MELBOURNE: Victoria headquartered jeans brand Clague has called for Australia to take a leading role in the global market of the future.

Who doesn't love a tale of robbing the rich to feed the poor? The baddies are defeated, the meek are protected, and the only evidence of the hero's presence at the scene is perhaps a 'Z', symbolising that "Zorro woz 'ere". But you could re-word the title of that swashbuckling story of Don Diego's alter ego, to reflect the great deeds of one of Spain's modern day fashion heroes.

Hard Yakka has launched a range of women's workwear targeting the fashion-forward market. Originally launched in the early 1990s, Yakka industrial division manager Craig Goron said the Hard Yakka women's range had been updated to incorporate current fashion trends.

NATIONAL: The latest intellectual property dispute to hit the Federal Court of Australia has exposed the risks of entering individual trade mark agreements.

Bodywear brand Liberty is looking to take its own advice. The label, run out of the Pacific Brands New Zealand stable, is looking to rapidly increase its presence in the Australian market, having appointed agents across several states and earmarking future growth opportunities.

Australian designers were forced to tackle one of the toughest selling environments in "many years" during the recent New York Fashion Week showcase, a leading luxury marketing expert has claimed. Five local designers including Alice McCall, Toni Maticevski, Kit Willow, Aurelio Costarella and Michael Angel took their latest spring/summer collections to the trade event, which ran from September 5 to 12.

The five most read news stories on ragtrader.com.au in the past two weeks.

MELBOURNE: Veteran knit supplier LMB Knitwear has branched into the consumer market with the launch of export-friendly brand Otto & Spike.

"I thought this was a shop but it's like a freakin' nightclub opening. I came straight from work and I'm dying of shame. Talk about wardrobe malfunction."

SYDNEY: Ben Pollitt plans to kill two birds with one stone during a planned sourcing trip to Europe.

SYDNEY: Apparel and accessory chain Witchery is set to join others including national menswear chain Industrie, womenswear chain Esprit and denimwear group Jeans West are among those battling to take out the top gong in the 2008 TNT Ragtrader Fashion Retailer of the Year Awards.

NATIONAL: Independent clothing and footwear retailers say they feel more isolated than ever after a government report failed to address what they claim are the bully boy tactics employed by many shopping centre landlords.

Store closures NATIONAL: Surf and skatewear brand Globe International is set to wind back its Australian retail operations.

SYDNEY: Menswear operator yd. has embarked on an aggressive retail rollout strategy, with plans to expand its presence nationally and break into the New Zealand market by the close of fiscal 2009.

I know it is fashionable to bag the latest Australian designed Olympic uniform and the Qantas uniforms when they are paraded for the first time. Then the media circus moves off to the next topic leaving the public to get used to the clobber - and in some cases even grow to like it.

It's fresh, it's good, it's sensual, it's blooming. Australian wool specialist Woolmark gives Ragtrader the lowdown on four main colour and fibre trends for spring/summer 2010.