Apparel and accessories retail Dotti is ready to let the country know it is punching above its weight. The youth fashion retailer is set to join others including national womenswear chain Morrison and boutique store Grace Melbourne in a bid to take out the top gongs at the 2008 Ragtrader TNT Fashion Retailer of the Year Awards. With just over two weeks to go before the nomination period closes, entries for this year's awards have been streaming in with a number of first time entrants joining the fray.

MELBOURNE: A proposal submitted to the Government's TCF Review by a coalition of industry bodies could see a state-of-the-art digital supply chain initiative developed in Victoria.

NATIONAL: The Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) has denied the Federal Government any breathing space in the lead up to its report on the future of the TCF sector.

Jockey-ing into position NATIONAL: Underwear brand Jockey has released details of a new global design initiative which will see it roll out concession stores across major Australian department stores.

Women's fashion sleepwear label Yuu looks set for expansion, having joined forces with sportswear wholesaler Duchamp. As of August 1 Yuu took up residence at Duchamp's headquarters in Richmond, Melbourne, from where it launched its summer 2008/09 range, confirmed Yuu founder Alison Grant.

Many local brands make a point of pushing their Aussie heritage, but few can claim the authenticity of footwear label Emu Australia, as Belinda Smart discovered.

Marc Keighery's recent passing left a number of memorable impressions on the Australian fashion industry. For me, me two stand out.

<p>MELBOURNE: Denim giant Jeanswest has appointed a new general manager of product. Freya Cutelli will join the company in early September, bringing a broad range of experience to the role, comprising high level positions at fast fashion Australian retail brands&nbsp;including Sportsgirl, Witchery and Sussan.</p>

<p>MELBOURNE: Dandenong Plaza has ushered in several new fashion retail brands as part of an ongoing makeover program.&nbsp;The new arrivals include menswear label Tarocash, footwear label Rubi Shoes, basics brand Cotton On Body and sports fashion label Globalize. In addition, a number of the shopping centre's existing retailers - including U-Cutie, Supre, Valleygirl, Casual Guy, Roger David and Cotton On - have re-located to revamped, larger format sites.</p>

SYDNEY: The late founder of fashion label Marcs will be honoured during a special father's day lunch being staged by the Sydney Cancer Centre Foundation (SCCF). The group, which aims to support cancer care and research will host a lunch at Wildfire Restaurant as a tribute to Mark Keighery, who lost his long battle with cancer in July.

<p>NATIONAL: The Australian arm of global accessories brand Fossil has finally taken up its rightful position in cyber space. The&nbsp;label, which is sold across more than a dozen countries, has launched a unisex one-stop online shop. Offering watches, jewellery, belts, bags and wallets, prices start from $40 and range up to $300.</p>

<p>MELBOURNE: Australian retail and wholesale giant Pacific Brands has identified growing market share as the key goal for fiscal 2009, after posting a record full year result. The group traded through what it described as a &quot;flat&quot; and &quot;challenging&quot; year to issue a record $2.1 billion in revenue and $229 million of earnings before interest, tax and amortisation. Net operating cashflow increased 39 per cent to $157 million while net debt was reduced by seven per cent to $743 million.</p>

MELBOURNE: Country Road has announced a strong growth in profit before tax for the full year to June 30. The fashion and lifestyle retailer also said it was conscious of the current economic slowdown however and had put measures in place to ensure a smooth ride through tough trading terrain.

<p>NATIONAL: Australian womenswear retailer Noni B has recorded its &quot;most difficult and disappointing&quot; year since becoming a publicly listed company in 2000. The chain retailer recorded a net profit of $2.54 million for the year ended June 30, down 69.3 per cent from the same period last year. The fall comes just months after Noni B announced the discontinuation of its La Voca concept stores, a move which saw the company suffer $2 million of trading losses. </p>

<p>SYDNEY: Oroton Group has announced it expects net profit after taxation (NPAT) for the year ending July 26 to significantly exceed the results for the corresponding 2007 period. Releasing its results on August 15, the group confirmed it anticipated NPAT for the year ended July 26 would be in the range of $15.5 to $17.5 million. This compared favourably to NPAT of $9.8 million for the 2007 financial year. </p>

<p>NEW ZEALAND: Kiwi merino adventurewear brand Icebreaker has leapt to secure its European operations by purchasing its distributor and launching two new subsidiaries. The Wellington-headquartered apparel group has realigned its operations across Switzerland and France by acquiring distribution company Rockline Nature Zone and launching Iceberaker Switzerland and Icebreaker France.</p>