TASMANIA: National sporting goods retailer A-Mart All Sports has been fined more than $50,000 for underpaying staff at two of its stores in Tasmania. The group was fined a total of $52,800 during an appearance in the Federal Magistrates Court where it faced two breaches of the Workplace Relations Act in 2005 and 2006.

AUCKLAND: New Zealand mannequin specialist Purform is set to shift its entire production base to India. The company has entered into a marketing, technical and manufacturing agreement with Dehli-based plastic moulding company OK Play India.

<p>SYDNEY:&nbsp;The fashion industry's most vocal detractors&nbsp;would claim all fashion shows are a waste of time. However, The Catholic World Youth Day protest group NoToPope has taken&nbsp;the&nbsp;concept one&nbsp;step further by staging what it called an &quot;annoying fashion show&quot; outside New South Wales Parliament yesterday (July 9).</p>

<p>MELBOURNE: Gretchen Hillhouse is making waves at home and abroad. The sculptor and homewares designer turned jeweller has been selected as an exhibitor at the Melbourne State of Design Festival from July 16 to 24 and the Life In Style trade fair from July 30 to August 4. She is also one of 10 Australian designers scheduled to show at the International Design Festival in Bangkok this October.</p>

SYDNEY: Luxury online fashion retailer Le Black Book has secured an enviable position in the inaugural Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival (RSFF) roster. The e-boutique is set to be the only online retailer featured at the five-day public event, with an exclusive fashion show on August 12.

NATIONAL: Peak industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) says jobs have been placed in jeopardy because of the Australian Fair Pay Commission's (AFPC) decision to raise the minimum wage.&nbsp;The raise, which amounts to an increase of $21.66 per week or approximately 57 cents per hour, was announced in&nbsp;Melbourne on July 8 and is expected to come into effect from October.

SYDNEY: A market stall operator charged with harbouring over $5 million worth of counterfeit apparel was refused bail in court yesterday (July 7) following concerns he could flee overseas. Hurstville resident Di Fu Huang appeared in Parramatta Bail Court after police discovered 1635 counterfeit goods worth an estimated $180, 000 at his Fairfield market stall on Saturday afternoon.

MELBOURNE: Whitehouse Fashion Design student Alison Davis has the dubious honour of being the first designer to be booted from new reality television show <em>Project Runway Australia</em>. Judges on the series, which made its debut on pay TV network Arena last night (July 7), voted to get rid of 21-year-old Alison Davis after she&nbsp;was&nbsp;named as the worst performing designer in the program's first challenge to design an evening dress&nbsp;reflecting their personality.&nbsp;

<p>NATIONAL: Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) all but upstaged the launch of an industry award aimed at promoting Australian brand Woolmark over the weekend. The protest was staged outside the launch of a new $400, 000 Woolmark prize aimed at recognising an emerging designer who uses Australian merino wool.</p>

NEW ZEALAND: The cream of the crop among New Zealand's fashion industry will descend on the Bay of Plenty later this month for a two-day fashion education conference. Run by industry group Fashion Industry New Zealand (FINZ), the 'HP: FINZ Education Conference' will provide a forum for the exchange of new ideas and perspectives on fashion education at tertiary level.

<p>MELBOURNE: Just Group is continuing to stand firm against a takeover bid by Premier Investments initiated earlier this year. In the latest of several exchanges between the two parties, Just Group chairman Dr Ian Pollard reacted to a request for further information from Premier by reiterating that Premier's offer remained &quot;unattractive&quot; to Just Group shareholders.</p>

<p>NATIONAL: Surf and streetwear giant Billabong has added a new brand to its portfolio. The international manufacturer and retailer has announced the acquisition of 14-year-old Californian skateboard brand Sector 9. The brand is a vertical operator with its primary design, manufacturing and distribution based in San Diego.</p>

<p>NEW ZEALAND: Organisers of the Verge Breakthrough Designer Show, taking place as part of Air New Zealand Fashion Week from September 16 to 19, have announced that this year's winner will walk away with a $10,000 prize, dubbed the Verge Business Development Grant. </p>

<p>MELBOURNE: As part of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week's official schedule later this year, Melbourne's QV&nbsp;Shopping Centre has revealed plans to host the QV Spring Fashion Expos&eacute; on Saturday September 6. QV Square would be transformed into a &quot;vibrant flourishing garden&quot;, in which&nbsp;QV fashion stores would showcase their spring/summer 08 collections, a spokesperson for the centre confirmed. </p>

<p>NATIONAL: Australian homewares and apparel retailer Lincraft has recalled a range of bath robes, after authorities found they failed to comply with mandatory safety standards for children's nightwear. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced it has accepted several court enforceable undertakings from Lincraft and the producer of the bathrobes Cotton Dreams. Testing indicated the garments failed to qualify for any of the four fire hazard categories and posed a burn risk if worn. </p>

<p>NATIONAL: Fashion designers grappling with the sticky territory of intellectual property law will be better served under a new regulatory scheme for patent and trade mark attorneys. Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Senator Kim Carr has announced new changes to the way attorneys operate when advising industry. </p>