Fashion designer and success

The fashion industry often receives a great deal of guff about its frivolous nature and it inspires no small amount of dismay among many consumers for the outlandish wares it sometimes produces. And yet, Seventh Avenue attracts some of the most tenacious entrepreneurs ever to launch a business. In the midst of severe economic strife that has caused companies with far greater resources to tumble, some of the fashion industry's most audacious and independent designers have managed to carry on. At least that's the illusion.

Designers began to unveil their fall 2010 collections Thursday in New York, and hundreds of formal shows and informal presentations will take place throughout the week. While a few designers have disappeared from the schedule, it feels no less crowded than in recent years. Where others have vanished, new companies -- often put together with little more than a bolt of cashmere and a steady stream of "Project Runway" reruns -- have popped up.

Some of the names that continue to pull off full-scale runway shows come as no surprise. Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Calvin Klein's Francisco Costa are the creative forces behind enormous brands. And those brands serve as umbrellas for lucrative secondary lines, accessories collections, products for the home and fragrances. All of those divisions, which include such mundane offerings as candles and pantyhose, pay the bills. The rarefied merchandise that they send down the runway is only a tiny percentage of the business. Often, it is a loss leader. But that's the piece of the company that defines the whole and influences the culture. And for a small but enthusiastic group of consumers, it's a fanciful dream worth the eye-popping prices.

But there's a long list of less-established designers who seem to have defied the odds and who, against all financial and aesthetic logic, continue to mount shows. An observer is left not simply marveling at their skill in smoke-and-mirrors chicanery, but also amazed by their stubborn insistence that they must go on with the show.

* * *Consider the designer Peter Som. He was put through the Seventh Avenue wringer, which means that he has won and lost a prestigious job. He was hired to take over the creative reins at Bill Blass, the last in a long series of designers who were brought in to run the house after the death of its namesake in 2002. In short order, the holding company that owned Bill Blass pulled the plug on the pricey, high-end line; Som was left showing his meager signature collection in his small atelier to editors and buyers one by one. But he managed to muster his resources for a Saturday afternoon presentation.

Erin Fetherston continues to put her organza and glitter collection on the runway even though her customer base appears to be women who enjoy dressing as if they've been invited to a tea party with Alice and the Mad Hatter. Aside from the whimsical Fetherston herself, whose style calls to mind Tinker Bell, how many such women can there really be?

Menswear designer Patrik Ervell, who helps men dress like their inner Peter Pan, will also have a show as usual. His clothes are available in New York and Los Angeles at stores such as Barneys New York and Opening Ceremony, which is akin to saying that they are more intriguing in theory than in practice. He once created a stunning sequined jacket for his fashion-obsessed man-boy. But that is not the sort of idea upon which a significant business can be built.

The list of interesting yet starry-eyed designers goes on with fashion wunderkinds Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the duo behind Rodarte. It is a critically celebrated line that is bewitching in its creativity yet happily and proudly impractical. Their exquisitely hand-knit sweaters, for instance, were so distressed and trashed that they were more like colorful cobwebs.

Thom Browne made a name for himself by creating shrunken men's jackets and trousers that make the wearer look as though he has mistakenly squeezed himself into his 8-year-old son's first communion suit. The silhouette is no gimmick; Browne stands by it and wears it himself. In public.

L'Wren Scott is scheduled to host her usual lunchtime show. Students of fashion might recognize Scott's name from its red carpet association with actresses such as Nicole Kidman and Ellen Barkin, but rare is the non-celebrity who can slither into her narrow, you-don't-expect-to-sit-down-in-that silhouette.

And Zac Posen, who has always been adept at creating the illusion of greatness even as his company struggles to be profitable and his staffers fly the coop, is planning a Monday morning show. God bless them, every one.

* * *That's the fascination of the fashion industry. It's a place where the irrational makes perfect sense. Creativity trumps usefulness. And everyone involved has a stake in keeping the fantasy alive.

Despite all the reality shows that highlight the harsh challenges of the fashion industry, there's also a warmhearted truth. Its members don't want to see one another fail. Models often work for nothing or are willing to take clothes in payment for their services. Public relations companies will represent a fashion client for next to nothing -- at least for a short period of time -- if they believe in the designer's work. Restaurants, galleries and other businesses that can benefit from good reviews spread by the cool kids of the fashion industry will often offer a designer a show space, gratis or for a nominal fee. A deep-pocketed friend might come to the rescue, or some investor blinded by the glamour of models, champagne and expensive frocks. Other designers moonlight as consultants for bigger brands to make ends meet.

Companies such as the winemaker Ecco Domani hold newcomer competitions in which part of the winners' prize is financial support for a runway show. And Vogue, along with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, has created a fund to offer financial aid and business mentoring to up-and-coming designers.

Under the best of circumstances, all these elements come together to help talented entrepreneurs hang on until their company's roots can take hold and they can stand on their own. A check for $25,000 or $100,000 from a company like Target or H&M for a one-time collection can be an important infusion of cash into the business of a company such as Rodarte.

But often one wonders if the help is postponing the inevitable. Is the aid keeping designers from facing the hard truth that perhaps their aesthetic is too limited for the marketplace, their business plan makes no sense, or they are simply not cut out to run their own company? If some companies are too big to fail, are others too small to save -- at least in their current form?

"I get calls on a very regular basis from designers who are at the end of the road and don't know what to do and are looking for advice or money or support," says Steven Kolb, executive director of the fashion designers' council. "Sometimes I can connect them with people who can help; sometimes I can't."

