Briefs

Nobody magazine
MELBOURNE:Australian denimwear brand Nobody is set to enter the world of publishing. Creative director Wesley Hartwell has announced plans to launch a collaborative art magazine dubbed 'i am nobody' in early 2008. Available through art, magazine and bookstores throughout the world, the magazine will produce two volumes a year which showcase the world of a single featured artist, photographer, designer or illustrator. The participant will collaborate on every aspect of the magazine from content to aesthetic and even the choice of typeface for the masthead. The premiere edition, issue zero, will profile photographer Pierre Toussaint and include images of recent shoots in Tokyo, USA and Australia. Hartwell said the magazine was created as an extension of Nobody's creative ethos.

Biding their time
SYDNEY:After four consecutive years of participating at New York Fashion week, sass & bide founders Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke have announced they will not take part in the trade event this September. A spokesperson for the pair said that Middleton, who was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, was not fit for travel following regular treatments of chemotherapy. The label recently showcased its collection at department store David Jones's spring/summer 2007 parade.

Wish granted
SYDNEY:Accessory brand Santós Wish has finally broached the international market. As part of an ongoing strategy to break into specialty stores throughout London and Los Angeles, the brand, which specialises in religious charms and trinkets, has secured its first major international client. Austique, a Chelsea based boutique specialising in Australian and New Zealand fashion labels, officially launched the line into London earlier this month. This was the second major coup for founder Kellee Cruse this year after Australian designer Lisa Ho began stocking the accessory brand for autumn/winter 2007.

SYDNEY: Trend forecasting services Scout has taken on two new staff to help get its message to market. Juliet Ingersoll as been appointed studio and communications manager and will handle all the studio's day-to-day operations including all travel and diary appointments. Ingersoll was previously a PA to the fashion director of Harrods in London & a retail coordinator for Australian labels David Lawrence and Jigsaw.  Kirsty Munroe has also joined the business as the editor for Scout's online newsletter Scoutlook. Armed with a MA in fashion journalist. Munroe was previously the fashion and beauty editor of Harpers Bazaa in Dubai and formerly the fashion news director for Australian Harpers Bazaar and Vogue.
 
Generation yen
SYDNEY: New South Wales-based designers and fashion house representatives are being targeted to take part in a trade mission to Japan later this year. The initiative, led by the NSW Department of State and Regional Development, will see the department organise meetings between export-ready companies and potential re-sellers, representatives, government and industry in Japan. The greatest opportunities in this market are believed to lie in young casual fashion, accessories and streetwear brands. The visit will take place between October 15 and 19. For more: 02 9338 6652.

Chilly climes
CHRISTCHURCH: Kiwi adventurewear manufacturer Earth Sea Sky has signed an eight-year contract to supply Antarctica New Zealand with a range of extreme cold-weather clothing. The deal, believed to be worth more than $NZ1 million ($A896,000), will see the New Zealand designed and manufactured brand supply an initial run of 260 lines of clothes ranging from polar fleece pants to down jackets. Forced to sustain temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees celsius, the range will be specially designed for the 350 scientists, Scott Base staff and VIPs who visit Antarctica each year.

Council's fair decision
SYDNEY: Kogarah Council is believed to have become the first council in Australia to buy uniforms from manufacturers who have signed up to the Homeworkers Code of Practice. The move follows a notice of motion by Councillor John Mikelsons who said exploitation was very common in the fashion and clothing industry. Mikelson said the announcement would ensure the council, which spends around $40,000 on clothing and footwear per annum for frontline staff, spent ratepayers' money ethically. The move has been welcomed by both the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia as well as outworker protection group FairWear.

Retail expo
MELBOURNE: International retailing expert Professor Dale Achabal is to headline a series of seminars being staged by Monash University's Australian Centre for Retail Studies later this year. The lectures, staged from October 15 to 19, range from one day to a five day residential program and are aimed at keeping retailers abreast of the latest global retail trends. Topics covered at the seminar include strategic value optimisation in retailing, retail supply chain management, renaissance in internet retailing and next generation internet retailing. For more: buseco.monash.edu.au/centres/acrs

Me oh Myer
TOWNSVILLE: Department store Myer has announced it intends opening a new store in Townsville in recognition of the area's strong growth potential. Opening by 2009, the store is the retailer's 10th in Queensland. The move marks the eighth new store Myer has announced this year with CEO Bernie Brookes claiming the retailer is on track to deliver on its store expansion strategy of increasing its chain to 75 stores nationwide over the next three years.

Just stationery
MELBOURNE: Listed fashion company The Just Group has made its first acquisition outside the apparel arena by paying more than $29 million to secure the rights to stationery brand Smiggle. The purchase, announced via a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange on July 19, kicked off a busy period for the brand - the parent company of Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Dotti, Peter Alexander, Portman's and Jacqui-E - which announced it had allocated three seats on its executive board to its biggest shareholder Solomon Lew.