NATIONAL: Trade preparations for Rosemount Australian Fashion Week 2009 are already underway with a designer "boot camp" scheduled later this month.

MELBOURNE: Country Road has gone one better than simply defying the down turn, pulling out a trump card in the form of a new brand targeting its longest standing fans.

AUCKLAND: New Zealand retailers continue to be battered in the midst of the country's economic meltdown with clothing retailer Hallenstein Glasson forecasting a drop of 40 per cent drop in profits for the six months to February 1.

NATIONAL: There aren't too many youthwear brands willing to hand out a $US 40,000 cheque to their target market - certainly not under the current economic climate.

MELBOURNE: The producers behind popular reality show <em>Project Runway Australia</em> are on the hunt for a group of talented designers to take centre stage in 2009.

NATIONAL: Urban fashion brand industrie has severed its ties with Myer, entering a long-term supplier agreement with rival department store David Jones.

NATIONAL: Leading global shopping centre group Westfield has revealed plans to raise $2.9 billion from investors through a share placement.

NATIONAL: Sharp falls in the value of the Aussie dollar have seen home shopping womenswear label Undercoverwear return to onshore manufacturing.

MELBOURNE: Listed wholesale group Mercury Brands has halted trade in the lead up to a company announcement this Thursday (February 5).

SYDNEY: A collection of more than 60 objects from a group of high-profile Japanese fashion designers will go on display at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum later this month.

MELBOURNE:The man behind the controversial campaign to launch Witchery's new menswear line has admitted disappointment over the way the campaign has been received by the media industry.

NATIONAL: Shoe queen Joanne Mercer has made the move from supplier to category manager at department store Myer.

NATIONAL: Multinational eyewear group Luxottica is set to put commercial interests aside to help drive a global charity initiative.

NEW SOUTH WALES: The denim brand for curvy women is shaping up for expansion following a lucrative PR coup.

Corporate headhunting is rarely described as a spiritual experience. But the appointment of Retail Apparel Group CEO Gary Novis is as much about fate as brainpower.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so too then is a jump in lingerie sales, right? Not necessarily.