"I'm amazed that a lot of the smoke and mirrors of a fashion show, that component, in people's minds, is so important," Kolb says. "I think a lot of it is fueled by ego. They're not wanting to give up when it has their name on it. They have so much pride invested in it."

They also believe in the magic of the fashion industry as a place where it's okay to be counterintuitive, adventurous and even unreasonable. That's good for the imagination, good for the culture.

And the idea that many of the companies that remain standing may go on to be profitable, stable and influential is a victory worth cheering. But there's something to be learned from failure, too. When you pay a little less attention to the illusion, there's more time to focus on why the reality just isn't working.

Ref:  Robin Givhan: Washington Post-14 Feb 2010

Fast fashion getting faster

From Catwalk to Closet, Faster

This just might be the boldest fashion statement at the shows so far—letting shoppers actually buy the clothes.

Some designers are chipping away at one of the industry's most elite and stubborn schedules: the six-month lag it takes for runway looks to appear in stores, if they appear at all. Driving the change, they say, is a desire to stay a step ahead of knock-offs and to win over consumers after high-end clothing sales were battered by the economy. The Web is also helping, making it possible for some designers to circumvent traditional retailers and reach their customers directly.

Designer Norma Kamali began putting her new collections up for sale on her Web site immediately after her presentation Monday. The designer Cynthia Rowley appropriated her own runway designs and put the copies up for sale immediately following her Friday show. Limited editions of dresses, skirts and handbags were printed with photographic images and patterns from her runway collection and offered at an art gallery store for $320 apiece. Ms. Rowley also offered for sale to the public three of her 34 runway samples immediately after her show, including a tassel shell with a hand cut lace skirt, a tassel dress and a lace dress, each priced at $4,800 as head-to-toe outfits. As of late Tuesday, none of her runway originals had sold, but some of her copies had.

"You can't go into it expecting it to be big numbers," said New York-based designer Derek Lam, who intends to begin testing fresh-off-the-runway sales to the public later this year. "It's just a way to get in touch with the people who are watching" the show, particularly on the Internet.

The "buy now" experiments, if they spread, could alter how the fashion industry functions. In the past, stirring demand for a designer's collection was the role of glossy monthly magazines with long lead times, such as Vogue and Elle. The editors attended the runway shows and would feature designers' samples in editorial spreads that hit newsstands months later. Retail buyers, meanwhile, placed bets on styles with the greatest commercial potential, and the designers put those styles into production.

The typical six-month gap has been blamed as contributing to last year's 11% decline in global sales of designer clothing, as measured by consultants Bain & Co. Part of the problem, designers say, is that copycats and chains like H&M and Zara, called fast-fashion retailers, are able to quickly replicate styles and sell them at lower prices. For instance, the sports bra, biker shorts and the so-called "football" clutch purse all moved quickly from the Alexander Wang runway to mass market retailers last year, as did Stella McCartney's oversized silk blouses.

Fashion has "an industry problem," designer Donna Karan said, referring to the delay. The solution, she added, is "redesigning the whole system," though the difficulties of that are huge. Neither her Donna Karan collection nor her DKNY lines sold styles directly from the runway this season, and she said she has no plans to do so anytime soon.

Beyond production challenges, designers also risk angering retailers by cannibalizing demand for the line when it hits stores later. "Fashion shows are for the retail buyers," said designer Diane von Furstenberg, who said she's not interested in direct-from-the-runway sales right now.

Ms. Kamali said she hasn't gotten pushback from retailers such as Barneys New York and Bergdorf Goodman, in part because she has changed the way she produces goods so that the retailers can get them at the same time. Ms. Kamali moved all production of her high-end designer line, as well as a separate collection for eBay, to factories in the U.S., making it easier for her to have stock ready to sell as soon as she unveiled her line publicly.

Some retailers doubt the high-fashion houses will be able to pull off immediate sales, because of the elaborate nature of their designs. "It can happen for certain vendors that can execute in a shorter time frame," but "it won't happen here," said Saks Fifth Avenue's fashion market director Colleen Sherin, after Carolina Herrera's show, which featured ball gowns and luxurious sportswear with beading—none for immediate sale.

Another question mark: Runways can feature clothing months before it is in season. "You would kind of wonder if a customer would really want something six months in advance" of the season it was intended for, said Ann Stordahl, executive vice president for women's apparel at Neiman Marcus.

Still, experiments in moving quickly from the runways have been gaining momentum. A big leader, Burberry PLC, in September made two trench coats available for purchase via its Web site 48 hours after its London runway show. It stoked demand by sending a link to 800,000 people in Europe and the U.S., announcing that the show would be live streamed with some styles available for pre-order. Burberry invited viewers' comments to see which looks were most popular.

[For example] coats, priced at $3,000 and $4,000, went up for sale, and orders had to be placed within one week, creating a sense of urgency. That approach is believed to appeal to the "aspirational" drive of some buyers, who might be more willing to splurge to buy something that's perceived as limited edition, or hard for others to get. Those who placed orders 48 hours after the show got the coats in three to four weeks, roughly three months ahead of their main arrival in stores. Burberry says it sold all of the coats made available for pre-order, but did not disclose the quantities. "These customer orders went straight to the factory versus waiting months for our wholesale and retail teams to buy them and then placing their orders," said Angela Ahrendts, Burberry chief executive.

