Global vibes

Sander signs on
GERMANY: Controversial German avant-garde designer Jil Sander has been named the new creative director of Japanese casualwear brand Uniqlo. Her designs will be stocked across 700 of Uniqlo's stores worldwide and will appear in time for the northern hemisphere autumn/winter season.

The deal follows a design agreement between Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing and Sander's consultancy company. Jil Sander became a subsidiary of Prada in 1999 but left six months later after reported confrontations with the Prada boss. However, after her non-compete clause had expired, Sander made a return to the eponymous label only to leave a second time a year later.

Industry call
UNITED KINGDOM: The British Clothing Industry Association (BCIA) has called on the UK government to support the UK fashion and retail industry by offering credit insurance for domestic orders. The group is arguing the government has a duty to channel some of the cash set aside to support the UK's financial institutions into insuring orders from the retailers. This has left both suppliers and retailers reeling after leading insurers slashed cover for the sector last year, deeming it too risky.

According to UK trade magazine Drapers, hundreds of suppliers have been left grappling over whether to self-insure or operate with a depleted order book. In extreme cases suppliers have bank caveats which do not allow them to supply without insurance. Debenhams, House of Fraser and Arcadia are believed to be among those affected.

Fat burning fabric
JAPAN: Japanese apparel firm Teijin has developed a fabric for underwear it claims can burn body fat. The fabric works by hugging the skin and is meant to generate enough friction resistance during routine daily wear to work the muscles and boost metabolism. Based on Nanofront technology, the polyester nanofibre is currently used for industrial polishing cloths. The fibres are 7500 times thinner than a strand of hair. According to Teijin, volunteers who wore undergarments made from this fabric for 40 days lowered their body fat by as much as several percentage points and their waist size by as much as several centimetres. The company has already sent samples to apparel makers for prototyping and evaluation and hopes to see the fabric used in the northern hemisphere spring/summer season.

Westfield out of favour
UNITED KINGDOM: Westfield, the owner of Europe's largest shopping centre, based in west London, appears to be facing a revolt from cash-strapped retailers unhappy with progress at the giant mall. The mall, which opened in October, has already seen a number of closures, with additional concerns about delays to the opening of a promised 14-screen cinema and increased service charges. UK broadsheet The Independent said a growing number of retailers were looking at ways to extricate themselves from the mall. Many had signed up to rent space at Westfield on very flexible terms that entail smaller than usual exit penalties, the paper noted.