. He expressed the hope that the flow of positive information of recovery in the economies of the USA, Australia, New Zealand, UAE and Europe, which are the major markets for India’s MMF textile exports, followed by the sales in Christmas and New Year would lead to a significant improvement in exports from India. However, he reiterated his request to the Government to increase the Duty Drawback Rates to boost exports by enhancing the price competitiveness of Indian exporters in the intensely competitive global markets.

India : VH Woman pushes luxurious experimentation of minimalism - Apparel News India

Van Heusen presents a plush collection that favors confident, bold, yet sophisticated femininity this fall. VH Woman embraces pragmatism and pushes the luxurious experimentation of minimalism.

The collection showcases a relaxed elegance that many women will identify with. It boils down to simple suggestions: an easy-fitting coat to slip over a blouse and fluid pants; a chic tailored jacket with a contrasting belt for the day; a long sweater to wear over tights for the evening.

The collection proves that Black ‘n White chic and sophisticated looks across categories will never go out of style. Classic Van Heusen Woman colors come together in a range of formals and informals. The prints are bold, the silhouettes are clean and the shirts, blouses, and dress jackets are stylized.

A hint of Gray is added to the current fall favorites of Purple and Red. This is contemporary fall fashion at its peak with argyles and geometric prints. The addition of grey and charcoal bottoms to purple short jackets, knit tops and knit dresses brings out the drama in the fall wardrobe. Fall’s rich color palette is further enhanced with the warmth of Olive Green and Chocolate Brown.

Wild graphic prints on green knits and sweaters combined with rich chocolate brown jackets will pop up in every fall editorial this season. The combination of olive greens with chocolate brown skirts and trousers in corduroy craft an extremely appealing look.

The new combination of Electric Blues and Raven Blacks create the hottest color for fall. Black denims paired with black and blue knits, long wrap sweaters with contrasting belts hearken back to the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and makes women shine in a warm winter glow.

The new breed of neutrals, a combination of Charcoal, Chocolate and Grey redefine the entire category of fall colors Grey tweed jackets, striped sweater dresses and knits teamed with contrasting belts expertly build a jet setting look. Finally, fall’s fang-tastic blend of Red and Black is true love at first bite.

Classic, yet edgy and hot; red dresses, jackets and tops in knits and wovens starkly contrasted by black bottoms and jackets showcase nothing but sheer intensity this fall.

Strongest, in fact, are the outfits with a modicum of austerity, like the tailored suit with an arched collar and shoulder pads; the dual toned jacket, easy without and fierce with a belt; the extremely sleek double breasted linear jacket. Each of these showstoppers showcase, undeniably, the epitome of the VH Woman signature.

USA : Rock & Republic and Essie to bring season’s hottest matte trend - Fashion News USA

Rock & Republic and Essie join creative forces to bring you the season’s hottest matte trend. Uniting Essie’s luxury nail color and care expertise with the fashion authority of Rock & Republic, this exclusive collaboration contains three limited-edition must-have items that feature the shine-free look of the moment from tip to toe.

The inspiration for this innovative collaboration is Essie’s Clearly Matte, an instant-mattifying finishing polish that transforms any high-shine nail lacquer into a no-luster fashion statement. This exclusive formula adds new dimension and texture, revamping your favorite shades in seconds.

Rock the same look with Rock & Republic’s All About Matte jean in Spill Black, and add the Top Matte tee in Pretend Black. All About Matte, Rock & Republic’s Signature Skinny Denim Fit, emblazoned with black lacquer spill detailing, pairs with the Top Matte Tee, a slim-fit black jersey v-neck with red foil pocket detail, to complete the limited-edition capsule collection.

The fresh and impossibly chic collaboration – sparked by the friendship between Rock & Republic President Andréa Bernholtz and Essie Cosmetics founder and President Essie Weingarten – will launch October 15 at Rock & Republic’s Signature Store on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles. For a limited time, Rock & Republic will gift the Clearly Matte finishing polish with the purchase of any item in the capsule collection.

Founded in 2002 by CEO and Creative Director Michael Ball, Rock & Republic is synonymous with edgy, progressive design and an aesthetic inspired by the Rock & Roll lifestyle. One of the most successful fashion denim brands and a dominant player in the luxury lifestyle market, Rock & Republic prides itself on being at the forefront of design by redefining boundaries in fashion and beyond.

China : Taobao adds Bestseller brand - Apparel News China

Bestseller Fashion Group, member of the Danish Bestseller Group and one of the biggest clothing companies in China, has opened a flagship online store on Taobao’s Taobao Mall, featuring Bestseller’s popular Jack & Jones brand.

“E-commerce is clearly our next logical step in terms of better serving our existing customers while also reaching a broader geographic and demographic base, so the only question was how best to do it,” said Dan Friis, co-founder of Bestseller Fashion Group. “Based on its continued strong growth and reach across the nation, reputation for focusing on customer satisfaction, and its dynamism in handling intellectual property protection, we felt Taobao was the obvious choice.”

“We believe Bestseller will be a tremendous addition to Taobao Mall, particularly in terms of our focus on expanding Taobao users’ access to quality brands and products in an environment dedicated to customer service and satisfaction,” said Jonathan Lu, president of Taobao. “The continued expansion of Taobao Mall is part of our overall approach to broadening the platform into a lifestyle community where our users not only shop, but also work, learn and socialize.”