In the past, brands that tried the buy-now strategy had to rely on third-party retailers, such as fashion Web sites, to pull it off. Bonnie Takhar, Halston's chief executive officer, two years ago, made available two fall styles for sale via online retailer Net-a-porter the day after Halston's runway show. The move was an attempt to feed a desire for instant gratification and, more important, to deal a blow to knock-off artists. "We went directly to the market with styles that were iconic," Ms. Takhar said. In so doing, "we put a rubber stamp on it, and said, 'We own it.' "

The Web fashion retailer sold out of a $1,495 wool jersey shirt day dress within 45 minutes, and sold out of the other style, a $1,795 silk evening dress, within several days. Halston and the Web retailer declined to disclose how many units were available, but a person familiar with the matter estimated that there were 500 units, combined, for sale.

"People are getting into a 'buy now' mentality, and I'd like to be ahead of that," said Rebecca Minkoff, who produced about 50 "Bada Boum" shirts that she began selling on her Web site the night of her show last week. Within 24 hours, her stock sold out and she had arranged for another 100 to be produced. During her presentation to retail buyers and the fashion press, Ms. Minkoff herself wore the shirt, as did two models. "If I didn't sell it immediately, somebody else would have it in their window in a week. At least this way, they know it comes from Rebecca Minkoff," she said.

At design house Chado Ralph Rucci, no detail is too fine when it comes to dressmaking. WSJ's Elva Ramirez follows an ivory georgette and guinea hen feather dress fro sketch to runway. Gabriela Anastasio, 24, saw Ms. Minkoff's presentation in Manhattan and ordered the shirt online a few hours later. She was motivated, she said, to support the ideal of greater "democracy" in fashion. "Usually I find the things I covet most require some waiting, so it's great to be able to get something just after the show, or to know that you'll get it in due time," Ms. Anastasio said.

French designer Roland Mouret is taking it a step further: pre-selling his RM line to retailers before showing it on the runway, so that his styles will hit stores just a month after his show."The new reality of fashion will be to have the clothes right after the show," he said. Shoppers "don't want to wait six months and don't want to see copies."

Ref: Wall Street Journal

Feb 17 2010

South Africa's new 2010 industrial plan (IPAP2)

The new industrial plan for South Africa called: Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP2) -note the 2 is outlined in respect to the clothing, textiles sector.

Industrial Policy Action Plan

Written by The Department of Trade and Industries

Monday, 22 February 2010

The clothing, textiles, footwear and leather industries have been in distress for some time. This is due to a range of factors including: Rand strength and volatility; under-invoicing and illegal imports; Competitiveness challenges; skills deficits and limited economies of scale in parts of textiles.

These industries are labour intensive and are often used by developing countries as a platform for sustained economic growth and job creation. In SA the employment trend has been downward across the sector. The trade balance increased negatively from 2000 to 2008 in all the industries across the sector, with the clothing industry being the worst affected.

Key opportunities

The key opportunity is to recapture domestic market share through improving competitiveness through a range of interventions including a focus on product, process and delivery efficiencies and harnessing proximity to local retailers. Ongoing clampdowns on under-invoicing and other illegal activity will help to level the playing field. The industry needs to seize the opportunity of a coherent and comprehensive set of support instruments in order to fundamentally transform its competitiveness. Going forward, the commercialisation of new technologies should give the textile pipeline an added advantage in the global arena. This will include the beneficiation of new fibres now being grown in South Africa. Traditionally only cotton and wool were grown for export in semi-processed form.

Constraints

The constraints facing the industry are well-documented with the set of support measures aiming to tackle most key constraints. These include:

• Currency strength and volatility.

• The ongoing surge of global imports which has been underway since the expiry of the Multi-fibre Agreement.

• Illegal imports and fraudulent under-invoicing.

• Inadequate policing of 'country of origin' labelling legislation.

• Lack of skilled personnel to take over from ageing industrial executives and senior management, who generally did not have succession plans.

• A historical failure to develop and implement skills development plans, particularly for critical areas of operations and in production,

• Outdated capital equipment and technology resulting from inadequate capital investment and technology upgrading.

• An historical deficit with respect to innovation, research and development.

Key Action Programmes (KAPs)

Clothing and Textiles Production Incentive (PI) and Competitiveness Programme (CTCP)

Nature of the intervention: The programme will enable the sector to compete sustainably and effectively against international competitors in both the domestic and the export markets and the company level competitiveness will be improved substantially.

Economic rationale: The sector lags behind their international competitors in terms of conversion efficiencies and other key indicators of world class manufacturing principles of which quality, cost and delivery are the main drivers.

Outcomes: Stability and competitiveness of the sector. The CTCP will be extended to the leather and leather goods and footwear industries. The Production Incentive will be finalised and implemented.

Key milestones

• 2010/11 Q1 onwards: Rollout of PI and CTCP will be rolled out by IDC.

• 2011/12 Q2: The Leather and Footwear programme will be rolled out by IDC.

Lead agency: IDC

Supporting department/agencies: DTI

Illegal import programme

Nature of the intervention: The programme is designed to clampdown on illegal imports which are flooding the country. The illegal imports are either brought in using documents which under-invoice the consignments or using wrong tariffs. The programme will also scale up the policing of country of origin labelling.

Economic rationale: The cheap imports landing in the country are the main cause of the closure of most of the clothing and textiles companies in the country. The elimination of illegal imports will help level the field of play for the local manufacturers.

Outcomes: Reduction and the elimination of illegal imports over the next three years.

Key milestones

• 2010/11 – 2012/13 Q2: Ongoing and targeted campaigns against under-invoicing and other illegal activities in the sector.

