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| Issue date:01/12/2009 |
| ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel - Dec 2009 Issue |
| Source:Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel |
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| Nordstrom in the US seeks to tap international apparel market through the Internet |
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A new promotional initiative from the "Biella The Art of Excellence" Foundation was held in Tokyo, Japan, in November 2009. The aim is to set up strategic agreements with important representatives from the world of Japanese retail leading to profitable cooperation with a view to increasing trade of products made in Italy, particularly Biella.
"We decided to consolidate our promotional strategy in the Far East by shifting to Japan. This choice goes against the trend followed by several top brands, because we believe that Japanese consumers are entering a new phase: in the generalised consumer crisis that exists for some years now on the market, today they are looking for quality and design at reasonable prices. This is an evolution that offers new opportunities for those districts, like Biella, where there is a recognisable brand and strong cultural identity," said Luciano Donatelli, president of the "Biella The Art of Excellence." Foundation.
Over 200 apparel retailers and players in Japan participated a workshop on creativity of Biella and fabric products made in Italy in November, organised in collaboration with the Italian Trade Commission (ICE) office in Tokyo.
The Biella district is known as an important Italian textile manufacturing district for menswear and its knitwear yarns made in Italy.
Anti-wrinkle bra sets foot in Europe
Newly developed anti-wrinkle night bra enters markets of Europe |
Invented in the Netherlands, a newly anti-wrinkle night bra were introduced to other European countries like Belgium, the UK, France, Spain and Germany, the producer La Decollette says.
This new kind of bra helps women who suffer from vertical wrinkles at their cleavage, according to the inventor and founder of La Decollette, Rachel de Boer.
Many women who sleep on their sides discover wrinkles in their cleavage when they wake up. These wrinkles can intensify in combination with sun damage.
"The vertical wrinkles appear because the breasts are pressed against each other while sleeping. The older you get, the longer it takes before they disappear again. Sometimes they won't disappear at all. If you put some kind of support between the breasts you prevent the cleavage from wrinkling," Ms de Boer says.
Her Decollette makes simple use of the natural regenerating ability of the skin. She claims that after wearing this new bra for five to seven nights, women will be able to find their cleavages smooth again.
Li & Fung buys US leading licensed brand company
Hong Kong-based global consumer goods exporter Li & Fung Limited announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, LF USA had acquired substantially all of the assets of Wear Me Apparel, doing business as Kids Headquarters, a leading designer, marketer and seller of young men's and children's apparel in the US.
Kids Headquarters manages a prominent portfolio of licensed national brands, proprietary brands, private labels and character licenses. These include Calvin Klein, Ecko, Timberland, Hurley, Rocawear, US Polo Association, Disney, Marvel, Nickelodeon, Warner Brothers and Hasbro.
The acquisition was expected to complete by November 2009. Net sales for Wear Me Apparel were approximately US$700 million for 2008.
After the transaction, New York-based Kids Headquarters became the sixth operating division of LF USA and will focus on building its strong portfolio of brands. The Company's brands are distributed through traditional and midtier department stores and mass merchants including Macy's, Kohl's and Wal-Mart.
Nordstrom launches online international shopping
US-based Nordstrom Inc introduced international shopping online to better serve customers globally. Customers outside and inside the US can browse and buy merchandise from nordstrom.com, payable in different currencies. Goods purchased can be shipped to 30 countries.
Except Singapore in Asia and Canada in North America, the 30 countries are chiefly located in Europe. Available currencies for international shopping include Canadian dollar, Euro, US dollar, Swedish krona and currencies used by Eastern European countries.
"We've made it a lot easier for our customers abroad to shop from nordstrom.com. Sending great fashion merchandise from Nordstrom to friends and family overseas is also more convenient than ever for our domestic customers. We will continue looking for ways to improve the shopping experience for customers, no matter where they live," said Jamie Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom Direct.
Nordstrom partnered with FiftyOne Global Ecommerce to offer international shopping. Nordstrom Inc is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 182 stores located in 28 states of the US.
US apparel retailer maintains profits
American Apparel Inc reported net sales for the third quarter of 2009 of US$150.3 million, a 2.9% decrease from the same period of the previous year. The company is a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of branded fashion basic apparel based in the USA.
Total retail sales increased 3.7% to US$101 million for 2009 Q3, whereas total wholesale sales dropped 14.5% to
US$40.2 million. Online consumer sales also slid (-12.5%). Net income during the period under review was US$4.2 million.
The company had 276 stores, with 50 net new stores during the last 12 months until September 2009.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dov Charney, was optimistic. "While it is still very
early, we are encouraged by some indications pointing to the beginning of momentum in our sales. We believe that for the long term, our business remains on track as we continue to expand our brand's presence both in the US and internationally," he said.
US teens continue spending on apparel
Teen consumers (aged 13 to 18) in the United States were found more willing to purchase fashionable apparel, compared to adult consumers, although their spending money declined under the economic downturn.
