MELBOURNE: If the Australian Shoe Fair were a game of Monopoly, it's a fair assumption that Minx, no doubt in the form of the "boot", would emerge as winner.

Apparel and accessories company The Just Group is set to join others including national womenswear chain Esprit, youth retailer General Pants and boutique store Incu in a bid to command the podium at the 2007 Ragtrader TNT Fashion Retailer of the Year Awards.

A group of leading Australian fashion designers have joined forces in the name of charity.

Patriot Clothing is well schooled in the art of launching brands into the big wide world of fashion.

NATIONAL: Womenswear retail and wholesale label Witchery may be heading for an expansion explosion after admitting it had drawn a shortlist of up to 10 potential acquisition targets.

Austrade Madrid's business development manager Elena Obiols offers exporters a lowdown on the Spanish TCF market.

The temperature may have dipped below 10 degrees outside but a golden hue still descended on Sydney's Royal Hall of Industries earlier this month.

Melbourne 2007 instalment of Fashion Exposed will demand nifty footwork and total focus, so to help smooth the way, Belinda Smart takes a whistlestop tour of the highlights.

While the Zara pot continues to boil and bubble my unreliable source now tells me that the flagship store will open its doors in Australia in the second half of next year.

It was born out of a company which imports and distributes music, DVDs and gaming products.

Ragtrader gets intimate with Australian lingerie brands and retailers.

It's been two centuries since Australia exported its first bale of wool. Today, it stands as the world's leading producer of fine merino wool; generating half a billion kilograms of fleece a year.

David Jones' spring/summer collections were an ode to the saturated sights and sounds of the French Riveria - stretching across Cannes, Cap Ferrat, St Tropez, Nice, Menton - then Myer's own offerings were a complete antithesis of this.

"Elle Macpherson might see herself as a brainless, legless piece of meat who would do anything for a buck, but she does not represent the majority of women who are sick of being depicted in such a manner."

No longer solely designed by specialist eyewear companies and established surf brands, sunglasses have become the hot accessory for fashion designers. But how have traditional brands reacted to the onslaught? Samantha Docherty takes a peek.

Tracey McEldowney talks trends with accessory suppliers.