Lead department/agency: NT/SARS

Supporting departments/agencies: DTI and EDD / ITAC

Skills development

Nature of the intervention: The programme is involved with upgrading of skills in the sector. The programme will facilitate the finalisation of the funding arrangements with the National Skills Fund. The skills strategy will be rolled out through the Textiles and Clothing Centre of Excellence established at the CSIR in Port Elizabeth. This will speed up the implementation of programmes instead of establishing another implementing

organisation.

Economic rationale: A lack of succession plans in the sector has resulted in very few young graduates joining the industry. Most of the captains of the industry are beyond retirement age but there are no skilled personnel to take over. Most of the training which has taken place in the sector has been at the operator level.

Outcomes: The programme outcomes will include the graduation of technicians, technologists, engineers, managers and scientists for the textiles, clothing, leather and footwear industries.

Key milestones

• 2010/11 Q1 onwards: Rollout of skills development programme by NSF and Clothing, Textiles, Leather and Footwear (CTFL) SETA

• 2010/11 Q2: Inputs into annual skills plan by DTI.

• 2010/11 Q2: A revised curriculum for the garment manufacturing industry will be developed in collaboration with the DHE&T.

Lead department: NSF, CTFL SETA

Supporting departments / agencies: DOHE&T DST and / Clothing, Textiles, Leather and Footwear SETA.

Audit of textiles capabilities

Nature of the intervention: The programme will cover the audit of the capacity and the technology currently in the textile industry. Through the intelligence gathered the programme will then explore the possibility of consolidating the textile industry where companies will focus in different products thereby assisting them into the mindset which looks at specialisation instead of the shot-gun approach current being followed by some

companies.

Economic rationale: The textiles industry will build a culture of specialisation which will develop them into experts in their fields. This will make them more sustainable and they will diversify into products which the garment manufacturers and retailers are in need of and are currently being imported.

Outcomes: The industry will be transformed into a 21st century textile industry and become a global trend setter instead of being a follower as it is at present.

Key milestones

• 2010/11 Q1: Commission textiles capacity audit in conjunction with industry stakeholders

• 2010/11 Q2: Review findings and make recommendations on industry consolidation

• 2010/11 Q3: ITAC to initiative review of textile tariff structure in the light of these findings

Lead department/agency: DTI / IDC

Supporting departments / agencies: Competition Commission

Innovation and technology

Nature of the intervention: Distinct technologies will be identified and where commercialisation is possible this will be undertaken with relevant partners. The technologies to be pursued will include the establishment of the South African garment sizing data base utilising 3-D body scanner technology, computer-aided design using 3-D scanner data, processing of new natural fibres like flax, wild silk, cashmere, and Kenaf. New technologies like nonwoven products and fibre reinforced composites will be commercialised in South Africa. Technologies in garment designing and servicing the fashion industries will be pursued as well.

Economic rationale: South Africa cannot compete globally in commodity textiles with countries like Bangladesh, India and China and has to focus on niche markets and those sectors of the textile pipeline which developing economies are better positioned to compete due to cheap labour and cheap raw materials.

Outcomes: The main outcome of the programme will be a transformed textiles pipeline industry which will be in a position to compete globally with home-grown garment technologies.

Key milestones

• 2010/11: DTI to establish the South African sizing database.

• 2010/11 – 2013/14: DTI to oversee the commercialisation of the fibres like flax, hemp, wild silk and cashmere.

• 2010/11 – 2013/14: DTI to oversee the migration of part of the industry to technical and smart textiles.

Lead department: DTI

Supporting departments / agencies: DST / CSIR and IDC.

B-BBEE

Nature of the intervention: Explore leveraging B-BBEE obligations at retail level to promote domestic manufacturing and sustainable black ownership. The promotion of succession plans which favour the promotion of black management will also be encouraged.

Economic rationale: The programme will go a long way to transforming the informal sector into a formal sector, rendering the employment statistics more robust. The sector has not transformed 15 years into the new dispensation.

Outcomes: More local production on the retailers' shelves and more people of colour in management positions in the sector.

Key milestones

• 2010/11: DTI to secure buy-in from industry.

Lead department: DTI

Supporting departments / agencies: EDD / IDC and Industry Associations.

Economic impact

It is anticipated that the tide of closure of companies and job losses will be stemmed, as the industry will be transformed and become sustainable. New sustainable creation of decent jobs at the rate of 2,000 per annum from 2010 will become possible. These jobs will initially come from the formalisation of the informal sector and the enterprises becoming Bargaining Council compliant. As the sector becomes more competitive, companies will be able to satisfy local retailers' needs more adequately, who in turn will reduce imports, improving the trade balance and contributing positively to GDP.

 For more:

Statement from the Minsiter\

The Report

State of the nation speech more empty promises?

The South African Clothing Textiles and Workers’ Union said they welcomed the statement President Zuma said during his State of Nation speech that “industrial policy would build labour absorbing industries ... and 2010 would be a year of action.”

Have we not heard this before?

In June 2009 I wrote, “After much stalling the South African government has published and intends to implement through the Department of Trade and Industry a rescue package for the clothing and textile sector that incorporates skills development, capital investment and the controversial proposal of increasing tariffs on apparel imports”.

At the KwaZulu-Natal Economic Recovery and Jobs Summit held in August 2009 it was mentioned by the Department of Trade and Industry that R6 billion was allocated by the IDC to “rejuvenate the industry over the next two years”.

