Global Vibes

Fashion weeks' proposal
MILAN: The organisers of New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks have done a deal guaranteeing New York a later start and London a five-day schedule. The move will secure the extra time New York designers need to prepare their collections and ensure London's schedule is not cut down. The Council of Fashion Designers of America sought the move due to problems of getting collections ready for New York Fashion Week, the first on the international schedule. The next round of shows in February will be a transitional one, with New York having already committed to showing a week later. This will mean one day in which NYFW overlaps with London. From spring/summer 2010 schedule, London will have a full five days with no overlap.

Gap buys brand
UNITED STATES: Clothing retailer Gap has announced it has bought women's sport and active apparel company Athleta as part of its strategy to diversity its brand offerings. Gap said its acquisition of Athleta, for $US150 million ($A180 million), will enhance its presence in the growing women's active apparel sector in the US. Athleta is expected to eventually become the fifth brand in Gap's online portfolio, which includes its namesake brand, Old Navy, Banana Republic and online shoe retailer Piperlime. In June, Gap launched an online platform where consumers can buy items from all of its brands in one shopping cart with a single shipping fee.

Blooming hot
DUBAI: Department store operator Macy's has confirmed it will open two Bloomingdale's stores in Dubai. The stores, which is believed to mark the first time the operator has gone offshore, have been earmarked for a February 2010 launch. Macy's intends opening a three-storey Bloomingdale's apparel and accessories store, and a separate one-floor home store at the soon-to-be launched Dubai Mall. The move has seen it team with local partner Al Tayer Group, which operates a number of high-end fashion franchises in the Middle East, including Gucci, Jimmy Choo and Asprey.

Inditex openings
SPAIN: The owner of the Zara fashion chain, Inditex, has selected Tokyo as the site of its 4000th store. The opening, which is Zara's 35th store in Japan, comes 10 years after the fashion group opened its very first store. Zara has had outlets in Tokyo since 1998, when it set up its first Asian store in Shibuya. Japan hosts the largest number of Inditex stores in the Asia-Pacific region with six openings already in 2008. It is expected to finish this year with 40 stores in this market. Inditex, which has stores in 70 countries, also owns Pull and Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home and Uterqüe.

Nike withdrawal
UNITED STATES: The success of the Speedo LZR Racer suits is believed to have behind a move that will see sports apparel giant Nike pull out of the elite swimwear market. The company issued a statement late last month stating that it would no longer invest in swim innovations that led to the recent introduction of its Swift Swim suit. Nike said it had made the decision as part of its long-term growth plan to focus on its retail swimwear business. Nike said it would continue to supply coaches and collegiate institutions under Nike sponsorship with competitive Nike swimsuits but would not invest in next-generation swim innovation.