Friday, August 14, 2006

MARK YOUR CALENDARS - THA’s 102nd Annual Convention will be held Thursday, April 26 – Sunday, April 29, 2007 at the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina.

EXHIBIT at THA CONVENTION: THA SUPPLIER MEMBERS will be provided an exclusive opportunity during the 2007 Annual Convention. SUPPLIERS that are members of THA will have a chance to gain great company exposure and networking opportunities with hosiery company decision makers. These supplier companies will be ab le to occupy their own display table and feature their product samples, information, have give-a-ways, etc. The exhibit times will be held in conjunction with the Continental Breakfasts and Breaks during General Sessions on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28. Complete Exhibit information will be available soon.

Socks NEEDED: We need Men’s Uniform Black Boot Sock- 80% cotton, 20% Stretch Nylon.” The total quantity required are approximately 400,000 units covering sizes Small through X-Large. Delivery is required within 8 weeks from order. If you are interested in speaking with this inquirer, please respond to mike.austell@hosieryassociation.com or call 704-365-0913, ext. 204.

The password to enter the MEMBERS ONLY portion of THA’s website will expire soon. All members will be provided with a new password. Please make sure you have renewed your membership so you will still be able to access this section and vital THA information.

If you know of someone in your company who would also like to receive Hosiery Insider, please email us at insider@hosieryassociation.com. Please provide complete contact information, especially email address.

THA Membership – Please help THA save on the cost of mailing out additional notices, by paying your dues promptly. Renewals for the 2006-2007 THA Membership Year continue to be received by THA, and we THANK those companies for their prompt attention.

Hosiery Association Trade Reference Interchange: THA is in the process of teaming up with Lyon Mercantile Group to offer our members a Trade Reference Interchange on a six-month trial basis. There are no upfront fees, on subscription fees and no obligation to purchase reports. This is an excellent opportunity for Hosiery Member Credit Managers to share their industry-specific customer payment experiences with one another in a secure environment. Participating Hosiery Members will be issued a user ID and password to access reports via Lyon’s website. We are excited about this new benefit for THA Hosiery Members, and will be sending you more information via e-mail next week. In the meantime, if you have questions or need more information, please contact Karen Smith at Lyon Mercantile Group at 800-272-4183.

Seamless Apparel Consortium working group has been meeting regularly during the past several months to develop a comprehensive education and informational program for the retailing community to better understand the features and the benefits that seamless apparel offers the consumer and how it can make them more successful in their business. More details and a plan of action will soon be shared with the industry.

AL Supplier Luncheons: The next Alabama Chapter Supplier Luncheon will be held on Thursday, August 17 at the Western Sizzlin’ in Fort Payne.

CHA Supplier Luncheons: How can we battle against rising transportation costs? How can we react to the difficulties in receiving materials, from raw materials to finished goods? Mark Anderson, General Manager of Consolidation Services, will lead discussion on supply chain concepts that the Hosiery Technology Center has been developing. Consolidation Services, a division of MDI, is a third party logistics provider, specializing in distribution and order fulfillment. The discussion will focus on driving supply chain efficiencies to support lean manufacturing principles. The meeting will be held August 24 at The Hosiery Technology Center in Hickory, NC.

SPECIAL OFFER: THA Members Offered Special Rate to Attend the 2nd Annual AAFA/VCF Retail Vendor Synchronization Conference – September 6-7 at the Glenpointe Marriot Hotel in Teaneck, NJ.

Register online at www.vcfww.com and enter promo code AAFAMbr906 to get The Hosiery Association member rate of $399; otherwise the conference rate is $599 for non-members. The Glenpointe Marriot is offering hotel accommodations at a room rate of $179/night and can be reserved by dialing 1-800-228-9290 and reference the AAFA/VCF conference – this special rate expires on August 22. Industry leaders like Paul Charron, Chairman & CEO of Liz Claiborne Inc. will speak on “Trading Partner Relationships;” learn proven techniques to help prevent deductions that will improve your bottom line results; learn the tactics of “Fast Fashion: Zara & Beyond” during the second keynote address by Steve Hochman, Research Director for AMR Research; develop thought provoking compliance solutions with your peers during the Open Forum and Roundtable networking events. For additional information, email Mary Howell at mrhowell@apparelandfootwear.org or Kim Zablocky at kzablocky@tpcww.com.

THA is pleased to announce the 2nd Annual Industry-Wide Golf Tournament will be held Wednesday, September 27, 2006 at Birkdale Golf Club. Birkdale is in Huntersville, NC, a short drive just north of Charlotte. THA is also pleased to announce that GROZ-BECKERT will be the major sponsor for this event. Additional sponsors include: Frontier Spinning, HIFOMACO, McMichael Mills, PAM Trading/PAF Sales, RadiciSpandex, Regal/Worldtex, R. L. Stowe Mills, Swift Spinning and Unifi. Those interested in a sponsorship, should contact Mike Austell at THA. Special thanks to the sponsors already committed to this event. For more information on this tournament, visit http://www.hosieryassociation.com/docs/2006GOLFFLYER.doc.

