Balance marks – Visual cues, generally in the form of notches, used to maintain the correct balance of a garment during assembly, and usually postiioned in side seams, shoulder seams, armholes and elsewhere as needed.*


Quiz Answer – Water proof fabrics are fully resistent to penetration by water whereas water repellenct fabrics have a lesser degree of resistance.*



Quiz Question – What does "balance" mean in a textile context?


*(Daniels, PN and Denton, MJ, eds. Textile Terms and Definitions, 11th ed. Manchester, UK: The Textile Institute, 2002.)

Sweden-based H&M -- the world's third-largest fashion retailer after U.S.-based Gap Inc. and Spain's Inditex SA, which vie for the top spot -- said its net profit increased to 4.19 billion Swedish kronor ($528.8 million) in the three months ended May 31 from 3.94 billion kronor a year earlier.

Despite the woes, Nike's athletic footwear trend has remained fairly healthy over the last few months, and the Beaverton, Ore., company's brands have continued to take market share, according to Robert W. Baird & Co. For the quarter ended May 31, Nike reported earnings of $341.4 million, or 70 cents a share, down from $490.5 million, or 98 cents a share, a year earlier.

For companies including Gap Inc. that typically design, source and sell their own products (instead of relying on wholesalers) under their own brands, that urgency has rewritten the rules as chains solicit the help of third parties, albeit on a small scale, to spur traffic, add a spark to their merchandise or fill a void in product assortment, analysts say. The addition of extraneous labels among single-branded stores coincides with department stores and general-merchandise retailers -- from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to J.C. Penney Co. -- to feature more in-store shops or exclusive merchandise, where sections of stores are given more of a specialty-shop feel in a quest to seek that perfect mix and make consumers spend.

America's Research Group, a South Carolina pollster, says 72% of 1,000 consumers interviewed in February have haggled in the past year (31% is the historical average) and they've gotten deals 80% of the time; last year, only half the retailers they took a shot at caved in. When he registered its name as "Going Out of Business," he doesn't recall any tax clerk or bank officer blinking.

The Berlin Designer Outlet Center, built to resemble a German country village, is the latest outlet to open in Europe and further evidence that in a broader retail industry plagued by tenant insolvencies and declining consumer spending, the outlet segment is still expanding.

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus made the recommendation Monday after H-E-B Grocery Co., a large, Texas-based supermarket chain, filed a complaint in December challenging several of Wal-Mart's advertising campaigns.

By a 4-2 vote, the panel sided with a U.S. labor union, finding that low-cost Chinese-made tires used on cars, light trucks and sport-utility vehicles are being imported at a rate that threatens U.S. tire makers.

When Alexandra Schulman, editor of British Vogue, last week sent a letter to designers including Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Prada and Versace, asking them to make larger clothes for fashion shoots, she touched on an issue of increasing concern to many consumers. When I asked Mr. Glasser why he and so many designers and retailers create so much clothing to fit young, thin women, he threw back his head and guffawed, "Because they're hot!" Seven and Citizens helped jump-start a then-moribund denim market, creating a frenzy for $200-plus jeans.

"Any time there's a big options trade, the market makers' hedging is going to impact the stock price," said Jud Pyle, an analyst with PEAK6 Investments. Since investors find it valuable to know where a stock is likely to close, some banks have started to track stocks that could get pinned.

Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc., the nearly 90-year-old outdoor retailer with a rich history, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, overcome by a heavy debt load. By 2005, the chain had evolved into a predominantly women's clothing brand that struggled to compete in crowded space that included such chains as Talbots Inc. and Chico's FAS Inc. "Eddie Bauer is a good company with a great brand and a bad balance sheet," said Chief Executive Neil Fiske in a statement Wednesday.

Pier 1 Gets Handle on Costs, Tries to Spruce Itself Up --- Store Traffic and Sales Are Stabilizing at Struggling Housewares Retailer, Which Plans Reverse Stock Split in July.

French tire maker Michelin SA was expected to announce job cuts on Wednesday, showing how the crisis in the world automobile industry is hitting big suppliers.

Increased competition and slowing consumer demand have hurt India's retailing industry but it is nonetheless the most attractive market for international retailers looking to expand in emerging markets, an A.T. Kearney study found.

