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Friday, January 11, 2008
THA Congratulates Sally Kay on being Appointed to Cotton Board
“The Legwear Business: Ideas, Impressions and Insights”
Legwear Trends Seminar Featured during WSA 2008 - The Hosiery Association’s (THA) president and CEO Sally Kay will conduct the first seminar on women’s and children’s legwear trends (Fall/Winter ‘08/’09) during the World Shoes Accessories Show (WSA) on February 22, 2008 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.
In the midst of a highly volatile presidential and congressional campaign season, legislators and federal agencies may act on a wide array of trade, tax, labor, environment, government procurement, labeling, product liability and other issues that could alter the competitive landscape for legwear manufacturers and wholesalers for years to come. The goal of this newly formed committee is to educate the membership and distribute information on all governmental issues that may impact their businesses. This group along with staff will be working closely with the team at Romulus to provide strong value for membership and to ensure the interests of its member companies are effectively addressed as debate on these and other issues continues. Please contact THA at 704-365-013 or email hosierytha@aol.com if you are interested in getting involved with this initiative.
NEW Product Sales: Please note that we will soon be allowing our member companies to sell their legwear products through our website! The THA website receives considerable consumer traffic on its site and requests to purchase product; therefore, we are going to make it easier for them and give our members the opportunity to sell legwear products through additional e-tailing venues. Stay tuned for more details. THA Member-Only Section to THA’s Website: Continue to visit the Member-Only section of the website as we update its contents regularly.
Carolina Artisans Reborn as Claudia Herzog Target Corp.'s Robert Ulrich will retire as chief executive officer on May 1 and will be succeeded by Gregg Steinhafel, who is currently president. Steinhafel has been the retailer’s merchant prince of and critical to its strategy to be the most fashion-forward of the nation's major discounters. Ulrich, who turns 65 in April, will remain as chairman through the end of fiscal 2008 in February 2009. Macy's Inc. will close nine underperforming stores within the next several weeks, affecting just under 900 workers. Banana Republic recently appointed Simon Kneen, formerly of Brooks Brothers parent Retail Brand Alliance, as executive vice president of design and creative director. Liz Claiborne makes changes: Laundry and C&C California sold to Perry Ellis International; Sigrid Olsen to be closed and Enyce retained. Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc. recently reported that it will close its remaining 154 demo stores as soon as is practical. The determination to take this action followed a review of strategic alternatives for its demo division, as previously announced in October 2007. Kathy Bufano, a merchant with a wide range of department and specialty store experience, has become president of merchandising and marketing for Belk Inc. Talbots to Exit Men's and Kids', Close 78 Stores - Elimination of businesses expected to be completed by September at cost of about 800 full-time and part-time jobs. Economic Census Information: In December, more than 4 million American businesses, including 200,000 manufacturers received 2007 Economic Census forms. Responses to the questionnaire are required by law (Title 13, U.S. Code), and are to be returned by February 12, 2008. Every 5 years, the Economic Census develops a comprehensive portrait of American business, from the national to the local level. Timely and accurate data are vital to effective public policy and important to our association. Please refer to the timeline below and visit the following website. <business.census.gov>.
ITMA 2011 Date Changed: “ITMA 2011 will now start a day earlier than originally planned, announced show owner, the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX). It will be held from September 22 to 29, 2011, at the same place, the new Fira de Barcelona Gran Via venue in Barcelona.”
