Fashion-Incubator

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Someone who wishes to remain anonymous passes this information along:

...effective for California on Sept 1st, 2007, children's products that have Swarovski crystals (they contain 30% lead)can not be sold in the state of California on children's products - age 5 and under.Fines upward of $2500 went into effect on 9/01/07 for retailers carrying products that contain crystals with high lead content (Swarovski, and others). Pacifiers were recalled in August, Jewelry is now recalled and the law is really covering all items within the children's market place. This is also a federal prop #1681. Originally based for lead products (paint, water, toys, etc.)that do not meet US standards. Lead is absorbed over time and causes nervous system damage.

Grace sends two articles with more. State issues warning on lunch boxes, promotional items handed out by health officials may contain elevated levels of lead and State finds lead hazard in its free lunch totes. Ouch.
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Malissa sends a link to Cornell University's online pattern and sewing book bibliography (138 pp, pdf).
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Nadine sends:

Here's a weird link that my ongoing fascination with corduroy unearthed. Horizontal corduroy manufacturer has technical claims to back up making pants with horizontal cord rather than vertical cord. Kind of a funny site, just ignore all the pot references. I guess that is their target market - very San Francisco (my former homeland).

I didn't see any pot references, only hemp. Interesting site though.
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Lisa C. sends a link to an ebay auction for a Gerber Cutting Edge Automated Cutting System. While bidding for the item has ended (buy it now price of only 35K), the seller has an online presence and most likely has other similar goodies.
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Tracy sends a link to shoelace lacing methods. All kinds! And some people think I'm weird for collecting data sets.
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Rene Geneva was featured fashion in this month's Yogi Times (LA). Here is a photo of the page she's on and here's the link to the piece in the magazine.
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Speaking of ink, Fit Couture has gotten another magazine cover to put in their press trophy case. They're on the October 2007 issue of Pilates Style. They've also had pieces show up in a couple of recent Self issues, and have some upcoming hits in Health.
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Joan Hawley resent some info I neglected to publish previously.

On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

Blog Action Day is about MASS participation. That means we need you! Here are 3 ways to participate:

• Post on your blog relating to the environment on Blog Action Day
  
• Donate your day’s earnings to an environmental charity
  
• Promote Blog Action Day around the web

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"Lucky duck" sends me a link of most common business clichés. I note that the ubiquitous "edgy" and "hip" have yet to make the list. Hmmm.
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Andrea D sends a link to a story about a fashion buying social network site. The site is selling the proposition that designers can get exposure and sell their stuff but on my last visit there, it was very limited, just people selling used items from their closets -but that's not a bad thing in the interests of recycling.
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Alexandra was kind enough to send me the pdf of the recent story from Elle magazine on the pattern maker Nicholas Caito. I don't feel right in posting it for download but email me if you want it.
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Natasha sends a link to the NYT article Before Models Can Turn Around, Knockoffs Fly.

“If I see something on Style.com, all I have to do is e-mail the picture to my factory and say, ‘I want something similar, or a silhouette made just like this,’ ” Ms. Anand said. The factory, in Jaipur, India, can deliver stores a knockoff months before the designer version.

These people used to be merely annoying. Now they're getting arrogant. Of all the nerve.
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Miracle sends a mention that the EN 13042 Wiki has been updated to include bra sizes.
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Eric sends a stray thought:

1. All organic ain't the same: Is the thing grown locally not suited for the local environment? Rice in Bangladesh v. California
2. All organic ain't the same: Are we talking cotton v. silk or bamboo? And considering the additional loading in the processing?
3. Counterargument: Distance kills community.

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Catherine (and Danielle) sent a link to an article on fashion copyrights called The Piracy Paradox written by James Surowiecki (author of The Wisdom of Crowds). The conclusion reads:

The fashion industry is not alone in its surprising mixture of weak intellectual-property laws and strong innovation: haute cuisine, furniture design, and magic tricks are all fields where innovators produce new work without being able to copyright it. This doesn’t mean that we can always do without copyrights and patents, and fashion has unique characteristics that limit the damage that copying can do: it’s relatively cheap to come up with new designs, there’s a culture of novelty, and people are willing to pay more for the right brands. But we should be skeptical of claims that tougher laws are necessarily better laws. Sometimes imitation isn’t just the sincerest form of flattery. It’s also the most productive.

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This is great, a funny video showing the manufacturing and quality control processes of Triumph motorcycles, complete with dead badgers and banjo players.
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Registration for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Los Angeles (October 14-18, 2007) is now open. Registration closes Oct 8. Rene Geneva is one of three green initiative designers showing on Stage One at Smashbox Wednesday, 6pm. Rene is interested in sponsors. Contact her if you can help out.
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Heather Pierini says

I really enjoyed being a part of the ABC show, we worked very hard on preshow work, marketing, planning and had very realistic goals about what we wanted to accomplish. I'm happy to say we did meet those goals and more.

I wanted to share with F-I readers a series I've been reading about trade and consumer show booth design and display. It's by an artist named Luann Udell. Her website has about 15 entries so far on design, lighting, display, sales, just basics. She also references Paco Underhill's Why We Buy and other interesting sources.

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Karen (Bella Sophia) sends an article that suggests Fashion for Less [is]: A win-win formula.

