Textile NewZ - 13 September 2011

Textiles Symposium 2011 – Manufacturing a Future

Organised by Textiles NZ, a future-looking textiles symposium and AGM is coming up – 10 and 11 November 2011 in Wellington. Put these dates in your diary now! Speakers will explore successful manufacturing, becoming more competitive, future innovations, future Government procurement opportunities and leading by design. Network with the rest of the industry, attend the Fashion Show and enjoy some conviviality!

More details to come.

The Merino Company Brings Good Cheer to Christchurch – You Are Invited

The Merino Outlet store at 12 Bath Street, South City, Christchurch invites you to their Retail Opening this Friday 16 September at 2pm. Refreshments available. RSVP Shiree White Ph 03 940 3918 shireew@merinocompany.com A wide range of garments will be available from Levana Textiles’ merino fabric including Core, Velocity and Drizabone brands.

NZ Product Wanted

“The product I have designed will be exported to the USA and needs to meet with CPSIA requirements (the product is for children and cannot contain Lead or phelethates).

I need the product to be waterproof or water resistant. I have made the prototype out of upholstery vinyl which has all of the qualities that I need, but it is made overseas. It’s thick, heavy and waterproof but I do not know what it contains. I'm pretty sure that it will contain lead as most of the vinyls do. I am having the product made here in NZ but have only been able to find fabric in China which I really would prefer not to use as I would love to support local business.

I will be ordering in bulk and it will be a continued order. I have read a bit about PE coating (which I understand is corn based which may be good? - if we can find a local solution I have other parties who may be interested in purchasing). I am in proto type phase but need to find a solution ASAP as the correct fabric may have different qualities and I may need to rework my designs”.

If you are interested in supplying, please contact elizabeth@textilesnz.org.nz.

Apply for your Undergraduate Student Now!

If your business can offer an undergraduate student a challenging R&D project over their university summer holiday period, The Ministry of Science and Innovation Undergraduate Internships Programme could be right for you.

They are funding 200 places ($16 per hour for up to 400 hours plus GST) for student internships with innovative New Zealand businesses. Applications are now open and close 12pm, Tuesday 27 September. More information on funding criteria and how to apply.

Online registrations are now open!

Export Credit Agencies of New Zealand and Australia Enter into Reinsurance Relationship

The New Zealand Export Credit Office (NZECO) and its Australian counterpart, the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC), recently entered into a Reciprocal Reinsurance Agreement to share risk in export credit transactions.

Designers Back NZFW

The international buyers may not be flocking and designers' budgets may be as tight as they've ever been but New Zealand Fashion Week still has ''immeasurable'' value, the New Zealand fashion industry says.

Adrian Hailwood says he has already done 30 per cent of the entire business he did after last year's event, partly due to sealing the deal with a new buyer who ''liked what she saw''.

''I don't think I'd be where I was if it hadn't been for Fashion Week,'' he says.

''I was just a kid doing a few t-shirts at the beginning. The people they bring down, the local media... It's immeasurable, really.''

After a four-year break eco designer and merino wool specialist Miranda Brown returned this year to take part in the Merino Show.

Fashion Week's sphere of influence seems smaller now, she says.

''In terms of international buyers that isn't really happening. I don't think Fashion Week is that platform anymore.''

However she didn't go in thinking that was the case, and the event was about profile for her label.

Having said that, she has picked up a couple of extra customers following the show.

Untouched World also took part in the Merino Show having not been at Fashion Week for 10 years.

CEO Peri Drysdale says it got very little out of it back then, but the event is bigger now.

She's also pleased with the media coverage, and is expecting a new order within the week.

Wellington-based label Starfish has shown at Fashion Week for the past four years.

While the media coverage is good ''most importantly it's a great way for our buyers to understand our look.

Seeing the range in person really is important,'' designer Laurie Foon says.

Fashion Week founder Pieter Stewart said during the evening that its future may be in doubt.

"An event of this size cannot continue to be the organisational and financial responsibility of one individual,'' she said on the opening night.

''If it is to go ahead again next year, it will need substantial support from government organisations and ideally a lead sponsor to continue.''

The event costs close to $3 million to stage each year with designer contributions only covering 10 per cent of that cost, she said.

Stewart has proposed setting up a body along the lines of the British Fashion Council to bring together all parts of the sector and formalise the support.

''It's ended up that really Fashion Week is the focus of the industry. It needs to be broader than that.

''I think collectively we could do a much better job.''

Exports of apparel including footwear and head wear were worth $311 million in 2010, around the same level as 2008. (The figures don't take into account New Zealand apparel made offshore and exported directly from the manufacturer.)

Latest Textile & Fashion News Digest created at: 12/9/2011.

