NATIONAL: Organisers of L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival (LMFF) have fired the starting gun for the 2009 LMFF Designer Award. The award is open to fashion designers who are in their first five years of business, with previous winners including high recall labels Toni Maticevski, Yeojin Bae, T.V., Mad Cortes and Ben Pollitt.

<p>PERTH: Peak retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has lashed out at a decision by new WA Premier Colin Barnett to reject deregulation of the state's trading laws. ARA Executive Director Richard Evans said while the WA economy was in boom time, local retail precincts were &quot;dead&quot; every Sunday due to archaic retail trading laws. &quot;If Premier Barnett thinks that deregulating trading hours and allowing Sunday trading will damage small retailers, he has it wrong.&quot;</p>

<p>SYDNEY: Oroton Group has reported a net profit of $16.7 million for the year ended July 26 2008, an increase of 70 per cent on the previous year's result of $9.8 million. Overall revenue in the continuing operations of Polo and Oroton increased 11.2 per cent to $122.6 million. Meanwhile like for like store sales performance for the period was 20 per cent for Oroton and 17 per cent for Polo Ralph Lauren, versus 5.0 per cent and 9.0 per cent respectively. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>PERTH: Australian jewellery designer Jan Logan is set to position her largest ever retail site in Perth. The 105 square metre&nbsp;boutique will be located at premium shopping destination The Wesley Arcade in Perth City and will launch in late November. It will include a private viewing room and a central area showcasing diamonds, precious stones, South Sea Pearls and a selection of antique jewellery. Managing director Angus Logan said the company had been eyeing the Perth retail market for some time. </p>

<p>NEW ZEALAND: Former lingerie model and Kiwi native Rachel Hunter has designed a new line of clothing for budget retail chain The Warehouse.&nbsp; Designed exclusively for the listed group, the Rachel range features nearly 30 garments including dresses, tops and denim. It is the second apparel line the former Mrs Rod Stewart has designed after she teamed with New Zealand Sports Marketing to launch her swimwear line Lola across Australasia last year.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>MELBOURNE:Just Group's recent takeover by Solomon Lew's Premier Investments could see renowned international fashion retailer Zara &ndash; for which Lew has held the license for around 10 years &ndash; opening for business in Australia. The potential arrival of the Spanish retailer is just one component of a slew of brand developments lined up for the company. In an announcement this week, Lew confirmed Just planned to expand its brand portfolio over the next year through franchise agreements with international brands. </p>

<p>NATIONAL: Australian department store David Jones has not followed in the sluggish footsteps of its American counterparts, posting its highest full year profit result and dividend since listing in 1995. The Sydney-headquartered company reported underlying profit after tax of $137.1 million for the year ended 26 July 2008, an increase of 25.1 per cent on the same period last year. </p>

SYDNEY: The organisers of Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival (RSFF) have been cleared over a television commercial that&nbsp;complainants suggested was &quot;unacceptable&quot; to show in an early time slot because it featured partial nudity. ACT-based advertising watchdog the Advertising Standards Bureau received a number of complaints over the ad which was broadcast in August during the program <em>So You Think You Can Dance </em>on Network Ten<em>.</em>

<p>MELBOURNE: Australian wholesale group Mercury Brands has acquired five new labels as part of its branded lifestyle strategy. The Victorian-headquartered company, formerly trading as the embattled Austin Group, has acquired St Kilda based house of brands The Factoree. Mercury Brands has now acquired distribution rights for WESC, J &amp; Company, Lifetime Collection, Black Orchid and headwear brand Kangol. </p>

MELBOURNE: Victorian apparel brand The Merino Company (TMC) has signed an agreement with a well known European distributor that will see its products sold into more than 50 House of Fraser stores. The agreement, with 123-year-old company Berwin &amp; Berwin, will see the United Kingdom company distribute tailored suits made from TMC's wool brands distributed to department stores and boutiques.

CANBERRA: The Australian textile, clothing and footwear sector needs to forget about competing with low-cost producers at the bottom of the market if it is survive, industry representatives had been told. Speaking at the TCF Industry Showcase in Canberra's Parliament House this morning (September 22), Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Kim Carr said the story of TCF in Australia was not a story of &quot;doom and gloom&quot; as suggested by some in the sector.

NATIONAL: The Australian Competition and Consumer (ACCC) has ramped up its case against the operators of a counterfeit designer clothing e-tailer. ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel has urged consumers who were misled by the Designer Brand Outlet website (designerbrandoutlet.com), in particular those who were unsuccessful in getting a refund where applicable, to contact the consumer watchdog.&nbsp;

NATIONAL:&nbsp;Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are more concerned about the current economic climate than any&nbsp;other sector, new research has shown. A survey by the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) found&nbsp;the most common concern for Australian retailers in September was a lack of work and sales which was reported as a problem by 22 per cent of retail SMEs.

<p>MELBOURNE: The findings of Professor Roy Green's review of the TCF industry, unveiled at lunch time today,&nbsp;look set to kick start &quot;robust&quot; debate between Government and key industry stakeholders. Unveiling the results - laid out in a document titled &quot;Building Innovative Capability&quot; and numbering some 135 pages -&nbsp;Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, said they signified an &quot;optimistic&quot; future industry with a focus on innovation.</p>

<p>BRISBANE: Women's activewear brand Lorna Jane has entered the childrenswear market with the launch of a capsule collection of for girls. Comprising singlets and T-shirts emblazoned with inspirational sayings, the range was aimed at girls aged two to six,&nbsp;a spokesperson for the brand confirmed.</p>

<p>&nbsp;MELBOURNE: Sportswear brand Everlast has opened a new Australian flagship store. The US-headquartered apparel and footwear brand has taken space at&nbsp; Westfield Doncaster, joining other big name retailers including Speedo. Edge Clothing, Gripp Jeans, Dangerfield and Glue. The move follows the July opening of its Geelong store at the Bay City Shopping Centre.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>