"A store like H&M is great because you can wear a dress for $29 the whole summer and then wash your car with it,” Shultz says. “You don’t have to wear it forever because it’s not so pricey. If it’s $29, a college student or young working gal can deal with that.”

Now that mass retailers like Kohl’s and Target and the cheap chic stores like H&M, Zara, Mango and Forever 21 are constantly making fashion more fresh and exciting, could this mean the average consumer is actually dressing better and paying more attention to fashion—because it’s more accessible?

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Shawn Venasse sends a PR piece announcing that PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA is premiering on SLICE channel on 8th October 2007 at 10 p.m. EST. Danielle had tried out for the show but didn't make the cut. We console ourselves with the idea that it's because she's not catty or conniving enough...
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Christy sends a link to Kari Weiner who's really specialized, making only white tees. The thing is, she cuts in three different shapes per size.
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Rachel Hospodar sends a link to a photo essay of a toy manufacturing plant in China.
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File this under "if the shoe fits"...

Web writers becoming obsessed with traffic. Almost every person I know seems to have a blog. Some are furtive about it, some are downright boastful, but here's what they have in common:
They don't "own" their blogs, their blogs "own" them.

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Half measures welcome is an article describing half cup bra sizes, it's patented so you can't do it too.
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Esther sends a link to an entry about how bamboo is manufactured into fabric. While growing bamboo may be sustainable, its processing is not.

...trumpets heralding bamboo as the latest and hottest sustainable eco-fabric that have been the most strident. And some of the hoopla is justified. Growing bamboo is a wonderfully beneficial plant for the planet and most is naturally organic bamboo. The manufacturing processes where bamboo the plant is transformed into bamboo the fabric are where the sustainability and eco-friendly luster of bamboo is tarnished because of the heavy chemicals, some of which are toxic, that are often required. Very, very little bamboo clothing would qualify as sustainable or organic clothes.

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Speaking of new green fabrications, an unnamed source sent this article about Body Glove from Treehugger :

Finally, they found a company to provide a “neoprene” layer made from calcium carbonate (limestone) and thus no nasty petroleum or PVC. But, initial tests did not hold up and the gang was told that what they were asking for could not be done. Eventually the engineers at the prestigious Yamamoto Corporation were able to come up with a middle layer that held up, and when combined with the outer layer from the first company, this blend creates a suit that is at least 70% environmentally-friendly; quite a feat for a suit that was initially dubbed as impossible.

Here is where it gets even better: the energy used to produce the calcium carbonate middle is 1/10 as taxing as the energy needed to produce a normal neoprene interior. The energy used to make the limestone suits comes from hydropower and excess heat produced is used in an eel nursery for food production. The exterior layer of the wetsuit is made from a polylactic acid blend made from corn starch, which also requires 20-50% less fossil fuels than plastic production.

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Miracle sends:

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host a showcase for trademarks at its Alexandria, Virginia headquarters April 10-12, 2008. The three day event is designed to engage the public¹s interest and educate consumers about the vital role trademarks play in the global economy. Any company with a registered trademark may apply to exhibit. The deadline for applications is December 15, 2007. Space is limited so apply now. Those selected to exhibit will be notified by January 15, 2008.

Potential exhibitors will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Brand recognition - How well-known is the mark.
• Educational value of the proposed exhibit - How would the trademark holders participation help educate the public about trademarks.
• Category diversity - Does the applicants participation help ensure the Expo has a wide selection of trademarks.

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From BNET Intercom: How to Build Brand Loyalty in a Niche Market

The blogosphere is a-buzz today with talk about Nike’s new Air Native N7 — a sneaker specially designed for Native American feet, which are wider and taller than the average foot. The N7 is expected to accomplish quite a bit. Not only will the shoe combat obesity and diabetes (all profits from the anticipated 10,000 sales will be reinvested in tribal healthcare); it will also support Nike’s ongoing outreach efforts in the Native American community. This here is the beauty of the N7.

In the book “Nike Culture: The Sign of the Swoosh,” authors Robert Goldman and Stephen Papson explore how Nike’s advertising builds “on the globalization of sports culture, at the same time that it contributes to the globalization of commodity culture.” The authors go on to point out how specializing for niche markets is integral to maintaining a competitive edge in an industry defined by shrinking product life cycles and rapid commoditization

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Noel Ruiz says they are offering free advertising space for indie fashion designers and asks if I know any independent fashion designers who would be interested to learn about this promotion. More info here, the press release is here.
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Rachel Andrews announces the grand opening of Sephyrus hand made candles. She's offering a coupon code (thankyoufromsephyrus) good for $10 off on all purchases.
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Send your submissions to News From You. Have a good week end!
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I will print your commercial news posted such as openings, launches, new websites, news and press pieces if you're one of my designers or allied member of the community; we're thrilled to see your progress. All other commercial parties should review submission guidelines. I regret the limitation but if I didn't, then NFY would be dominated by PR fluff, jewelery and handbag designers with no ties to the community looking for free advertising. Besides, why do they persist on pitching to potential competitors? People, make sure your PR firms don't pitch willy-nilly. If they're not doing their homework and reviewing sites for suitability, you're paying too much. They contribute to the perception that PR firms aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. Also, most PR firms don't include an unsub option which is illegal. Make sure your firm does.