Michael turns green

Melbourne retailer, manufacturer and incomparable raconteur, Michael Francis, has again announced his retirement. He says his previous retirements were mere technical peccadilloes, but this is the real one. I believe him, since he's turned 73 and now has his sights on envirobusiness.

His slightly less noble schmuttabusiness was known as Figleaf International. It sourced for some of Australia's high profile retailers, while remaining in the shadows itself. On the first of February the Figleaf business (not the company structure) was transferred to S & R, a division of Charles Parsons which also sources (mostly from China) for big retailers. The staff, orders and ongoing business all went with the deal, leaving Michael holding a nice clean shell which he can now begin to fill with energy from renewable sources rather than accounts from slow payers.

Michael is one of the most intelligent people I have encountered in the fashion business. He's also one of the most humorous. I guess he's entitled to go green - as we all do ultimately - but the fashion industry will miss him, probably without realising it.

Getting a boner
German medical researchers have discovered a way to turn male bone marrow into sperm. While the process is still in a primitive stage, its implications for many industries, including fashion, are ominous.

With plenty of bone marrow available, and certainly less complicated to harvest than the sperm bank method, it won't be long before women don't need men for reproduction. This will mean that the primary and deeply subconscious motive behind sexually provocative dressing will be removed.

That can hardly be good for fashion, especially the designer strata where showing or concealing certain body parts equates to sales. We can look forward to severely opaque fabrics, high necklines, mechanical-benefit-only bras, and pants with baggy bums.

I think designers around the world should chip in to buy this bone horror and destroy it before it is perfected.
I volunteer to hold the money and negotiate with the three German universities involved. I accept cash (a good way to use your schwartz), cheques and please add two per cent if you want to donate by credit card.

Sweet and sour clothing
Canny traders importing garments from China tell me that they expect a 15 to 20 per cent increase in prices this year. This is not new, but the increasing value of the Australian dollar has blunted increases so far. We are now nearing the end of that road.

There are many reasons why Chinese garments must become dearer. One is the steady withdrawal of the Chinese Government's export incentive which made garments artificially cheap. Another is a growing world demand for the goods - which must push up prices. Yet another is the awakening of the Chinese labour market to organising for better pay and conditions.

Then there is the increasing pressure on infrastructure. China is short of water, electricity and fuel - certainly for ongoing expansion. Again demand on these resources and the need to purchase them from world suppliers will push prices up.

There is a natural process that takes place in every industrialising country. Low cost labour is available, it is marshalled into factories, taught the skills of labour-intensive industry and export begins. Invariably, with the help of foreign entrepreneurs, quality improves to where it earns the confidence of the buying world and the emerging country becomes a serious supplier. Clothing manufacture, a relatively easy industry to set up, is usually one of the early employers of labour.

But then it occurs to the government and industry leaders that clothing is not a very high value added business. Why not employ labour making toys, electronics, cars or ships? Cheap clothing loses its appeal. Those who still want to be in it catch on to the value added idea too and look for customers with established or exclusive brands who can pay more for a better product.

China is in the transition now and forward thinking importers are running their fingers down the list of other countries that are further back in the process.

Remember the beginning of importing Asian clothing? Hong Kong was king, then Taiwan. Early in the piece garments even came out of Japan and Singapore. Now where? India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, or anywhere that has a low cost, motivated labour force.

America, although China's biggest customer, has found viable supply in Mexico and South America.
So how will our poor consumer handle clothing prices going up? They will grizzle, of course, but who will tell them that, based on the constant dollar, the cost of clothing has been falling steadily for the past 20 years. We hear about mortgage stress, petrol prices, and excessive supermarket profits - but haven't we heard complaints about the price of clothing. This year we just might.

By Fraser McEwing