We’ve all heard the stories about price increases and shifting manufacturing hotspots. In this edition of Question Time, Assia Benmedjdoub asks three key suppliers who’ve returned from China about what’s happening on the ground.

New Media platforms have now become a staple communication tool for many retailers, yet back-end businesses in the fashion industry seem to be lagging behind. Daniela Aroche investigates.

Remember when you had no clue what separated BPAY from eBay from eWAY? When you’d rather stand in bank queues than bank online? When punching in your credit card details online seemed equivalent to gifting your VISA to a fraudster?

MELBOURNE: Womenswear label Metalicus is gearing up for its international expansion, with plans to launch stand-alone stores in New Zealand and select countries in the Middle East within the next 18 months.

Streetwear retailer Incu will continue to stock Topshop at its newly launched womenswear store in Melbourne, as the international fashion giant prepares its assault on the Australian retail market.

MELBOURNE: The issue of back-end worker entitlements has again reared its head in Melbourne, less than a month after the industry union led a protest outside luxury boutique Scanlan & Theodore over the plight of 27 garment workers.

Fresh from securing a finalist’s position in WGSN’s 2011 Global Fashion Awards, Lime Door Brands has revealed new details on its impending Dita Von Teese collaboration.

SYDNEY: International Fashion Group has urged domestic brands to review their security measures, following a warehouse robbery which saw around 1,500 items with a retail value of $350,000 seized in 15 minutes.

Ragtrader regularly investigates how key shopping strips in regional Australia are faring. Here, Daniela Aroche takes a look at trade in the Tasmanian city of Launceston.

The Productivity Commission’s inquiry into the retail sector has seen brick and mortar players rally against the current GST threshold on imports. But what do the country’s biggest etailers have to say?

Paul Wilson, Ksubi co-founder, talks to Daniela Aroche about trading in a shopping centre as opposed to a boutique strip.

Womenswear label Sheike has strengthened e-commerce operations and relocated its head offices as it gears up for national expansion.

PLAYBOY: Top three selling category.With its Australian e-commerce site the number one store in its retail portfolio, Bras N Things is moving to replicate its online success across the Tasman.

SYDNEY: Online retailer Trixan Body has implemented a new discounted pricing structure which will see a selection of well-known brands permanently sold at rates significantly lower than the recommended retail price via the shopping site.

Counterfeiting is an age old problem but there are new age technologies to stop copycats in their tracks, as Erin O’Loughlin reports.

Ragtrader recently reported on the battle raging over the ‘Peter Morrissey’ trade mark. Legal expert Lisa Egan dissects the case and its broad implications for industry.