Hilary Duff Wears BLOCH Shoes

Hilary Duff was photographed wearing BLOCH shoes while out and about in Los Angeles yesterday! The actress and singer looked casual and comfortable completing her street chic look with BLOCH's Black Oxford Flats ($170, www.blochworld.com).

Read more fashion blog posts about Hilary Duff here on the Fashion Blog.  You can find news about her on additional websites from the Hilary Duff fashion celebrity page here on Apparel Search.

If you enjoy the casual lifestyle, you may want to read more blog posts about casual style.

Coats Opti Express Zip Sampling

Coats Group plc, the world’s leading industrial thread and consumer textile crafts business, is launching Coats Opti Express, a revolutionary zip sampling service.  This new service for the fashion and textiles industries delivers zips via a web-based state of the art sampling system.  The new service is being showcased on the Coats stand (hall 5.1, stand B30), at Texprocess, the international fair for the processing of textile and other apparel materials, in Frankfurt, Germany, 4-7 May.

Opti Express provides the fastest and simplest zips sampling service in the market.  Currently the lead time for a standard zip sample averages 14 days but Coats Opti Express reduces this to just five days.  The lead time for a fully customized zip will be reduced from several weeks to 10 days.

The increased speed of delivery is due to a newly created digital tool which helps customers quickly and easily select the most appropriate zip sample for their needs, specify the shade and length and select a puller.  Production of the sample starts as soon as the request is submitted and the digital tool also helps eliminate several time consuming manual interventions in the ordering and production process.

Each individual zip comprises several elements including tape, teeth, slider and puller but with so many different varieties and styles to each element, the choice can be overwhelming and consequently time consuming.  Opti Express has a large and easily searchable online catalog of components featuring intuitive layouts, automated zip and puller configuration and guidance to easily select the right zip and puller.

Rajiv Sharma, Global CEO, Industrial, Coats Group plc, said: ‘Coats Opti Express is an industry game changer.  It makes zip selection simple, quick and easy and significantly reduces sample delivery time.’

Picking the perfect colour match is also made easy using the Coats Colour Capsure device and the online application helps locate the closest sample.  Custom pullers can be ordered using four rapid sampling options.  These include technical drawings for bulk production in two days, 3D plastic samples printed within three days and the Coats propriety cast metal prototype, the ProtoPul, ready in five days.  It is also possible to track the order request at all times by logging on to the online system.
The new service has been piloted in China, Sri Lanka, UK and the US and is now being rolled out to more customers.  The next phase of the project will be to add a ‘Bulk’ order facility to help convert sample requests to bulk orders

To find out more about Coats Opti Express and view the product film go to www.coatsoptiexpress.com

Thank you for taking the time to read our fashion blog post. We hope that you have found this news to be informative. You may find the following resources of assistance as well.

Factories:
Metal Zipper Factory
Nylon Zipper Factory
Plastic Zippers
Polyester Zipper Factories
Invisible Zippers
Zipper Machines

Components:
Zipper Slider / Zipper Pulls
PVC Tape Zippers
Zipper Tape / Heat Seal Patches

Education Information:
History of the Zipper
Zipper Definition
Invisible Zipper Term

You should also read our recent blog post about the reflective thread from Coats.  This company truly has a great deal of exciting news lately.

If you have comments or questions, please add your thoughts in the discussion area below.

Kerry Washington Wears Timo Weiland

Actress Kerry Washington wore a knit separate look from New York based designer Timo Weiland' Fall-Winter 2015 collection to attend the Scandal ATAS event at the Director's Guild of America yesterday evening, May 1st 2015. Kerry was joined by her Scandal cast members, and a number of other Hollywood A-Listers.

Timo Weiland: The Brand


The team's first men's and women's ready-to-wear collection debuted for Spring-Summer 2010. The collection firmly established their romantic, yet modern edge to dandy downtown dressing. Based in and inspired by New York City, the Timo Weiland collection reflects Timo, Alan, and Donna's personal aesthetic sensibilities and a broader desire to spur a return to the art of dressing.


Timo Weiland works with established luxury retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney's, and key independents like Intermix, Shopbop, and Atrium New York. Celebrities the likes of Taylor Swift, Tina Fey, Sophia Bush, and Pharrell are supporters of Timo Weiland, and are often seeing wearing their designs on the red carpet.