In November 2008 it was announced that an “action plan” would be launched to assist South Africa’s beleaguered clothing and textile sector.

In 2006 the Department of Trade and Industry stated that “Government is working on a strategic vision”, and a year later in August 2007 the Trade and Industry Minister said the Customised Sector Program (CSP) was being formalised.

The industry needs action now.

Sources from within the clothing and textile industry have informed me that there is concern about the dependence government has on policy development consultants who either do not have a comprehensive understanding of the industry and provide recommendations that government want to hear in order to maintain their lucrative contracts. Has there been wide interaction and open transparent debate between government “advisors”, government officials and industry players who are working in the trenches to sustain employment and their operations?

Will the “industrial policy” announced by Zuma provide practical implemental systems that industry can initiate immediately or will these policies require further discussions and negotiations?

And SACTWU? Will they undermine the clothing and textile sector that are “labour absorbing industries” by further strike action? What will they bring to ensure that an environment of cohesiveness and cooperation is created between the employer and employee?

So while we wait for more of the same the industry continues its battle of keeping the stitches together and the machines running.

Press Statement

SACTWU responds to the State of the Nation speech

11 February 2010

The COSATU-affiliated Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) has noted the President's statements in his State of the Nation speech that "industrial policy will build labour absorbing industries", that the broad policy direction outlined in his address will be practically detailed in implementation strategies to be announced by the responsible ministries, that Ministers will be required to sign target performance agreements and that 2010 will be a year of action.

We welcome this.

We now look forward to the details and call for increased resources to be allocated for industrial policy implementation measures to build labour absorbing industries, such as clothing and textiles, by the various responsible ministries, in particular by the Minister of Finance in his budget speech next week.

Issued by Andre Kriel, SACTWU General Secretary.

Breaking News: Alexander McQueen -dead

Alexander McQueen, one of fashion's consummate inconoclasts and showmen, has committed suicide at age 40, a spokeswoman confirmed. "Mr. McQueen has been found dead at his house this morning," she said, declining further comment. A statement from PPR, parent of Gucci Group and the McQueen company, is expected shortly. Circumstances of his death were not revealed and a spokesman declined comment. McQueen's mother recently died and the designer was known to be extremely close to her, although it could not be learned whether this contributed to his death. McQueen burst onto the London fashion scene with a mix of aggression, energy and creativity that reinvigorated the city's reputation and made his shows the hottest ticket in town.

British fashion designer Alexander McQueen (né Lee McQueen), whose cutting-edge dresses were worn by stars like Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Lady Gaga, was found dead in his London home this morning. He was 40 years old. “At this stage it is inappropriate to comment on this tragic news beyond saying that we are devastated and are sharing a sense of shock and grief with Lee’s family,” reads a message on the official website of the designer’s company. Rumors have begun to circulate online, but officials say the the cause of death remains unknown. “We’re devastated and I hope you understand that out of respect to his family and his colleagues we’re not going to be making any further statement,” said the designer’s spokewsoman in a statement to the UK’s Guardian.

McQueen rose to fame in the ’90s, earning a reputation for his impeccably tailored avant-garde looks and iconoclastic fashion shows. He got a relatively traditional start on Savile Row, designing for Givenchy before creating his own label under the Gucci umbrella in 2001. McQueen’s designs were red-carpet regulars, especially on Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Moss, and Naomi Campell. A few of McQueen’s most famous works include Gwyneth Paltrow’s see-through 2002 Oscar dress and the “armadillo” shoes worn by Lady Gaga in her 2009 “Bad Romance” music video.

Since his death was announced earlier today, several celebrities have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to the designer.

DitaVonTeese: “Rest in peace, Mr. McQueen.”

Joel Madden: “R.I.P. Alexander McQueen. You were one of the best man. Always hoped to meet you.”

Kelly Osbourne: “i am so so sad to hear the news of Lee (Alexander) McQueen! i really just dont know what say im really in shock”

Kim Kardashian: I just found out Alexander McQueen died!!! I’m in shock! So sad! I’m wearing one of his dresses now! He was such a talented designer”

Kirstie Alley: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN…you made big bottomed and not so big bottomed girls all over the world look stunning..come back soon..give it another go”

Rachel Zoe: “I cant describe the tragic loss of such a brilliant man and designer Alexander McQueen..R.I.P xo RZ”

PARIS : British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has died in London, his press office in Paris said Thursday, after media reports said he had apparently committed suicide aged 40.

Emergency services were called to his home in central London but he was pronounced dead at the scene, the reports said, and a British police spokesman said the death was not being treated as suspicious.

A spokeswoman for the bad boy designer, who rapidly built an international reputation for his outrageous creations, said: "Mr McQueen was found dead this morning at his home.

"We're devastated and I hope you understand that out of respect to his family and his colleagues we're not going to be making any further statement," she added.

The death was reported shortly after 10:00 am. Seven hours later, the body was brought out of his home on a stretcher, covered in a red blanket, and loaded into a private ambulance.

McQueen, a four-time winner of the British designer of the year award, was creative director of his own label which was bought out by Gucci and was one of Britain's most lauded fashion designers.

His close friend and fashion icon Isabella Blow killed herself three years ago at the age of 48. She died after telling friends she was going out shopping.

Tributes poured straight away after the death was announced.

Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue, said: "Lee McQueen influenced a whole generation of designers. His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs.

"His death is the hugest loss to anyone who knew him and for very many who didn't."

Designer Katherine Hamnett said: "He was a genius. What a terrible, tragic waste."

