NATIONAL: The Australian Retailers Association (ARA)has called for Award wage rises to be deferred for at least a year to protect jobs amid the downturn.

Roxy Jacenko

Catering to that reluctant fashion consumer - the average Australian bloke - is a tricky business, so how do you ensure your menswear label is a man for all seasons and not a man overboard? Belinda Smart investigates.

Attracting the right sort of attention from fashion directors and fashion journalists can make or break a label in a heartbeat.

Many small and medium-sized businesses require finance. The need for finance and support from your bank or finance broker is particularly important when a business commences, experiences growth or experiences tougher operating conditions such as those we now face due to the global credit crisis. Grant Rheuben reports.

"Those who wish for a comfortable retreat within a short distance from their employment in Adelaide be advised of a desirable opportunity within a mile from East Terrace on the east side of Hallett's Rivulet".

MELBOURNE: Kidswear label Keiki Designs has launched its first winter range.

TAFE NSW students design and fashion students can now receive credits for their studies when applying for undergraduate degrees at Raffles College of Design and Commerce in North Sydney.

DPK Australia has become the latest in a rash of companies to enter administration, a casualty of poorly timed exchange rate calls and the softening global economy.

And so what was considered as Australia's last great bastion of onshore manufacturing has packed its passport and headed overseas.

Upmarket American retailer Neiman Marcus has confirmed it will cut an additional 450 jobs and that existing salaried employees will also be forced to take a pay cut.

Jeanswest is preparing to take on the big boys of denim.

United Kingdom womenswear label Karen Millen England is set to grace the floors of Myer department stores following a recently sealed concession partnership deal.

"Who's running the business – you or the banks?"

Wholesaler Pacific Brands could place over 200 of its labels on the chopping block, after a strategic review revealed they accounted for just two per cent of sales.

High end men's and women's label Satch is breaking new ground in the form of a concession partnership with Myer and a concept store expansion.