Founded in 1975 in Denmark, Bestseller Group has presence in 41 countries around the world with more than 5,000 concept stores and 12,000 authorized retail locations. Bestseller Fashion Group was established in 1996 and has steadily grown into one of the largest fashion companies in China with brands such as Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, Only and Selected. Bestseller Fashion Group will build on its strong presence in the top three tiers of Chinese cities, where it has nearly 2,200 retail locations, and aims to reach more of its fashion-forward customers across China through an online presence on Taobao. The company plans to successively introduce its other fashion brands including Vero Moda, Only and Selected onto Taobao Mall.

Taobao Mall, launched in April 2008, was established as a B2C platform for corporate retailers to offer Taobao users greater shopping selection. Bestseller Fashion Group joins the ranks of major international and domestic brands such as Uniqlo, Procter and Gamble, Lenovo and Li Ning, who have all launched official online retail storefronts in Taobao Mall.

Merchants on Taobao Mall undergo an authentication and verification process, in addition to agreeing to provide rigorous customer satisfaction and protection measures such as a seven-day, no-questions-asked refund. Popularity of the heightened customer protection and satisfaction measures proffered by Taobao Mall stores among Taobao shoppers is reflected in the strong growth in sales volume since its launch.

According to market survey, nearly 60 percent of Chinese online shoppers as have bought clothing online and apparel has long been one of the top selling categories on Taobao. The alliance between fashion industry and Internet has become a mainstream trend, and this strategic partnership between Bestseller and Taobao is a clear indicator that more and more multinational businesses have recognized the significance of e-commerce in the Chinese market. It further highlights the growing trend of online retailing becoming a key avenue for global brands to increase their breadth and depth of reach in China.

Germany : Sales and earnings better than expected - BASF - Textile News Germany

BASF announced first figures for the third quarter of 2009. Sales were €12.8 billion and thus 19% less than in the same period of 2008 and 2.4% more than in the second quarter of 2009. The preliminary figure for third-quarter income from operations (EBIT) before special items was €1.25 billion, 20% less than in the same period of 2008 and 9.5% more than in the second quarter of 2009.These figures exceed the consensus analysts’ estimates available to BASF.

Furthermore, the integration of the former Ciba activities is proceeding faster than expected and higher special charges will therefore be included in the third quarter.

BASF will present its full third-quarter results including all earning figures at its Fall Conference Call on October 29, 2009.

The earnings improvement in the third quarter reflects BASF’s operational strength. Dr. Jürgen Hambrecht, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE said: “We have the right strategy. We are seeing the effects of the extensive measures we implemented in good time to adjust capacity utilization rates and to reduce costs. The BASF team worldwide has performed extremely well.” Impulses for growth are coming from Asia, especially China, as well as from parts of South America. Overall, markets have stabilized at a low level.

Economic developments in the coming months remain difficult to predict. “Although the mood is slightly brighter and we are climbing out of the trough, the recovery remains slow and fragile,” said Hambrecht.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals as well as oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €62 billion in 2008 and had approximately 97,000employees as of the end of the year.

USA : USDA forecasts cotton production at 13 million bales - Textile News USA

USDA’s October Crop Production report indicated that the 2009 U.S. cotton crop would total 13 million bales, 440,000 bales (3 percent) below the September forecast but nearly 200,000 bales above 2008/09. Upland production—expected to reach 12.6 million bales this season—accounted for the decline, as the extra-long staple (ELS) crop was not updated in October by USDA and is estimated at 367,000 bales, 15 percent below 2008/09.

During the past 20 years, the October forecast has been below final cotton production 15 times while above it only 5 times. However, the effect of this season’s wet harvest weather could mean that the October 2009 forecast will be above this season’s final estimate. In any case, past differences between the October forecast and final cotton production indicate that chances are two out of three for the 2009 U.S. cotton crop to range between 12.4 and 13.6 million bales.

For 2009, regional upland cotton production is forecast to vary from last season and the 5-year average (fig. 2). Compared with last year’s final production, the October 2009 U.S. upland crop estimates are higher in the Southwest and Southeast while lower in the Delta and West regions.

In the Southwest, upland production is now forecast at nearly 5.4 million bales, as larger harvested area and a similar yield, compared with 2008, pushed the upland crop 13 percent higher. For the Southeast, the cotton crop is forecast at nearly 3.4 million bales, 2 percent above 2008 and boosted by a record yield of 868 pounds per harvested acre.

On the other hand, area reductions in the Delta and West regions have reduced the 2009 crop compared with last season and the average. For the Delta, record-low area has limited the production potential this season, with the latest estimate placed at about 3.2 million bales. Despite the Delta’s 2009 yield being the second highest, the crop is 9 percent lower than 2008 and the lowest since 1986. In the West region, upland cotton area continues to trend lower. Upland production in 2009 is forecast at about 700,000 bales, less than half the average over the last 5 years and the lowest since 1945.

Although total cotton harvested area—estimated at 7.7 million acres in 2009—is slightly above that of 2008, the move to alternative crops in 2009 has resulted in this season’s cotton acreage being the third lowest in over a century. U.S. abandonment is estimated at 15 percent in 2009, below last season but still one of the highest rates over the last decade.

The U.S. cotton yield is forecast at 807 pounds per harvested acre this season, 31 pounds below the 5-year average. As of October 4th, only 10 percent of the U.S. cotton area had been harvested, compared with 15 percent in 2008 and a 5-year average of 21 percent. Most States are well below their historical averages with the exception of South Carolina and Arizona where harvest progress is at or above their respective 5-year averages.

Meanwhile, overall crop conditions are similar to a year ago. As of October 4th, 47 percent of the crop was in “good” or “excellent” condition, compared with 50 percent in 2008. Similarly, 23 percent was rated “poor” or “very poor” this year, compared with 20 percent a year ago.