The designers won the Ecco Domani Fashion Fund award in January 2014. The designers were recognized for their smart, innovative Men's design, and unique attention to detail. "The Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation is one of the first and one of the most coveted emerging designer awards programs in the fashion industry," said Marylou Luther, Editor of The International Fashion Syndicate and a judge for the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation. "This year's winners represent an exciting blend of backgrounds, influences and approaches that highlight the promise of today's young designers and complement an already impressive list of winners. The words Ecco Domani are the perfect metaphor for what these awards represent to the American fashion industry literally and figuratively—here's tomorrow!"

The brand was also nominated and one of the finalists for the International Woolmark Prize in 2013 and 2014 both. The brand was also part of the CFDA Incubator for 2012 and 2013 years.

India Minimum Support Price for Cotton Increasing

In a bid to dispel the mounting distress of its cotton growers, India’s government on Wednesday April 29, 2015 announced it was increasing the commodity's minimum support price (MSP).

How will this effect the cost of apparel manufacturing in India?

The following is portion of a news article posted on the Sourcing Journal on April 30, 2015:

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has raised the MSP (a government support program that guarantees a price level paid to farmers to procure their produce) of medium and long staple cotton by 50 Indian rupees (or 70 cents) per 100 kilograms each for the year 2014-15, a scant increase over such previously fixed prices as 3,750 rupees and 4,050 rupees for certain varieties.  

As the world’s largest producer and second-largest seller of cotton, India is estimated to have a cotton surplus of nearly 16 million 347-pound bales this year, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast a fall in exports of 58 percent year-over-year. “This operation is primarily aimed at safeguarding the interest of the farmers and avoiding any distress sale,” declared an official statement from the CCEA. 

Earlier in the season, declining exports due to a global surplus and slack demand from China caused cotton prices to slip below MSP levels, obliging the CCI to actively enforce guarantees by purchasing and stockpiling the equivalent of nearly seven million 480-pound bales from domestic producers. Last month, the agency started auctioning its inventory at prices near MSP levels, but these were not low enough to garner the interest of Indian mills and led to multiple media reports citing an “artificial shortage” of the raw material.   

Read the full article at https://www.sourcingjournalonline.com/india-raises-minimum-cotton-price-hurt-domestic-mills-lm/

Cotton pricing in India clearly has an important role in regard to worldwide fabric and fashion pricing.  The pricing of India's cotton is certainly something that members of the apparel industry need to watch.

You can learn more about cotton from India here on Apparel Search.  You may want to check the following:

The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI)

Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)

Minimum Support Price (MSP)


The Department of Agriculture & Cooperation (DAC)

Thank you for taking the time to read our textile industry blog post. We hope that you have found this news to be informative. If you have comments or questions, please add your thoughts in the discussion area below.

Do you think it is appropriate for governments to provide minimum support pricing for cotton and other textile fibers?  Is this a manipulation of pricing that is fair for the worlds economy?  Share your thoughts.

McQ New Website

McQ has arrived.

McQ Womens - For SS15, clothes are created with movement in mind. The simplicity of silhouette disguises a subtle and effortless DIY aesthetic echoed through the various fabric treatments including photocopy effects, cut-and-paste montages and laser cut polka dots. Alternatively, a classic McQueen inspired tartan sheds its Highland connotations in a lightweight crepe in bold shades of black, red and bone white.  Simultaneously, serried ranks of circular rivets underscore the rebellious nature of the collection.

McQ Men's - For McQ SS15 the journey overrides the destination, creating a wardrobe with its eye on the open road. The collection is a traveler’s tale in which graphic recollections of block parties and underground gigs evolve into prints on tailoring and are patched on to practical outerwear. These prints remain key throughout the collection. Generous silhouettes encourage layering and colors reflect a British landscape. The reflective metallics of the city contrast against the earth tones of the countryside.

Visit the new Alexander McQueen website at http://www.mcq.com

Juliana Shyu Appointed PR Manager

Aeffe USA has announced the appointment of Juliana Shyu as PR Manager at the fashion brand group for Moschino and Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini. She joins from Karla Otto NY having recently served as Account Manager, and has also held various public relations roles at HL Group NY, PR Consulting and KCD New York. 