Hosiery Insider Sponsorship: Do you want a cost effective venue for communicating your messages to thousands worldwide? Sponsor the next issue of Hosiery Insider. For details, contact Mike Austell at 704-365-0913 Ext 204 or mike.austell@hosieryassociation.com.

THA provides Members Web Based Commercials – Visit THA’s home page, www.hosieryassociation.com and experience the MAGIC/WSA video. This technology is available to you and your company. Contact the THA office for details at 704.365.0913.

VISIT OUR BOOTH #OD 20945: Sourcing at MAGIC. In conjunction with SEAMS, the Hosiery Technology Center (HTC)and The Hosiery Association (THA), the nine hosiery companies and seven apparel makers have joined together to secure exhibit space at the 2006 MAGIC show in Las Vegas - where as you know each year thousands of retailers come to find the products that they want to offer their customers. The nine hosiery companies are Johnson Hosiery, WY Shugart, Kentucky Derby Hosiery, Twin City Knitting, Wells Hosiery, Knit Rite, Wrights Hosiery, Fox River Mills and Angel Hosiery. The apparel manufacturers are A.S. Tees Mfg., Carolina Apparel Group Inc., Creative Outlet, Cal Cru, Kellsport, Vinci Clothiers and Ultimate Sports and Apparel. Check out these company exhibitor profiles in the current issue of Hosiery News. Thanks to the following sponsors for their financial support of this initiative: Contempora Fabrics, Inc., Fiber and Yarn Products, Inc. and T & T Liquidators.

Check out these hang tags! Apparel and hosiery products will proudly display these hang tags and stickers on their items at MAGIC.

Liz Claiborne and Legxus International, Inc. Step Into Legwear Sign Agreement in Principle: Liz Claiborne Inc. announced on August 7 that it has reached an agreement in principle with Legxus International, Inc. to design and manufacture socks, trouser socks and tights under the Liz Claiborne brand name. The new collection will launch to the trade in the Third quarter of 2006, and will be available at fine department and specialty stores in 2007.

Commenting on the announcement, Barbara J. Friedman, president of Licensing for Liz Claiborne Inc., said, "Legxus has done a great job for us with Ellen Tracy, so it was a natural step to extend our relationship with them by partnering for the Liz Claiborne legwear line. We have every confidence that they will be successful and we look forward to working with them to expand our legwear offering." Barry Tartarkin, Vice President of Legxus International, stated, "We are very excited about our relationship with Liz Claiborne Inc. Liz Claiborne is a major lifestyle brand with immense appeal to today's consumer, and we are thrilled to be involved with a brand that is so well known and loved."

Old Navy Uses Q Interactive to Target Plus-Sized Consumers
PHILADELPHIA - Online Marketing services firm Q Interactive spoke to eTail attendees about how personalized and demographic data can be collected and used by retailers, like Old Navy. Q Interactive, Chicago, helps retailers build a database of information comprising demographics, behavioral history and transactional data through publisher Web sites like About.com and Meredith Corp. This information can then be used for targeted marketing campaigns

J.C. Penney's Second Quarter Earnings Jump
J. C. Penney Company Inc.'s second quarter net sales totaled $4.238 billion, a 6.5 percent increase over last year. Comparable store sales increased 6.6 percent during the same period. The Plano, TX-based retailer also said direct sales increased 2.7 percent during the quarter and sales from its e-commerce Web site www.jcp.com increased approximately 25 percent.

Managing Decisions in a Global Business – This conference will be held August 16-18 at NCSU in Raleigh, NC. If interested in attending, email Patrice Hill at patriceh@itt.edu.

Dallas Market Center Show – The Men’s & Boys’ Apparel Market and the Women’s & Children’s Apparel and Accessories show will be held at the Dallas Market Center in Dallas, TX August 17-20. Dallas Market Center, the largest wholesale merchandise resource in the world as recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records, is the one location where retailers from around the globe source a wide range of products including textiles, fashion accessories and women's, men's, children's and western apparel. With more than 50 markets each year attended by more than 200,000 buyers, Dallas Market Center offers an array of services geared toward helping retailers expand business & increase profits. The final 2006 show date will be October 26-29. For more detailed information, visit www.dallasmarketcenter.com.

Developing Digitally Printed Products – [TC]2 in Cary, NC will be hosting this seminar on August 24. For additional information visit www.tc2.com/what/seminars.html or email Maria Muniz at mmuniz@tc2.com.