FINZ Global Sourcing Workshop

Friday 30 September, 2011
9.30am - 3.00pm
NZ $125 (FINZ members)
NZ $175 (Non members)

New Zealand Trade & Enterprise
ANZ Centre, Level 11
123-29 Albert Street
Auckland Central

In his first public appearance in New Zealand, Ken Watson, managing director of Industry Forum Services [IFS] will lead the FINZ GLOBAL SOURCING WORKSHOP; delivering valuable insights into complex international fashion supply chains, including up-to-the-minute trade information and key developments in the global market over the next 12 months.

IFS is the commercial arm of Industry Forum; a successful joint initiative between the British clothing industry and government to deliver a global supply chain development programme to market.

Today the London-based management consultancy firm provides specialist services to the textile, clothing and retail sectors, improving performance and competitiveness throughout the supply chain; from ideas creation and product development, to manufacturing and point of sale. Asectore leader in best practice research, particularly the fast fashion model, the company applies lean and creative thinking to deliver products faster, better and cheaper; eliminating waste, duplication and inefficiencies.

IFS has worked with international blue ship fashion and apparel companies including: Adidas, Arcadia Group [Topshop], ASDA, Burberry, Canterbury, Gap, H&M, House of Fraser, Levi Strauss, Marks & Spencer, New Look, Nike, Primark, Pringle of Scotland, Selfridges, Tesco and Woolworths.

Watson, a frequent international speaker, has delivered keynote presentations and workshops on fast fashion and global sourcing in Australia, Canada, Columbia, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, Turkey, the U.K and U.S.

He has an MBA from the London Business School and previously held senior management positions throughout the supply chain, including: raw materials [CPC International], manufacturing [Diane Freis], buying and sourcing [Warehouse and Marks & Spencer], brand development and wholesale [Hanes and Sara Sturgeon], and retail [Mothercare International].

This is a rare opportunity to connect with high-level globl intelligence on international fashion supply chains, which will be tailored for New Zealand businesses.

Click here for FULL EVENT DETAILS.

Click here for ONLINE REGISTRATIONS.

CAPACITY IS STRICTLY LIMITED.

Online Fashion Search up by a Third – Lessens for NZ

A recent study has found that Australian shoppers increased their online searches for fashion and accessories in the last year by 32 percent.

According to figures released by Shopbot this quarter, Australian consumers increased their online searches for fashion and accessories over the previous 12-month period by nearly a third, with ‘women's trousers and jeans' ranking among the top five product categories.

“Sunglasses and shoes historically perform well, from heels to runners, but they are joined this year by ‘women's coats and jackets', as well, suggesting greater willingness among Australian consumers to buy before they try on certain apparel items,” said Neil Thomas, Shopbot national sales director.

Thomas said unexpected items like cocktail dresses are ranking high on searched items due in part to free shipping incentives and flexible returns policies offered by online retailers.

"When consumers are prepared to buy products like this online, where the fit is critical, you know they feel safe and that they're getting good value for their money," he said.

Thomas also noted Australian fashion retailers are not represented enough in the report, as more Australian consumers are purchasing from international retailers.

“SABA and Sportscraft are the latest fashion brands to come online in this market, but the ratio of Australian fashion consumers to Australian fashion retailers online is still remarkably skewed.”

“The majority of transactions today are serviced by international retailers,” said Thomas.

“If our latest data report shows nothing more, it shows a clear market need and an opportunity for local fashion retailers.”

Power Retail recently reported that brand familiarity, user reviews and customer service were the most important information customers used to decide what and where to purchase items, and many Australian retailers could show big profits from starting an online store.

“Not only can local retailers offer quicker and more affordable delivery than international online retailers, they can provide easy returns and local customer service,” a report from Power Retail said.

Latest Textile & Fashion News Digest created at: 8/9/2011.

Vanity Sizing Hits UK Menswear

The retailing phenomenon of vanity sizing that began among women has spread to men.

Stores in Britain are labelling trousers up to five centimetres narrower at the waist than they actually are with the UK press labelling the practice ''manity sizing''.

A study conducted across British retailers found that more than half of trousers on sale at a cross-section of high street shops and supermarkets were ''flattering'' to deceive.

Marks & Spencer was one of 10 retailers where waists were found to be generous - a pair of 91 centimetre waist suit trousers were at least 95 centimetres when checked with a measuring tape.

The stores Debenhams, Next and Topman were also found to be flattering customers by adding up to 2.5 centimetres to the waistline. British supermarkets were the worst offenders, with Tesco and Asda selling items with five centimetres to spare.

Overall, 28 out of 50 garments checked were found to be larger than on the label. Seven were at least 3.8 centimetres bigger; among those was a pair of Levi's 501 jeans, a fashion mainstay, which was 82.5 centimetres and not 78.7 centimetres as advertised.

