Customs eases rules
CANBERRA: Textile clothing and footwear importers and brokers are expected to benefit from a new deal between Customs and stevedore companies Patrick Terminals and P& O which has seen an increase in the free storage time for containers screened at ports in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle. From June 01, shipping containers returned from these ports to these operators with less than 24 hours free storage time remaining will be entitled to one additional free storage day. For more: customs.gov.au
Fashion management course
MELBOURNE: Consulting group Novel has launched two new courses specifically customised for fashion professionals. The first, on global production management, aims to develop the key skills of project management and the specific technical knowledge demanded by the profession. The second, on global quality management, aims to develop key competencies in quality management, fabric care instructions and other labelling requirements. The courses are scheduled to run July 28 and August 11 respectively. For more: novelconsulting.com.au
Vogue takes most hits
SYDNEY: Vogue magazine's online forum was the most popular fashion website accessed by Australian audiences last month, according to figures released by online research company Hitwise. The magazine's main site Vogue Australia saw the second heaviest traffic numbers, with websites from Supre, Pumpkin Patch Australia, Jay Jays, Sportsgirl Online, Glam, Victoria's Secret, Peter Alexander and Witchery completing the country's top 10 most visited fashion websites.
Aussies leather showing
HONG KONG: Australian buyers were among the 27,800 visitors who made the trek to the Asia Pacific Leather Fair (APLF) - material, manufacturing and technology exhibition in Hong Kong held in March. Figures released by APLF organisers show Australians were among the top 10 visiting countries to the fair, alongside buyers from China, India, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the US, Italy, Thailand and Bangladesh. $US20 million ($A26 million) worth of business was done onsite at the fair with a further $US30 million ($A39 million) of orders taken after the event.
Cooper catfight
AUCKLAND: A spat over trademarks between New Zealand designers Trelise Cooper and Tamsin Cooper is headed for the High Court. South Island-based designer Tamsin Cooper filed a statement of defence against Trelise Cooper earlier this month after she filed legal proceedings to prevent the lesser-known designer trademarking her name. The problems began last year when Tamsin Cooper lodged an application with the Intellectual Property Office to register her name as a trademark. The application was opposed by Trelise Cooper who claimed it could cause confusion with her brand. In March Trelise Cooper filed proceedings in the High Court at Auckland against Tamsin Cooper for infringing her trademark in breach of the Fair Trading Act. No date has yet been set down for the hearing.
Thailand Exhibition
MELBOURNE: Aiming to showcase a range of fashion and jewellery products to Australian retailers and importers, the Thailand Exhibition will be staged at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre in July. Now in its second year, the exhibit includes products such as traditional homespun clothing, Thai silk, handcrafted jewellery, footwear and leather goods. Organised in association with the Thai Trade Centre, the 2006 exhibit will take place from July 27 - 30 and is expected to build the previous year's attendance of 2000 buyers.