View more fashion career blog posts.

Shiri Appleby in Fidelity Denim Ryder Jacket

Shiri Appleby posted a photo wearing Fidelity Denim recently on Instagram! The Unreal actress looked cute in her Ryder jacket in Exile Destruct.

The same style recently worn by Reese Witherspoon ($198, www.fidelitydenim.com).

Mother's Day For Two Fitness

Looking for last minute Mother's Day gift ideas for moms-to-be? For Two Fitness is a much needed maternity exercise apparel line catering to active mommies' and their growing bellies!

Combining innovative, technical fabrics and exceptional design features in a super soft collection of colorful and ultra-flattering tops, bottoms and outerwear, For Two Fitness helps pregnant ladies flex their muscles in comfort and style.

Whether she's a marathon runner, Spinning enthusiast, yogi, Zumba queen or hardcore Crossfit fanatic, For Two Fitness celebrates her impending phase of motherhood with their whimsical tanks, tees and long-sleeved tops that sport clever sayings like "Six Pack Abs" (with pic of six baby bottles) or "Cycling for Two" (with pic of a tricycle).

Women with MORE Contest 2015

MORE magazine today announced that the inaugural Women with MORE^® contest is open for entries through June 16, 2015 at http://www.more.com/womenwithmore. The contest will shine a light on the diverse ambitions, interests, beauty and style of the MORE woman, and celebrate the unique and wide-ranging accomplishments of readers from coast to coast.

Women with MORE^® invites readers to share their stories for the opportunity to win a trip to New York City to participate in an editorial photo shoot, a chance to appear in an upcoming issue of MORE, and receive an exclusive beauty package from program sponsor RoC^® Skincare. The first 300 entrants will also receive a full-size RoC^® RETINOL CORREXION^® Deep Wrinkle Serum product valued at $23 each.

“Over the past five years, we’ve highlighted extraordinary women of style and substance with our MORE^® Than Just a Beauty Search contest,” says MORE Editor-in-Chief Lesley Jane Seymour. “We will continue to salute these incredible women, but have revamped this signature program to better reflect the transformative new look, feel and scope of our magazine.”

To enter the contest, participants must submit a photo and an essay detailing what makes them (or another female nominee) women with more ambition, beauty, style or passion, along with a non-refundable $25 processing fee. All Women with MORE^® contest entrants automatically become part of the MORE “real women” model talent pool and may be contacted to participate in future editorial initiatives.

A total of four Grand Prize Winners will be chosen from among all entrants by a panel of judges including MORE editors. One winner will be selected from each of the following four categories: Women with MORE^® Ambition, Women with MORE^® Beauty, Women with MORE^® Style and Women with MORE^® Passion. Winners will be selected and notified by Aug. 3.

To enter for a chance to win or receive more information and contest rules, visit http://www.more.com/womenwithmore

About MORE 

Launched in September 1998, critically acclaimed MORE is the only lifestyle publication that celebrates women of style and substance. MORE is the smart, stylish guide for women of influence, sharing the latest on beauty, fashion, health, career, finance, home, travel and culture. MORE serves a community of affluent, professional women interested in reinventing themselves and their world. MORE is published 10 times a year by Meredith Corporation with a rate base of 750,000 and readership of 1.5 million. The award-winning publication was named Advertising Age’s 2006 Magazine of the Year, named multiple times to the prestigious Advertising Age “A List,” as well as to the Adweek “Hot List,” and received the 2014 Clarion Award for Best Overall External Magazine.

Learn about additional style relevant contests at the Fashion Industry Network.

Thank you for taking the time to read our fashion blog post. We hope that you have found this news to be informative. If you have comments or questions, please add your thoughts in the discussion area below.

Helen Hunt Ride Into Fashion

Helen Hunt wore Cynthia Rowley yesterday for her Good Morning America appearance in New York City.  The actress/writer/director looked ready for Spring in her Bonded Squared V-Neck Party Dress in Gilded Brocade Teal while promoting her new film,  Ride (www.cynthiarowley.com).

Helen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, and played single mother Carol Connelly in the 1997 romantic comedy film As Good as It Gets, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Helen Hunt’s latest movie, “Ride,” which she wrote, directed and stars in, is a love story between a mother and a son based on a couple of mother-son relationships she knew.