German couture legend Karl Lagerfeld told AFP: "I knew him very little but knew his work, which brought him a lot of success."

"I found his work very interesting and never banal," he added.

"There was always some attraction to death, his designs were sometimes dehumanised," Lagerfeld said.

"Who knows, perhaps after flirting with death too often, death attracts you."

Louise Wilson, one of his teachers at London's St Martin's College of Art and Design, told the BBC: "He was a joy to work with. He was a self-motivated individual. He was a superb cutter.

"In education you open the door, you hope they walk through. He walked through it."

She noted that he designed for all tastes and price levels, including for luggage manufacturer Samsonite and sportswear label Puma. "That's the beauty of his genius, is that he related to everybody," she added.

Born in London's East End into a working-class family -- his father was a taxi driver -- McQueen rose to fame after graduating from St Martin's in 1991. McQueen cut his teeth as a tailor in Savile Row, where legend has it that he left his distinctive mark -- in the form of hand-written obscenities -- in the lining of a jacket for Prince Charles, heir to the British throne. After spells with designers Romeo Gigli and Koji Tatsuno, he started his own label and quickly became a controversial figure. He designed the famous "bumster" trousers, which displayed the cleavage between model's buttocks in a parody of the low-slung trousers worn by workers on London building sites. He even survived general condemnation over a collection featuring ripped clothing, entitled "Highland Rape", which was the first time anyone had chosen to send supposed rape victims down the catwalk. After earning the title of best British designer of the Year in 1996, he moved to France, following another Londoner, John Galliano, as chief designer at Givenchy, where he continued to shock. He toned down his tactics for Paris but enjoyed a further brush with notoriety when he included a disabled amputee model walking on carved wooden legs in a London show.

McQueen's position in the mainstream was assured in 2000, however, when the Gucci Group bought out 51 percent of his label, and the past decade has seen him launch flagship stores in New York, London and Milan. He had a perfume line, launched his first menswear collection in 2004 and most recently launching a denim-based collection entitled McQ. His death came days before London fashion week, and ahead of Paris fashion week next month.

Zakumi and Cup apparel letting down SA industry

Feb 9, 2010 

By Judith King, by e-mail  Timeslive:

Judith King, by e-mail: The Congress of South African Trade Unions has expressed outrage that the Zakumi 2010 Fifa World Cup mascot is being made in China, saying that "huge profit will be made by exploiting low-paid Chinese workers while South African workers miss the chance to get new work".

The condemnation is gratifying, but limited.

Why is Cosatu, and more particularly the South African Clothing and Textiles Workers' Union, silent on revelations that much of Bafana Bafana's supporter apparel is being made in China, Mauritius and Pakistan?

This disturbing fact was uncovered by clothing research agency ReDress and cited in a Business Report article last week.

A moderate amount of public concern has been aired about it through various media channels, but one would have hoped for a more vociferous campaign, given that our clothing and textile industry is in shreds and our people desperately need jobs.

Surely the market for fan-wear is much larger than that for the mascot?

Cosatu has called on all South Africans to boycott 2010 "made in China" products, but makes no specific reference to requirements for apparel manufacture.

The South African Football Association and our departments of trade and industry and economic development should all be held accountable for not supporting our clothing industry.

We've been cheated out of a massive opportunity to take something authentically and sustainably prosperous out of the World Cup bid.

The building work is all but over, Fifa has colonised all kinds of entrepreneurial activity in South Africa for its own ends, but our clothing and informal sectors could have been revived and many small and medium-sized businesses and marginalised people - particularly women - could have been truly empowered by these contracts.

Julius Malema, can you help?

Luis Vuitton rubbish designer bags

How ridiculous can fashion get?
Because the bags are made by the design house Luis Vuitton people are prepared to pay $1,960 that is over R20.000 for a rubbish bag.
The new fashion must-have is  called “Raindrop Beasace” the bags do not have the typical stylish and luxury Vuitton atheistic.
Our income generating and HIV/AIDS projects can do much better.
What is the lesson?
The power of the brand..

Agoa Clothing Trade Update

Click here for bigger immage.

Global clothing trade update

EU Clothing Report-2009

Textile and clothing output fell sharply in the EU in the first six months of 2009, and declined at double digit rates in almost all member states for which data are available.

The falls reflected declining export demand for EU-made goods as well as falling domestic sales as a result of the global economic crisis and recession in many countries. Total exports to countries outside the EU were 17.9% lower, with sales of textiles down by 20.4% and clothing by 14.9%. Within the EU, Italy was the largest textile exporter, followed closely by Germany. The largest destination for EU textile exports was the USA, followed by Tunisia and Turkey. Italy was also the biggest exporter of clothing, followed at some distance by Germany and France. The largest destination for EU clothing exports was Switzerland, followed by Russia and the USA.

Imports also fell significantly as EU consumer spending weakened, and retailers and distributors cut back on inventories. The fall also reflected weaker demand for raw materials as activity in the textile and clothing industry was curtailed. Total EU textile and clothing imports were down by 8.5% in value, reflecting a 12.7% fall in internal trade, although imports from outside the EU were down by only 3.5%. Of the total, textile imports from outside the EU fell in value by 18.2%. Clothing imports from outside the EU, on the other hand, rose in value by 2.3% but fell in volume by 7.7%, reflecting a rise in the average import price.