DOT Says Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Reached Record High in October 2007 - The Department of Transportation reports that U.S. surface transportation trade in goods with NAFTA partners Canada and Mexico reached the highest monthly level ever recorded in October, totaling $74.2 billion. This figure represents an 11.2 percent jump over the previous month, an 11.1 percent increase from a year before and a 6.9 percent rise over the previous monthly high of $69.8 billion in March 2007. Surface transportation consists largely of freight movements by truck, rail and pipeline and accounts for about 90 percent of U.S. trade by value with Canada and Mexico. Surface trade between the U.S. and Canada totaled $47.7 billion in October, up 14.1 percent from October 2006; exports by truck increased 17.8 percent by value while imports by truck rose 6.1 percent. U.S.-Mexico surface transportation trade totaled $26.6 billion, up 6.0 percent from a year before; exports by truck were 3.1 percent higher by value while imports by truck increased 10.6 percent. According to the DOT, the value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in October 2007 was up 49.6 percent compared to October 2002 and 87.1 percent from October 1997, including a 100.7 percent increase for imports and a 72 percent gain for exports. CBP Provides Details on Proposed Global Trade Exchange System Harmonized Tariff Schedule Updates Please visit the Legislative / Regulatory member section of THA’s website to ensure that you that the current information and category descriptions. Note that there was a change between 2006 and 2007. House Committee Approves Consumer Product Safety Bill The revised House bill now includes the following provisions. Third-Party Testing. Testing and certification by a qualified independent third party or a proprietary lab certified by the Consumer Product Safety Commission would be required for all products, domestic or imported, intended for children 12 years of age or younger. This requirement would not take effect until a year after the bill’s enactment. Third-party testing entities would not have to be physically separate from manufacturers. Bonds. The CPSC would be required to assess the feasibility of mandating bonds for serious hazards and repeat offenders with respect to all products, including imported goods. Penalties. The cap on civil penalties for violations of the Consumer Product Safety Act, the Flammable Fabrics Act and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act would be increased within a year of enactment to $10 million. State attorneys general could bring civil actions to enforce consumer product safety rules or orders and obtain injunctive relief. Criminal penalties for violations of any of the statutes enforced by the CPSC could include asset forfeiture. Product defect reports submitted under the CPSA, the FHSA, the FFA and the Poison Prevention Packaging Act could not by themselves serve as the basis for a criminal prosecution. Company Identification. Manufacturers, importers, retailers and distributors would be required to identify the manufacturer of a product, by name, address or other identifying information, where known, upon request by the CPSC. Similarly, every manufacturer would be required to identify each retailer or distributor to which it supplied a given consumer product as well as each subcontractor involved in the manufacturing. Exports. The CPSC would be allowed to prohibit the export of consumer products that cannot be sold in the U.S. Unless the importing country is notified first, manufacturers could not export products that are (a) not in conformity with consumer product safety rules, (b) subject to mandatory or voluntary recalls, (c) designated as an imminent hazard to public health and safety or (d) designated as a banned hazardous substance. Imports. The CPSC would have to condition the importation of consumer products on compliance with inspection and recordkeeping requirements. It would also be required to provide information to other federal agencies to carry out the surveillance program that is intended to prevent imports of unsafe consumer products. Recalled Products. The sale, resale, manufacture or importation of any consumer product that has been recalled, is a banned hazardous substance or does not conform to safety standards would be prohibited. Knowing violations of this prohibition would be subject to civil penalties. Hazardous Products. The CPSC would be authorized to (a) order manufacturers or distributors of goods it determines to be imminently hazardous consumer products to halt distribution and (b) notify all those that distribute, store or transport such goods to stop distribution immediately. Tracking Labels. Effective one year after the bill’s enactment, manufacturers of children’s products would be required, to the extent feasible, to place distinguishing marks on both the product and its packaging that will enable the ultimate purchaser to ascertain the location and date of production of the item. Lead Ban. Any product intended for or marketed to children under 12 years of age that contains more than trace amounts of lead would be banned. “Trace amounts” would initially be defined as not more than 600 parts per million total lead by weight. That standard would be gradually tightened over four years to 100 ppm or the lowest level the CPSC determines is feasible. The CPSC would be able to exclude certain materials from this ban if it determines that no lead can absorbed from them when ingested. U.S. in Trade Talks with Trans-Pacific Group. Press reports indicate that the U.S. is engaged in exploratory talks on a trade liberalization agreement with Chile, Singapore, New Zealand and Brunei. The U.S. already has free trade agreements in place with Chile and Singapore, and New Zealand has been pushing Washington for a bilateral FTA for years. Observers say the move to link up with these countries is a key part of the U.S. effort to remain engaged economically in Asia, where efforts to break down trade barriers between powerhouses like China, Korea and Japan and emerging economies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are in full swing. Such an agreement could also serve as the eventual launching point for a broader Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific. Export-Import