With less financial burden, teenagers in the US were found more likely to buy apparel (Photo: Trussardi Jeans) |
Teen spending on apparel declined from an average of US$98 a month in the third quarter of 2008 to an average of US$68 a month in the first quarter of 2009. However, it has increased throughout 2009, reaching an average of US$83 in the third quarter, and there are signs that teen apparel spending will continue to rise, according to a Cotton Incorporated's Lifestyle Monitor survey released this November.
Teens have fewer financial obligations than adult consumers, and can spend more of their disposable income on apparel. They were more likely than any other consumers to say they would spend it on apparel (23% vs 6% for adults). However, declines in teens' spending money under the economic recession caused them to scale back clothing purchases, buy more on sale, and shop at lower-cost stores.
Notably, denim jeans were one of the most popular back-to-school purchases among teens in the US.
In the third quarter of 2009, denim jeans accounted for 15% of teen apparel purchases, up from 12% in the third quarter of 2008. Among teens shopping for their next pair of denim jeans, fit and style are the top purchase drivers. This year, teens are looking for relaxed-fit jeans (28%), skinny jeans (24%), and boot-cut jeans (17%). Teens are likely to be acquiring more denim jeans in the last quarter of 2009. The percentage of teens who expected to buy several pairs of denim jeans in the coming months bottomed out at 31% in the first quarter of 2009 but has bounced back to 46% in the third quarter of 2009. In contrast, the percentage of older consumers who expected to buy several pairs of jeans declined slightly over the same period, from 24% to 23%.
Although the largest share of denim jeans are sold in the US$20-30 price range, jeans offered at retail for teens are priced higher on average than those offered for adults, according to Cotton Incorporated's Retail Monitor survey.
On the premium side of the teen denim market, jeans priced at US$70 to over US$100 account for 21% of jeans offered at retail, significantly more than the percentage of jeans offerings for adults in this price range (6%). In order to tap the opportunity, teen retailers are upgrading fit, finishes, and fabrics, while offering denim jeans at a wider range of price points.
Shima Seiki introduces tailor-made apparel for mass consumers
by Michelle Phong
Made-to-order WholeGarment apparel was available in Japan in October and November 2009, and for the first time in Shanghai department stores in December, as the company is developing a new business model, Ordermade.
Seamless, fashionable garments made on Shima Seiki WholeGarment systems were provided for Shanghainese consumers. Each buying consumer was able to possess a piece of seamless, well-designed garment at his/her own size.
Ikuto Umeda and Mitsuhiro Shima (right) |
"The fashion business faces four hurdles in the areas of design, production and technology, cost, and consumer preference. To cope with these hurdles, our answer is the Ordermade model that balances the four considerations," said Mitsuhiro Shima, Managing Director of the Shima Seiki group, adding that the company can now manufacture a piece of unique knitwear for a particular consumer fitting his/her individual demands.
At the heart of the made-to-order concept is the Shima Seiki's SDS-One (RD2) and SDS-One Apex apparel design software systems.
The software features an extensive database of patterns and designs as well as pre-programmed templates for size-grading, including irregular body sizes and shapes. It also provides super-realistic knit simulations and 3D virtual sampling functions, allowing accurate visual confirmation of the customer's selection. This enormously saves the cost and time of sampling by having simulations to examine the effects of a given design. It is also an eco-friendly apparel design process, Mr Shima explained.
The advanced design solutions are now available in the new showroom of Shima Seiki Win Win in Hong Kong, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Shima Seiki group.
With the establishment of the new showroom, Shima Seiki gets closer to the clients and directly reach them to offer the most suitable and advanced machinery for their production, said Ikuto Umeda, Chief Executive Officer of Shima Seiki Win Win. The WholeGarment machines developed by Shima Seiki are demonstrated at this new showroom, as well as an extensive range of stylish and fashionable seamless apparel made on them. The WholeGarment machines are expected to further penetrate into the China market as more WholeGarment apparel is taken into the market.
New showroom of Shima Seiki Win Win in Hong Kong |
"The flat knitting machinery industry developed swiftly in 2007-08 until the outbreak of the global financial crunch, and the industry was affected as major export markets of the US, the EU and Japan turned less dynamic after the crunch. China will be a key region in future," he added.
Addressing the Chinese knitting industry, Mr Umeda observed challenges like currency appreciation of renminbi, rising labour costs, and the introduction of the Labour Law. The use of high-end machinery in the textile manufacturing is hence more attractive for textile manufacturers to upgrade themselves and improve competitiveness, he believed.
Another new showroom was also opened in October 2009 in Dongguan, Guangdong province to provide training to the machinery users. The latest MACH2 machines are exhibited where users can directly explore its new functions and features, and their feedback can be reverted to the Shima Seiki headquarters.
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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