A string of recent closures of factories in Ireland has the Irish textile industry anxious and looking to the government for intervention. Recent closures include Ulster Weavers, The Armagh facotryand Elastic Knitting at Galgrom in Northern Ireland. 65 jobs were lost at Elastic Knitting, which makes lingerie and sportswear. Ulster, which had to close two … Continue reading "Job losses in Ireland"

This season, colour and collaboration are two buzzwords for sunglasses – but don’t look to the usual suspects to frame this season’s choices, there are some great alternatives. Known for handcrafted titanium lenses, Swedish-based eyewear label Sceye invited industrial designer Karim Rashid to produce a line of sunglasses they’ve dubbed Karim Vision. The forward-thinking designer … Continue reading "The Future’s So Bright, You Gotta Wear Shades"

Property company Minerva is selling its stake in Scarlett Retail, the holding company for the Allders department store chain. Minerva said that, along with Scarlett’s other main shareholder Lehman Brothers, it has “initiated a process for the sale” of the business. A statement said that “expressions of interest have been received from the existing management … Continue reading "Allders For Sale"

US sportswear and promotional products leader Next Inc has announced an increase in net sales of 39.4 percent to $8.4 million (£4.8 million) for the third quarter ended 31 August 2005. Gross profit – after cost of sales – climbed 21 percent to $2.2 million from $1.8 million in the same quarter last year. Operating … Continue reading "Next announces sales increases"

Run, don’t walk, to get tickets to this season’s London Fashion Weekend. Hot on the heels of the internationally acclaimed London Fashion Week, the organisation is giving people the unique opportunity to shop for exceptional designer brands at as much as 50 percent off. Choose from over one hundred designers, who participated in the Exhibition … Continue reading "Shop till you drop"

The New West End Company, which is the elected voice of businesses on Oxford Street, have called for crisis talks with the capitals authorities and key agencies to ask for help in encouraging shoppers back to the West End. The number of shoppers in central London has fallen by 21.9 per cent according to customer … Continue reading "West-end shopping numbers call for crisis meeting"

Up & coming rock & roll royalty Frances Bean Cobain – the daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love – will appear in the “Young Hollywood” issue of Teen Vogue’s October issue, to hit newsstands next month. The 12 year-old is a budding actress and singer and is said to be very grown up for … Continue reading "Frances Bean in Teen Vogue"

German fashion group Hugo Boss recorded sales in 2005 up 12 percent, but cautioned that sales and profit growth would slow somewhat this year. The company said it had achieved record sales of €1.309 million (£904 million), up from €1.168 million in 2004. Growth was driven by the “successful realignment of its business with the … Continue reading "Hugo Boss cautious after good news"

The summer edition of the Paris-based fashion trade show has been cancelled. The show was to take place from 30 June to 2 July. Instead, the next edition will be its autumn show from 1 till 4 September. The organisation has decided to show only twice a year from now on. Reason for this are … Continue reading "Summer edition Who’s Next cancelled"

Model Rachel Hunter’s lingerie contract with the creators of the Ultimo Bra will not be renewed when it runs out next year, it was announced today. MJM International said it wanted to end its work with Rod Stewart’s estranged wife “on a high” after two years together. The Glasgow-based firm sparked a furious row when … Continue reading "Ultimo Bra to replace Rachel Hunter"