Welcome to only half of this week’s eclection of news, the weird, the arcane and the downright useless, of interest to F-I infovores. I say half because I somehow managed to lose part of it. Hmmm. If you don’t see your news here, please resend! Otherwise, feel free to pass your news along. Regarding commercial notices (vested parties), if you’re one of my designers or allied member of the community (meaning, you’ve bought my book), I’ll announce your commercial notices such as openings, launches (including websites), news and press pieces. All other commercial parties should review submission guidelines. I credit all sources, be sure to include your web address if you want a link. Lastly, you may remain anonymous but you have to tell me.
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GenArt is launching a newsletter called Gen Art Pulse. Twice weekly, they’ll “send you an email filled with information about the best of what’s next in fashion, film, music, the visual arts, and more”.
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I found a Brasilian fashion industry site. Nadia mentions two recent articles on lingerie.
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From Apparel News, a rundown of the recent market shows with a focus on regionalism. Idly, I consider the tendency of younger lines to avoid the mega shows like Magic as the importance of regional markets grow. The latter show by the way, declined my press application (pouting), directing me to pay the $100 fee for the privilege of reporting on their show. It would appear the behemoth is impervious to electronic news channels frequented by smaller businesses. I’m sure they’d be happy to accept your exhibitor’s fees but they don’t want to cater to you to get it. Sad that, but typical. Perhaps I’ll start attending smaller shows where we’d all be welcome (Pool did offer a press pass).
Speaking of smaller trade shows, The Exclusive (men’s wear) has been acquired by the owners of MR Magazine (Business Journals Inc). Also in BJI’s stable is Accessories The Show (NY/NV); Fashion Avenue Market Expo, aka FAME (NY); Moda Manhattan (NY) and Moda Las Vegas. BJI being smaller and evidently scrappier than the aforementioned behemoth, has a stable of blogs on their MR Magazine site (definitely a destination if you’re doing menswear). I wonder if they’d give me press credentials? Also, while the magazine isn’t a requester like Apparel, it is very affordably priced ($34). Not to be missed, nor the significance of the same, is the inclusion of a 44 page guide (pdf) for retailers wanting to add a made-to-measure business to their stores (!). Off topic; do check out the micro match stripe across the sleeve and chest of the suit on page 5 of the guide -and you wonder why I scoff at the purported necessity of sleeve cap ease.
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From the department of unintended consequences:
TWO decades ago, in an effort to curb domestic violence, states began passing “mandatory arrest” laws. Police officers responding to a call for help would no longer need to determine whether one person was truly violent or out of control; every time someone reported abuse, the police would simply be required to make an arrest.It seemed like a good tactic — at least to people who work with victims of domestic violence. But 20 years later, it seems the mandatory arrest laws are having an unintended, deadly side effect. The number of murders committed by intimate partners is now significantly higher in states with mandatory arrest laws than it is in other states.
What the laws did not take into account was that eventually the victims of violence would come to realize that if they called the police, their abuser would certainly be arrested. And over the years, it turns out, that realization seems to have led victims to contact the police less. Intimate partner homicides have generally decreased in the past 20 years, perhaps because greater awareness of the problem of domestic violence has led to the creation of more resources for victims. But in states with mandatory arrest laws, the homicides are about 50 percent higher today than they are in states without the laws.
And people wonder why most of us oppose the proposed Fashion Piracy Law. Who can guess its unintended consequences?
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Julia says in reference to MAGIC:
Also, if you or anyone else is in town early enough, my students are putting on “Green Vegas” the fashion show at the Eco Trade Show, on Sunday, August 26th, 6PM. Should be a nice show; two-thirds of the designs will be student designs as exhibitors just couldn’t get their act together in getting their items to us in time. Too many of them wanted to bring them the day-of and just “put them in the show”. These people have no idea of all of the hours we have already spent (and its all volunteer hours on both student and faculty(me) parts) and these can not be thrown together on the day-of.
Not painting Julia as a complainer but do keep her commentary in mind if you ever participate in a fashion show.
Speaking of the Eco Trade show, Gabe says they’ll be screening the film The Great Warming (narrated by Alanis Morissette and Keanu Reeves) right after the fashion show.
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Marilyn Brandon wanted to
let you know of something on our local news this week. We have a denim jeans factory located 80-100 miles from us. The news this morning is that they’re closing their doors. There’ll be 250 employees from that plant who will join the ranks of the unemployed, unfortunately. They’re located in Hopkinsville, Ky. I thought you might like to know because I remember reading in the archives awhile back that you were looking for a specific piece of equipment and I cannot for the life of me remember what it was. Since this is a manufacturing facility, I thought it might be possible that they would have what you were looking for, I don’t know. If you’d like more info, I’d be glad to get it for you.
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JC sent a very useful article to those of you pursuing provisional patents. Written by an IP attorney, it’s a must read.
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There will be a party for Amy Downs (the hat designer) in Santa Fe on September 8th from 1-3 PM. Stop in for sangria, snacks and the hottest avant garde hats around. RSVP to Barb Mohon at 505-466-4863. I hadn’t planned to go but as it happens, I think I will. My son will be at a near by hospital for a month so it gives me a great excuse to combine trips. If you go, let me know too.
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I don’t know if anyone’s interested but Vote in Style is looking for style reporters and critics.
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Oxanna says:
Newsweek/MSNBC has an article up on a family that tried to go without Chinese-made products for one year. Not much on clothing, except for the fact that they had to buy their 4-year-old $68 Italian shoes.
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From NPR:
Tim Page, a Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic, describes living with Asperger’s syndrome in his article “Parallel Play” in the Aug. 20 edition of The New Yorker. He talks with Robert Siegel about learning to live with Asperger’s.
Asperger’s is a form of autism. Several of you have loved ones with it (I suspect several of you have it too!) as well as yours truly. Tim is the latest of publicly disclosed aspies. Previous recent additions are Steven Spielberg, Dan Akroyd and Vernon Smith, winner of the Nobel Prize for economics. Carol Broscheid was kind enough to send me the article since I don’t subscribe and it’s not online. “Parallel Play” refers to our inability to interact, give and take but rather, our method of participation is to play alongside, in duplication.
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An excerpt from Bharat Textile regarding disposable income of teenagers in the US:
FLORIDA: The new generation of teenagers spent an estimated $179 billion last year on clothes, shoes and accessories, 20 percent on CDs, DVDs and gadgets, and 16 percent on food according to a survey. Last year, teen spending was up almost 13 percent from the year before, and it’s likely to climb higher this year…Teenage girls spend 57 percent of their money on fashion — dresses, jeans, shoes and makeup among the purchases.
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Send your submissions to News From You. Have a good week end!