BRISBANE: Bill Ouston knows a thing or two about Australian retailing.

A taste of pure New Zealand creativity has taken up residence in Sydney's Oxford Street. For it is there New Zealand raised retailer Lin Lin has elected to open her new boutique designed to showcase the best of Kiwi fashion.

With a glitzy awards night scheduled for November 28 at Sydney's Doltone House, the countdown to discover the 2007 Ragtrader Fashion Retailer of the Year is underway.

MELBOURNE: Don't let the superfluous name fool you – boutique womenswear label Runway Lovers is Aussie as.

Trade Tips Austrade Dubai business development manager Milica Duric offers exporters the low-down on the Dubai market and AusStyle 2007.

The McEldowney House of Porter has been one of extreme disappointment since the last time we spoke.

More targeted attendance and a learning curve both for new labels and fair organisers were the order of the day at the latest instalment of fashion Exposed and co-located fair Preview, as Belinda Smart reports.

I wish I could draw. I'd put John Fletcher and Rick Allert in a leaky rowing boat named Coles, both of them pulling on the oars as hard as they can - having decided to make for the shore rather than fix the leaks. The shore would have a sign sticking out of the sand saying 'Wesfarmers'.

Talk about a bulging wardrobe. The latest installment of trade fair Fashion Exposed saw more than 1200 labels take to the floor over a cracking three day blitz.

BRISBANE: Two Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE (MSIT) fashion students are to study at the Polimoda Institute in Florence, Italy, after receiving scholarships at MSIT's ModaItalia event.

SYDNEY: Authentic Sydney shirting company The Shirt Shop is set to boast a new look.

SYDNEY: Australian jewellery label Manik Mercian has been commissioned to provide pieces in the Victoria's Secret runway show in New York for the third consecutive year.

MELBOURNE: Australia's latest brand outlet shopping offer has selected Melbourne's northern suburbs for its first store.

SYDNEY:Australian fashion retailers are about to get a taste of German engineering.

SYDNEY: Womenswear designer Azizah Verrell is proof that capsule collections work.

The company behind multi-branded boutiques Belinda, The Frock Exchange, The Corner Shop and Belinda Menswear has announced it will unveil two new stores in Melbourne at the end of this month.