Research from Mintel, British market analysts, suggests that the number of men who report their best-fit size varying from store to store has doubled in the past six years.

''Shoppers quite reasonably expect [82 centimetres] to mean just that,'' said Richard Cope, the chief trend analyst at Mintel.

''They are becoming increasingly frustrated to discover their sizes vary from fashion brand to fashion brand and from item to item."

''In future there could be a move towards customers having size profiles stored on retailers' websites so that a more accurate picture can be built up of their exact shape."

''It does mean being measured once, but it would remove the subsequent hassle for those who have a favourite shop.''

Vanity sizing has long been a headache for female shoppers, particularly with variations in the shape of dresses as well as size.

A British survey by a consumer organisation last year found the waist on a size 12 dress at one retailer was 75 centimetres - four centimetres wider than at another.

Retailers denied they were flattering men of growing girth, blaming differences in manufacture or the way certain styles were worn.

Latest Textile & Fashion News Digest created at: 12/9/2011.

Chemical Trace in TCF Products 'Tip of the Iceberg’

Greenpeace claims findings that reveal traces of the chemical nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) on major international clothing and footwear brands could be 'the tip of the iceberg' concerning toxic pollution from textile manufacturing.

It is calling for these brands to act as leaders and innovators by eliminating all releases of hazardous chemicals from their supply chains and their products.

The Greenpeace report 'Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry', commissioned independent studies of 78 articles of sports and recreational clothing and shoes and found traces of NPE on 14 of the 15 brands tested.

These included Abercrombie & Fitch, Adidas, Calvin Klein, Converse, G-Star RAW, H&M, Kappa, Lacoste, Li Ning, Nike, Puma, Ralph Lauren, Uniqlo and Youngor.

While the levels of NPEs detected were not known to constitute any direct health risk to the wearers of the clothing, Greenpeace pointed out that NPEs break down to form nonylphenol (NP) a chemical with hormone-disrupting properties that builds up in the food chain and is deemed hazardous even at low levels.

"The analysis also confirms that the use of hazardous chemicals in textile production is not limited to clothing products manufactured in China; it is in fact the case for major-brand articles manufactured in a number of countries," the report said.

"The global nature of clothing production and trade also means that articles containing residual levels of NPEs are being imported into countries, such as members of the EU, where the use of these chemicals in clothing manufacture has effectively been banned."

Greenpeace suggested the use of hazardous chemicals by the textile industry was a widespread and pervasive problem.

"As brand owners, they are in the best position to influence the environmental impacts of production by working together with their suppliers to eliminate the release of all hazardous chemicals from the production process and their products," it said.

It acknowledged that many of the major clothing brands whose products were tested had public policies to restrict the presence of some hazardous substances in their products but only two had committed to a zero discharge program.

Puma and Nike have committed to the elimination of all hazardous chemicals throughout their supply chains by 2020.

Latest Textile & Fashion News Digest created at: 8/9/2011

Benefits of Joining Textiles NZ

We always welcome new members and believe you will benefit from our services. Over the last year substantial benefits have been delivered to members of Textiles NZ:

A very successful Textiles Sector Trade Show and Conference
Strong Government advocacy to assist companies working with government procurement
Industry advocacy with Government Officials on Free Trade Agreements
Strong Government advocacy to assist wool and possum/merino manufacturers, including gaining membership of the Government’s Ministerial Wool Group
Partnership with the Campaign for Wool to promote New Zealand natural fibres
Successful export market promotion, including a market visit to Russia with 7 member companies and reciprocal Russian buyer visits to members companies
R&D assistance to members
An informative weekly newsletter to the industry, Textiles NewZ

ATITO benefits:

More than $140,000 in training subsidies to Textiles NZ members
Companies assisted to fund Productivity Assessments
Subsidies to firms to engage Competitive Manufacturing
Industry support to deliver Block Courses for Cadets
Membership profiles on the Textiles NZ website that promote B2B, www.textilesnz.org.nz/sitedocs/search/search.aspx
An Energy Efficiency Programme providing savings up to $45,000 to individual members
Vodafone discounts
Budget Rental Car discounts
Shell Fuelcard 5 cents per litre discount
CourierPost discounts
OfficeMax discounts
Cullen The Employment Law Firm 20% discount
Fashion Uniforms discounts
Hipah Consulting and business advice discounts
New Zealand School of Export – distance education for exporters – 50% discount for eligible companies using an NZTE Capability Development Voucher
American Express assistance to importers

We are a membership based organisation for the NZ textiles industry with our fees commencing at $100 per year for a company with no employees, and $200 per year for a company with 5 or fewer employees. The rates increase for larger businesses.