Water-repellent – A state characterized by the non-spreading of a globule of water on a textile material.*


Quiz Answer – Tendering is fiber damage caused by exposure to radiation (including light) and/or chemicals, mechanical or micro-biological action.*



Quiz Question – What is the difference between being water repellent and waterproof?


*(Daniels, PN and Denton, MJ, eds. Textile Terms and Definitions, 11th ed. Manchester, UK: The Textile Institute, 2002.)

[...] with the labor market weak and household finances strained, it is doubtful that U.S. consumers will be able to lead the economy to a robust recovery.

Like many family-owned fashion companies, Prada's finances have come under strain amid the global downturn in luxury-goods sales, whetting the appetite of investment funds aiming to secure a foothold in the fashion business.

Europe's largest fashion retailer by revenue, ahead of Sweden's Hennes & Mauritz AB, blamed the decline on falling margins, which were hit by the rise of the euro against currencies such as the British pound, the Mexican and Chilean pesos and the Polish zloty.

Neiman Marcus Group Inc. swung to a fiscal third-quarter loss on a 24% sales decline and disclosed a merchandising strategy that calls for more lower-priced goods. [...] the new strategy kicks in, the Dallas luxury-goods retailer known for its lavish holiday gifts catalog and designer apparel expects to offer promotional and other events to boost sales.

The halt to negotiations comes a day after Arcandor filed for insolvency and two days after the German government rejected Arcandor's request for 650 million euros ($915 million) in guarantees from a fund created to help companies weather the global credit crisis and also a 437 million euros rescue credit from state-owned bank KfW.

Founded in the late 19th century, the same time as prominent department stores like Harrods in London, Galeries Lafayette in Paris and Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, Karstadt has long been a fixture on German shopping streets.

Like many of Italy's small, family-owned fashion houses, Versace has struggled to weather the fallout of the global financial crisis, lacking the scale and financial muscle of larger rivals such as LVMH Moeet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA. Italian designer Roberto Cavalli has also been on the hunt for a chief executive to turn around operations at his namesake label.

Unlike teen outlets, which have recently seen a slight bounce back in consumer spending, women's retailers such as Talbots and AnnTaylor Stores Corp. have yet to see a rebound.

One, does aggressively reopening clogged arteries with stents or with bypass surgery work better than inexpensive pills, such as beta blockers and other generic heart drugs? [...] do diabetes drugs that help the body use insulin more efficiently, such as GSK's Avandia or Takeda's Actos, work better than injecting insulin? "The results show that it really didn't matter at all which treatment you had" in terms of deaths, heart attacks and strokes, said Trevor Orchard, an epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh who helped run the trial, which is called BARI 2D.

Italian fashion house Gianni Versace SpA is seeking new leadership to navigate the global economic downturn, the company said Friday, announcing the resignation of Chief Executive Giancarlo Di Risio.

The giant retailer has been on a roll during the recession, outperforming peers such as Target Corp. as cash-strapped consumers trade down to discount stores.

Among those reporting declines, Target Corp. said same-store sales fell 6.1%, Costco Wholesale Corp. posted a U.S. same-store sales drop of 1% excluding fuel, and BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. said sales fell 6.8% from a year ago.

More Used Wedding Gowns Go Back on Market --- Hard Times and New Web Sites Persuade Owners to Let Sentiment Go, Even as Brides-to-Be Intensify Search for Something Cheap Disc jockeys, photographers and videographers are being hit hard as brides opt for iPods and friends with cameras.

Some tradition-minded brides wouldn't dream of parting with their wedding dress and veil after their big day, but more pragmatic brides are now selling their dresses at a growing list of online marketplaces.

Dollar General Corp.'s fiscal first-quarter earnings skyrocketed amid surging sales and margins and lower acquisition-related costs, as the low-price retailer continues to attract consumers trading down for basic staples.

The company took a former Linens N' Things in a relatively affluent part of Columbus, Ohio, and is offering merchandise similar to that of its regular stores, but with edgier presentations, better lighting, wider aisles, greater in-store systems to communicate with customers and other tweaks.