Global Vibes

Council promises support
UNITED KINGDOM: The new chairman of the British Fashion Council has pledged to offer more support to fledging designers when he takes up the role later this month. Harold Tillman, who replaced long serving head Marks & Spencer chief executive Stuart Rose, said London had the best design colleges in the world and he hoped the BFC would offer support to the graduates wishing to start their own businesses to help develop new markets and attain sustainable growth. Tillman, who takes up the role after London Fashion Week, has already created a £1 million ($A2.2 million) scholarship program for students at The London College of Fashion.

Target sued
UNITED STATES: A high-profile designer label has sued multi-national retailer Target over copyright infringement and other claims, arguing the discount store is selling dresses with a print nearly identical to its "spotted frog design". The label, Diane Von Furstenberg Studio, said Target was selling a "Merona Animal Print Wrap Dress" that infringed on its copyright, according to a complaint filed in a Manhattan court. Target stopped selling the dresses on its website on January 23 after the designer sent it a notice about it but the dresses are still available in Target stores. Target has declined to comment on the move.

Factories cleansed
SRI LANKA: Nearly 70 garment factories in Sri Lanka have been certified for saying no to child labour, forced labour and discrimination. The factories received 'Garments Without Guilt' (GWG) certification at a special function organised by Joint Apparel Association Forum after international auditors confirmed they adhered to the GWG code of conduct. The code also places emphasis in the environment and forbids sweatshop conditions in garment factories. 'Garments Without Guilt' was launched by Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) in 2006 as an image building campaign to secure buyers for garments manufactured in Sri Lanka by promoting the ethical conditions prevailing in the industry.
Compliance is a costly affair which results in garments produced in Sri Lanka to be more expensive than competitor countries.

US slump
UNITED STATES: Independent credit rating firm Standard & Poor's has forecasted negative rating trends for the US apparel sector in the year ahead. The service blames current macroeconomic trends such as higher fuel and energy costs, lower consumer confidence due to recession-related fears, and the housing market slump for why it is predicting a slowdown in consumer spending. The service says a soft 2007 holiday season for retailers may affect first-quarter figures to end-March results for most apparel companies. The company said this would result in apparel retailers trying to maintain lean inventories and negotiate markdowns and allowances. In further bad news for suppliers, increased buying power arising from industry consolidation is also expected to challenge most apparel vendors.

Shepherdson move
UNITED KINGDOM: Former Top Shop boss Jane Shepherdson is expected to shortly sign a deal that will see her take a state in high street chain and becoming the brand's chief executive. Shepherdson, who unexpectedly quit Top Shop in 2006, has been in talks about the move since the end of last year. Under the arrangement, Shepherdson would take an estimated 20 per cent stake in Whistles with other management members. It is understood the deal will be confirmed by the middle of this month.