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GlobalTex Outlines Details on Textile Show April 03, 2009 Organizers of the new biannual GlobalTex textile show, set for an April 28–30 debut at the Los Angeles Convention Center, unveiled details about the structure and format of the show, which will feature color-coded textile categories, state-of-the-art trend pavilions, and special meeting areas for matchmaking and other services. “This is going to be a new-generation trade show different from any model in the U.S.,” said David Pennes, vice president of new business development, during a March 31 press conference at the offices of the Textile Association of Los Angeles, which is endorsing the event. Pennes offered a glimpse of the show’s layout, explaining that exhibitors will be categorized under eight color-coded “global style” categories with titles such as Live, Work, Play, Create, Move, Process, Adorn and Wear. The Live category, for example, will feature silks, knits, velvets, linens and laces. The Process section will house technology and equipment. Elaborate trend pavilions will showcase fabrics from most of the exhibitors. Buyer lounges and meeting areas will be designated for matchmaking sessions. Pennes and TALA President Brian Thaler provided an updated exhibitor list, which included a mix of about 100 local and international companies such as New Star Fabric, Malibu Textiles, Fox Fabrics and BNB International Textiles. Producers also released the show’s educational program featuring a number of trend reports, mixers and seminars. Ilse Metchek, president of the California Fashion Association, will conduct one of the keynote sessions on the state of the industry, to be held at 4:30 p.m. on April 29. The show is being produced by Dallas-based Market Center Management Co., owner of the Dallas Market Center and the Brussels International Trade Mart and manager of the ShanghaiMart. —Robert McAllister |
| Uptick in Domestic Manufacturing Could be Economy's Silver Lining by Erin Barajas, Manufacturing Editor April 03, 2009 by Erin Barajas, Manufacturing Editor April 03, 2009 U.S. apparel factories could be the unlikely benefactors of the global economic crisis. For years, they saw jobs exported to overseas factories as brands and retailers outsourced production for everything from simple T-shirts to more labor-intensive contemporary fashions. Drawn by lower prices and full- package programs, labels decamped to factories in China and other countries. Now, a variety of factors is forcing labels to reconsider domestic production. “Based on anecdotal information, almost every manufacturer that I speak with—even the largest— would state that they would bring production back if [certain requirements were met],” said Ilse Metchek, executive director of the California Fashion Association. Still, she said, California factories from denim manufacturers and screen-printers to cut-and-sew facilities and those creating more complicated contemporary fashions are enjoying a welcome surge in business. China, which makes about one-third of all the garments imported into the United States, saw its overall exports plummet 26 percent in February as consumers around the world cut back on buying everything from furniture and toys to clothing and shoes, according to a recent report by the World Trade Organization. DOMESTIC TRIPLE-THREAT: Fessler USA is luring brands back to domestic production with a combination of services that help retailers and designers quickly respond to market needs with a vertical-production facility, a seasoned product-development team and quick turnaround on last-minute orders. |
