Apparel

Gildan Activewear, recently announced results for its fourth quarter and full fiscal year ended Oct. 5, 2014. Net sales for the company's fourth quarter were $666.0 million, up 6.4 percent from $626.2 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013.

Nike has filed a lawsuit in Oregon claiming three designers who left for rival adidas took company plans with them, according to a report from Reuters.

Mark Dolce, Mark Miner and Denis Dekovic all announced their departure from the Beaverton shoe giant in September and apparently have been waiting until their non-compete agreement runs its course to start work at adidas.

Nike says the trio violated its non-compete agreements by collaborating with adidas early. From Reuters: "Nike said the designers hatched their plan last April, and pitched Adidas on a design studio that would help craft products ..."

TSC Apparel, Cincinnati, has expanded its collection of brands with the addition of Bella + Canvas. The entire Bella + Canvas collection is available on TSC's online drop-ship store, and beginning in January, Bella + Canvas will be stocked nationwide in all TSC Apparel locations.

The camouflage pattern will not stand alone among coming changes to the Army Combat Uniform. Joining the camo: a new belt, undershirt and boots.

The new personal gear, expected to roll out this summer, is darker to better match the new Operational Camouflage Pattern. Current lighter colors of the maligned gray Universal Camouflage Pattern would provide stark contrast to the new pattern.

Perhaps most visible: The default Desert Tan boots of today will give way to Coyote Brown 498. The darker color will blend better in a wider variety of environments, according to Program Executive Office Soldier.

Responding to a Change.org petition protesting Old Navy's pricing of plus-size clothing for women, the retailer said Friday it was changing some of its policies regarding its sale of larger apparel sizes—but not changing its price.

The Gap-owned retailer said Friday it was changing its return policy for women who purchase plus-size clothing, which is available only online. Starting Dec. 5, customers will be able to make plus-size apparel returns in the chain's brick-and-mortar stores, instead of having to ship the returns back to Old Navy.

Delta Apparel, Greenville, S.C., announced that it will report its 2014 fiscal fourth quarter and year-end results on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, after the market closes. The company will also hold a conference call with senior management to discuss the financial results.

Since the Rana Plaza building collapse and Tarzeen factory fire, noteworthy progress has been made in overhauling the Bangladesh garment sector, U.S. assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal said while in Dhaka.

Speaking to the media before embarking for Uzbekistan, Biswal said, "The Rana Plaza tragedy has seen real effort in transforming the industry and if Bangladesh can surmount the challenges, it will be considered a remarkable transformation."

Heritage Sportswear + Virginia T's recently announced that personalized 2015 catalogs are now available for pre-order. Promotional products distributors can add their logo to a cover or design their own cover, and present more than 1,000 styles of blank apparel and accessories to their customers.

In the fashion industry, if you aren't moving forward, chances are you are falling behind. The world of fashion has the capacity to change faster than ever in the digital era, and those with an eye on what's happening right now and a feel for what's coming next are in a powerful position to gain a competitive advantage.

While it's impossible to say exactly where technology will take fashion in the coming months and years, we do know it pays for apparel manufacturers and retailers to remain in touch with what's cutting edge.

The swoosh and the rings will stick together through at least 2020. The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) signed an extension to its sponsorship deal with Nike that will last through the Tokyo Games six years from now.

Nike is one of the USOC's top-tier sponsors. No dollar figures were given for the latest extension, though these contracts traditionally have been worth between $12 million and $15 million over four years.

USOC chief marketing officer Lisa Baird said the deal, announced Monday, is even more valuable because of Nike's worldwide reach and its advertising campaigns that use Olympic athletes.