Business

<p>MELBOURNE: A new exhibition of garments created from charity clothing donations hopes to reveal the dark side of fast fashion.</p>

MELBOURNE: <em>Ragtrader TNT Retailer of the Year Award</em> winner Gorman has ramped up its eco-friendly womenswear line.

MELBOURNE: Fashion retail chain Cue has continued its run of success, taking out the inugural Myer Supplier of the Year Awards.

NATIONAL: Troubled apparel wholesaler Austin Group is set to play with the &quot;big boys&quot; following an overhaul of its national distribution strategy.

<p>SYDNEY: Style HQ appears to have got its hands on the fashion equivalent of the Holy Grail.</p>

<p>NATIONAL: Oroton Group is set for significant expansion following a record net profit after tax of $9.8 million for the 2007 financial year.</p>

SYDNEY: New Zealand-based designer Annah Stretton rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in fashion during a high profile summit in New York last month.

Cooperisms

"Morrissey's making cushions now, isn't he?"

The McEldowney house of Porter has been one of unwavering patriotism in recent weeks. Unfortunately though it is not in support of the country of our birth.

SYDNEY: One of Australia's leading fashion education providers has announced bold expansion plans for the new year.

Fast Fashion

FAST FASHION: Some of the most influential names in fashion visited Sydney recently when global organisation Fashion Group International staged its international conference.

A new Melbourne firm is claiming it has come up with a fitting solution to Australia's standard sizing woes. Hong-Kong based fit solution company Alvanon claims to have access to "hundreds of thousands" of body scans - including 1000-plus Australian females.

NATIONAL: Opportunistic retail theft is expected to intensify over the Christmas trading period, following a global report that found shrinkage is costing Australian retailers $2.26 billion per annum.

Global Vibes

Unsold stock site FRANCE: A new website is expected to significantly reduce the pressure on apparel and footwear manufacturers to shift unsold stock.

MELBOURNE:Aussies and Poms are expected to bury their hatchets in time for the 2008 L'oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival (LMFF).

Australian sheep farmers will have a helping hand in UK retail giant Marks & Spencer's (M&S) bid to go eco-friendly.