Bank to Work with India on Infrastructure Development DOL Issues Procedural Guidelines for List of Goods Made by Child or Forced Labor - The Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs has issued final procedural guidelines for the development and maintenance of a list of goods produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards, as required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005. In addition, ILAB is requesting by March 26, 2008, information on the use of child labor and/or forced labor in the production of goods internationally, as well as information on government, industry or third-party actions and initiatives to address these problems. This information will be used in developing the initial list. The ILAB states that it will evaluate all the information obtained according to the processes outlined in its final procedural guidelines. Goods and countries that meet the criteria outlined in the guidelines will be placed on a list that will be developed in consultation with appropriate U.S. government agencies. This list will be published in the Federal Register and on the DOL’s Web site. The ILAB will continue to maintain and update the list over time through its own research, interagency consultations and public submissions of information. EPA Extends Lab/Analysis Exemption for Ozone-Depleting Substance Imports - The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule, effective Dec. 27, that extends from Dec. 31, 2007, through Dec. 31, 2011, the global laboratory and analytical use exemption for the import and production of class I ozone-depleting substances. This exemption allows persons in the U.S. to import and produce controlled substances for laboratory and analytical uses that have not been already identified by the EPA as non-essential. The final rule also (a) extends the applicability of this exemption to the import and production of methyl bromide for specific laboratory uses and (b) eliminates the testing of organic matter in coal from this exemption. |
n Research & Promotion Program conducted by Cotton Incorporated for America’s cotton producers and importers. The Program works to increase the demand for and improve the market position of cotton. For more information about the Cotton Board, please visit 
THA’s Seamless Consortium is working with Santoni to launch the Outdoor Retailer Show’s first Seamless Apparel Village January 23-26, 2008 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The village in meeting room 151 will feature an all encompassing working display of seamless knitting machinery, seamless yarns and fibers, seamless apparel producers and a seamless apparel fashion show.
Nilit Ltd, a major producer of nylon 6.6 and microfiber yarns, has announced that it will be part of Santoni’s Seamless Village collaborative industry display at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City, January 23-26. Nilit will be featured in booth MR 151. This is the first time that fiber, yarn, and apparel manufacturers have joined forces to create a collective display for the seamless market at OR. The effort was championed by Santoni, seamless machinery innovator and a sponsor of the 2008 OR Winter Market. 
CHA’s 49th Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 6 at the Sawtooth Building in Winston-Salem, NC, from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm. A thought-provoking panel of industry executives, Rich Stober-VP Sales, GoldToeMoretz LLC; Jerry Cook-vice president of International Trade/Government Relations for Hanesbrands, Inc.; and Dan St. Louis-Director, Hosiery Technology Center, will address what retailers are currently looking for from their suppliers, the “greening” phenomenon, legislative and regulatory issues that impact the 
value chain, product liability, sizing and testing, etc. Bill Nichol of Gildan USA and THA Chairman will serve as Panel Moderator and will also briefly review the new programs and services that THA is offering its members. A Registration Form is available 
The WSA Show’s Educational Sessions Feature Unparalleled Insight into all Facets of Footwear: The WSA Show, the world’s largest footwear and accessories marketplace, announces 
an all-encompassing seminar series designed to suit attendees from all facets of
the industry from buying, marketing and merchandising to sourcing, product design and development. With nine individual seminars and four workshops, no other seminar series in the industry presents the assortment of speakers and topics that this powerful global marketplace has to offer. The Footwear & Accessories Business Conference will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center from February 20-23 in Las Vegas. Full press release is available (
THA’s 103rd Annual Convention will be held at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia April 17-20, 2008. Please mark your calendars. Program information is being put together at this time. You may go ahead and make your hotel reservations using the 
Legislative/Regulatory Relations Group Appoints Romulus Global Issues Management
NEW Member Directory: Please note that we are creating a new, online member directory on the website. A database update worksheet has been sent to all primary association contacts for THA member companies. Company logos and profiles will be collected and available for users to contact directly to learn more about your products and services 24 hours a day 7 days a week. If you did not receive your company’s update form, please email 
GoldToeMoretz To Close Manufacturing Facility in Burlington -
GoldToeMoretz, LLC a leading producer of premium quality branded socks, this week announced plans to close its manufacturing facility in Burlington, North Carolina and move production to its global supply chain. The company will phase out its finishing and knitting operations beginning in March. All manufacturing operations will be phased out by mid year.
China International Hosiery Purchasing Exposition 2008 & China Hosiery Forum 2008 - Event will be held March 3-5, 2008 at the Shanghai Everbright Convention & Exhibition Center in Shanghai, China. For additional information, contact Kim Yang at 
CPSC Chair Announces New Import Safety Efforts
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.