The leading external supplier of textiles was China, followed by Turkey and India. In clothing, the leading supplier was China followed by Turkey, Bangladesh and India. Many suppliers increased their prices in order to maintain or raise their revenues in the face of falling order volumes. Only two of the EUs 20 leading clothing suppliers increased their deliveries in volume terms namely India and the USA but nine increased their value

Global Trade Figures in Clothing and Textiles

World textile and clothing trade rose by 4.4% to US$612 bn in 2008. The rise represented a slowdown compared with the previous few years, reflecting the global economic crisis. In fact, growth in 2008 was slower than in any year since 2001, when there was a 3.2% decline. That said, four trade flows involving Asia grew at double digit rates in 2008. In textiles, exports from Asia to Africa increased by 20%, while those from Asia to the Middle East rose by 18%. But intra-North American trade fell by 8% and intra-European trade by 3%. In clothing, Asian exports to Europe rose by 17% and to Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries by 14%.

However, trade with North America was affected badly. Exports from South and Central America to North America declined by 5%, intra-North American trade was down by 4% and Asian exports to North America fell by 3%. Reflecting these trends, the US textile and clothing trade deficit fell in 2008 for the first time since 1991—by 3.8% to US$88.65 bn, of which clothing accounted for 88%. The EU27 deficit, however, continued to rise—by 8.8% to US$69.12 bn. At this level it equated to 78% of the US deficit compared with 69% a year earlier. Offsetting these deficits, China was the country with the world’s biggest surplus, followed by India, Turkey, Italy and Pakistan.

The world’s biggest textile exporter in 2008 was the EU27, followed by China, the USA, Hong Kong, South Korea, India, Turkey, Taiwan, Japan and Pakistan. The EU27 was also the biggest textile importer, followed by the USA—although China ranked as high as third, followed by Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam, Turkey, Russia, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In clothing, China was the world’s leading exporter for the third year running, followed by the EU27, Hong Kong, Turkey, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico and the USA. As for clothing imports, 47% of the world total went to EU countries in 2008, while the USA took 22%, Japan 7% and Russia 6%. Next in importance were Hong Kong, Canada, Switzerland, the UAE, Australia and South Korea but each of these had only small shares.

Ref: World Markets

Italy deals with clothing sweatshops

Tuscan town turns against Chinese migrants
By Guy Dinmore in Prato, Italy

Published: February 8 2010

When the Italian police, firefighters and assorted inspectors banged on the factory door, launching their latest raid on illegal Chinese sweatshops in Prato, most of the stunned workers living there in damp, windowless cubicles were still in pyjamas.

Within hours, four more clothing factories in Lazzeretto street had been sealed and ranks of sewing machines confiscated, two illegal immigrants were hauled off and the remaining few dozen workers told to get out.

After years of tolerating and also benefiting from waves of Chinese immigrants who have built the largest concentration of Chinese-run industry in Europe, the people of this ancient Tuscan city have decided enough is enough.

“The last drop sent the vase spilling over. The city cannot go on like this,” declared Riccardo Marini, president of Prato’s association of industrialists. “The Chinese may respect the laws in France and the UK but here they don’t – because they were allowed to by a system of politicians and entrepreneurs. It got out of hand.”

Having voted for the left for 63 years, Prato swung to the centre-right and the xenophobic Northern League in municipal elections last June.

Roberto Cenni, the new mayor who is also a textile and clothing entrepreneur, denounces the “slave-like conditions” endured by low-paid Chinese workers. Backed by Roberto Maroni, the Northern League’s hardline interior minister, police last month launched a crackdown on illegal workshops. Helicopters buzzed overhead to carry the message.

His community in a state of shock, newspapers reported that China’s consul-general in nearby Florence compared the raids with the Nazi SS.

Proud of its centuries-old history in textiles but with its industry in decline, Prato sees itself as a victim of open borders and globalisation gone wild.

Mr Marini recalls the first group of 38 Chinese arriving in 1989 to work in textile factories. Now they are estimated to number up to 40,000, many of them illegal. One-third of the city’s 180,000 residents are non-Italian, comparedwith a national average of 6 per cent.

As Prato’s textile industry haemorrhaged jobs – unable to compete with cheaper cloth made in China – the Chinese community in Prato used their acquired skills to carve out a separate niche producing pronto moda or “fast fashion”.

Whereas a few years ago, many Chinese entered Italy illegally, now they simply arrive at Frankfurt airport on three-month tourist visas but do not leave. Most in Prato come from just one Chinese city – coastal Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, an enclave with a history of entrepreneurs ready to cross the sea.

Outside Prato’s city walls, Via Pistoiese has become a Wenzhou Chinatown with restaurants, nightclubs, which bar non-Chinese, and supermarkets stocked with Chinese goods.

Silvia Pieraccini, a local journalist and author of The Chinese Siege, says the key to the Chinese success is twofold. Speed comes first. A factory in China needs two months to replicate the latest Milan-driven fashion and get cheap products on to the European market. In Prato, it takes two weeks and comes with the “Made in Italy” label.

Second, the Chinese have mastered the entire production chain. They import cheap Chinese cloth, then dye it and print the designs. Buttons, zips, beads are made locally. Finished items are sold to buyers from all over Europe who flock to wholesale outlets.

The starting price for a simple lady’s cotton shirt is €1.70 ($2.30, £1.50). At full output the estimated 3,500 Chinese factories in Prato can produce 1m items a day. The Chinese rely on creative Italian expertise in design, marketing and accounting.

The combination of recession and crackdown is turning the tide against those illegal Chinese factories that do not pay taxes, union dues or city services. But what will happen next is unclear.