ASAPShow – Authority in Global Sourcing – Two Shows, Two Cities, One Trip, for One Price. ASAP Vegas – August 27-30 and ASAP Los Angeles – September 1. They have extended their show hours from 9:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. the first three days and will be 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on the last day. Overseas apparel manufacturers will be showcasing their production (sourcing, contract manufacturing, outsourcing) capabilities to international buyers all under one roof at the Sands Expo/Venetian. For more information, go to www.asapshow.com.

Accessories The Show will be held again August 28-30. For additional information, visit www.accessoriestheshow.com.

AAFA’s Restricted Substances Seminar will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in Dongguan China on September 21. Hear major US and European apparel, footwear and retail brands discuss why Restricted Substances Lists (RSLs) are important. Key industry experts will explain best practices and conduct workshops on how you can prepare yourself for these challenges. (The program is targeted for Chinese factories and much of the program will actually be in Chinese or translated into Chinese.) To register go to www.apparelandfootwear.org and look for “International Seminars.” Registration fee is $100 and no refunds will be given after September 1. For additional information email Leanne Wieczorek at lwieczorek@apparelandfootwear.org.

NC State University’s 2006 Continuing Education Schedule: Upcoming sessions for September include: “Color and Dyeing” – September 26-29 – topics to be covered include: basic wet processing steps, dyestuff properties, lab dip techniques, and basic color theory as applied to shade matching and evaluation. Most of the courses are held on NCSU’s Centennial Campus. To view the entire 2006 schedule or if you are interested in registering for one of these courses, visit www.ContinuingEducation.NCSU.edu.

Material World Show – Material World will have one more show in 2006: September 26-28 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York, NY. “From Design to Delivery, the Premier Global Trade Event for the Sewn Products Industries.” Additional information can be found at www.material-world.com.

Fashion trends trickle down to children's clothes: Some of fall's top fashion trends are trickling down - way down - to children's clothes. When kids go back to school, they'll likely be wearing darker denim, gauchos, long shorts and skinny pants just like their teenage siblings and even their parents. Family-style fashion continues with rugby stripes, layers and novelty hosiery. Short kilt skirts are a standard for schoolgirls, but the palette has been broadly expanded to include pink, aqua blue and purple in addition to standards navy, red and green.

Even legwarmers have a place on the ankle of girls wearing skinny jeans and ballet flats, says LeAnn Nealz, chief design officer for American Eagle Outfitters. And they might be wearing fleece "Flashdance-style" sweatshirts to complete the look. "The '80s are huge right now. It's more fullness on top with slimmer shapes on the bottom. It's all new for kids today," says Nealz. Also from the '80s: leggings, leggings under skirts, leggings under short shorts. [Excerpts reprinted from Associated Press]

Paris Hilton look-alike Natalie Reid will appear in a six page nude spread for the September issue of Playboy. The former stripper is a dead ringer for the hotel heiress and will even pose with a look-alike version of Hilton's teacup size Chihuahua Tinkerbell.

Project Runway finalist model Jia Santos who was hit by a bus while riding her bike to the show's final taping was released from St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan after a six week stay. The 18 year-old Hungarian-born catwalker underwent extensive surgery for a fractured skull and eye socket. Santos left the hospital wearing large sunglasses and accompanied by friends. It is not know when she will return to the runway.

Kate Moss topped the list of Vanities Fair's 67th annual International Best-Dressed List. She got so many votes from readers that they placed her in the VF Fashion Hall of Fame. Other women at top of the poll included Renee Zellweger, Selma Blair, Charlotte Casiraghi, Sophia Coppola, Fran Lebowitz, Gwen Stefani, Oprah Winfrey and Blaine Trump. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was singled out for her rebellious streak and a pair of knee high “dominatrix” boots she wore to an international policy conference in Germany.

As for the men George Clooney, Anderson Cooper, Brian Williams, Kanye West, Prince William, David Beckham and Richard Johnson made the list.

18 year old British Supermodel Lily Cole has agreed to star in Marilyn Manson's directorial début film Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll. Manson will star as Carroll and Cole will play Alice of Alice in Wonderland fame. The low budget project is aiming for a mid 2007 release. Manson is said to also be trying to get Johnny Depp to appear in the film but with an overall budget of only $4.2 million dollars it may be a tough sale.

The Joy of Socks – Hose the dorky ankle duds and get your fashion footing Memo to NY’s Mayor Mike Bloomberg: Miniskirts for girls are in; minisocks for guys are out. Last week, while attending a media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Bloomberg failed to put his best foot forward by sporting too-short shorts and what might be the world's smallest pair of socks. And girlfriend Diana Taylor let him out of the house looking like that.

Socks, a utilitarian piece of clothing (perhaps second only to underwear), have the ability to keep us comfortable, protect us from the elements, and, in the case of Bloomberg - and a few sartorially challenged others on the following page - can make us laugh out loud.

The contents printed in this document are informational in nature. They are gathered from various industry sources and do not necessarily reflect the views and/or actions of THA.

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