Global Vibes

New year honours
ENGLAND: A host of the UK's leading fashion lights have had their efforts rewarded in the Queen's New Year Honours list. The list included top retail executives including Marks & Spencer chief executive Stuart Rose who was awarded a knighthood and River Island managing director Richard Bradbury and Oasis founder Maurice Bennett both of whom were honoured with CBEs. Other fashion personalities included in the list were Karen Millen and Jasper Conran each of whom was awarded an OBE.

Trade shows move
FRANCE: Well-known beachwear and summer lingerie trade fairs Lyon Mode City and Interfilière are on the move. Effective immediately, the shows will be moved from their traditional home in Lyon to Paris. Organisers said the move, driven by what they termed "financial challenges" would see both events "renewed and dynamised" enabling visitors and exhibitors the chance to take advantage of synergies between ready-to-wear and beachwear. The next fairs will be staged from September 6 to 8 at Paris' Porte de Versailles. Sport Achat, the summer trade fair devoted to outdoor wear and mountain gear, organized in parallel to Lyon Mode City in 2007, will continue to be held in Lyon in early September, where it will also be developed.

Indian adventure
INDIA: Italian apparel heavyweight Versace is set to enter the premium womenswear market by opening its first store in Delhi in March as well as diversifying into casual jeans wear. The company first entered India with its formal menswear collection sold under the brand name Versace Collections and has a franchise agreement with Delhi-based Blues Clothing Co. However it is understood the company has been impressed with the growth of premium-end apparel in India and as a result intends to try its hand at "capturing the entire spectrum". The move means the brand's existing womenswear collection at its boutique in Mumbai's JW Mariott hotel will close down, which would make the Delhi store the only one in the country with a Versace Mainline collection. The premium apparel segment is one of the fastest growing sectors in India with a growth of 20 per cent year-on-year. Other retailers to already boast a presence in the region include Guess, Esprit, Channel, Clarks, Mango, Hugo Boss, Mark & Spencers, Trussardi and Tommy Hilfiger.

US has new rules
New rules proposed for foreign cargo arriving at U.S. ports
by Joe Malinconico/The Star-Ledger
Wednesday January 02, 2008, 5:28 PM
Homeland security officials today unveiled proposed new rules designed to improve the way they monitor foreign cargo coming into America's seaports.
In its efforts to prevent terrorists from smuggling weapons into ports like Newark, Elizabeth and others around the country, U. S. Customs and Border Protection wants to require importers and shipping companies to submit additional information about their cargo before it leaves foreign ports.

Customs already has a system in place that uses basic shipping information, like the name of the importer or type of goods, to target certain cargo containers as high-risk. Those containers go through special inspections and sometimes even get turned away before they reach port.

The regulations proposed today would expand the requisite information, including entries on the name of the manufacturer and the location on the ship where the cargo will be stowed.
Some companies involved in international trade are concerned that the proposed regulations could affect the flow of commerce.

"Right now, we're taking a wait and see approach, but there's always a concern that they may be delays until they get all eth hiccups resolved," said Brenda Jacobs, an attorney for the United State Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel. "In the time-sensitive fashion industry, when you're already talking about a 21-day travel time, every hour matters."

Customs is taking comments on the new proposals for 90 days before finalizing the requirements. The security initiative is known as "10 + 2," shorthand for the fact that importers will have to supply 10 pieces of information about cargo, while the shipping companies will have to provide two.