The mayor – whose Sasch clothing chain produces and sells in China – wants the Chinese manufacturers in Prato to use the city’s own high-quality textiles rather than imported cloth, and even sell back to China.

It is uncertain whether Chinese bosses will turn legal and thus less competitive, or shift production elsewhere.

One big frustration for police is that they cannot deport illegal immigrants who have no documents, because China refuses to accept them back. Only two were deported last year. “We are dealing with a China without borders,” says Mr Marini.

In China the crackdown has gone largely unreported with state media instructed not to go to Prato. Sun Yuxi, China’s ambassador to Rome, stresses the Chinese contribution to Prato’s “wealth”, insisting that only a small minority of workers are illegal.

Sitting forlornly in her pyjamas as police raided the Lola sweatshop, one 23-year-old worker said the recession was so bad they had hardly worked since October. She would like to go home but says she cannot do so empty-handed.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010.

Business Report article on 2010 Clothing

Dispute lights up over imported Fifa, Bafana apparel

By Florence de Vries

A dispute have brought to light the fact that at least 40 percent of Fifa and Bafana Bafana apparel is being imported from China and other countries.

The dispute has risen between the Southern Africa Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (Sactwu) and South African Football Association's (Safa) master licensee Safa legal and management (Slam).

Sactwu is arguing that unaudited figures received from Slam and its international affiliate Sarragan, a sister company to the Adidas group, are incorrect.

According to Slam, 80 percent of its pieces are manufactured locally while 20 percent are imported from other countries.

But the figures provided for its imports include a Lesotho-based factory as a South African manufacturing facility.

The discrepancy brings to 40 percent the total of imported goods. Local companies and licensees claim they are struggling to find affordable local facilities to produce merchandise and buckle under pressure to finish goods on time for the event.

Sactwu has called upon Slam and Sarragan to provide audited numbers of the amount of soccer world cup-related gear being manufactured locally, following a report claiming that a number of Fifa and Bafana Bafana-related items are being manufactured in China, Mauritius and Pakistan.

Clothing and textile researcher, Renato Palmi, from the Redress Consultancy found Bafana Bafana and Fifa- gear had been manufactured in other countries, contravening Sactwu's agreement with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) that all producers of Fifa-related sportswear in South Africa should be members of the national clothing bargaining council.

Palmi said the swing tags on Bafana Bafana beanies, t-shirts and hats confirm its status as official merchandise of the South African Football Association but "that they are made in China".

"Fifa bags and t-shirts at a retail outlet in Durban's Gateway Mall proved to have its origins in Mauritius and Pakistan," he said.

According to Palmi, it is widely known that a 'made in China label' connotes production under sweat-shop conditions.

The Business Times on Sunday reported that organisers of the World Cup Soccer tournament have announced an investigation into how a 10 000 square metre factory in China's largest city, Shanghai, landed several international subcontracts worth almost R840 million to manufacture South Africa's official mascot Zakumi.

Etienne Vlok, senior researcher at Sactwu, said the world cup is a chance to promote local decent work but that the union has had trouble obtaining verified numbers from Slam.

"Two types of soccer shirts are being manufactured locally. International sportsbrand Adidas has been working with locally compliant manufacturers to produce soccer shirts and have been co-operative in providing information," he said.

Vlok said Fifa-related gear is being manufactured by Fifa sub-licensees including local clothing companies like JSE-listed Seardel and Monviso.

Ian Stein, managing director of Monviso told Business Report that the "bulk of goods are made in South Africa but that there is some coming from China."

According to Stein, Monviso imports from China constitute roughly 10 percent of goods.

"We import whatever we cannot make locally." Stuart Queen, chief executive of Seardel, said the group has the official Fifa apparel contract and that the majority of its goods, which constitutes apparel are being produced locally.

"But because the World Cup is upon us, we cannot gear a factory to produce the amount of garments needed and so there will be an element of importing," he said.

Figures received from Fifa-appointed licensee Slam and its international affiliate Sarragan (sister company to the Adidas group) have not been audited and are incorrect, according to Sactwu.

"This is a huge concern for us. We're starting to see more and more reports like Palmi's," he said.

Slam’s managing director Vivian Casaletti told Business Report that approximately 80 percent (513 796 pieces) of its goods are produced locally while 20 percent (134 700 pieces) were imported.

The group has received 60 200 pieces from its affiliate Prestige and had 344 598 pieces on order, while its other affiliate Tern had delivered 16 984 pieces, with 92 014 pieces on order.

Slam was expecting another 100 000 pieces from China and other countries in coming months. These include t-shirts in polyester and cotton.

When asked about the Lesotho-based facility, Tern, Neil Farrar, director of London-based clothing firm ASD which is affiliated with Slam, said the items from Tern would have a "made in Lesotho" label.

According to Farrar, caps, bags and a small quantity of jackets have to be imported as there are no other manufacturing plants available in South Africa due to either pricing or the extremely high compliance standards of State-Owned Entities that have to be met.

Franz Ruedling from Sarragan said the group has asked the union for "opportunities" to manufacture locally but that the recommended manufacturer was "too expensive."

South African Revenue Services official Sibabalwenathi Mfabe confirmed last week that R33 million worth of counterfeit Bafana Bafana goods had been seized at the OR Tambo International airport in the past three months.

"At present we await other incidents of counterfeit goods, specifically those related to the world cup, across our major ports," Mfabe said.

Published on the web by Business Report on February 1, 2010.