Apparel

Tech companies banking on wearables for the wrist better watch out for apparel. So-called smartwear is only just entering the race, but analysts see explosive growth for this category as wearables literally vie for consumers' attention.

On Monday, Montreal-based OMsignal switched on its app for iOS devices as it delivers the first batch of its biometric shirts for men who ordered them online last summer (a women's line is said to be coming soon). The company aims to capitalize on its early-mover advantage, trying to generate buzz by outfitting early-adopters, athletes and influencers in its biometric workout top and undershirts.

Superior Uniform Group recently participated in the "Drop (Off) Your Drawers" clothing drive hosted by Clothes To Kids. The annual event encourages local businesses and organizations to collect new socks and underwear for school-aged children who may be in need of a new school wardrobe.

Heritage Sportswear + Virginia T's recently announced the promotion of Kristin Egan to the position of territory manager for central and southern Ohio.

SanMar, Seattle, recently announced that it has opened a new warehouse in Phoenix. This brings SanMar's distribution network to eight full-scale warehouses throughout the country.

American Apparel, Los Angeles, recently announced financial results for its third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2014. The company reported a 2 percent increase in year-over-year wholesale sales.

Adidas has let the buying public in on a little secret: the ability to step into a production line with their own shoe design. With the new miZXFLUX app that launched this month in the U.S., the company opens up its production process to the creative—and paying—folks who want to transfer their own images onto their feet.

Torben Schumacher, Adidas Originals vice president of footwear, told us the timeline to open up the technology was short—only about five months from "idea to launch." The concept started when Adidas began promoting its own product with satellite images of cities.

For centuries, savvy outdoor adventurers have layered up in wool for its warmth-trapping, water-repelling, sweat-wicking and stink-fighting properties. But this age-old textile continues to evolve, thanks to a handful of sheep ranchers and entrepreneurs across the U.S. who, after decades of exporting their wool, are keeping the highest-quality fibers here to develop new products for the American market.

A revitalization of the entire domestic wool supply chain—from textile mills to wash operations to skilled cut-and-sew factory workers—has enabled companies to experiment and push the materials to new levels.

Lululemon's new CEO has had an "uninspiring tenure" so far, and the yoga brand is suffering from an exodus of loyal customers, according to analysts at Sterne Agee.

The firm has downgraded the retailer from "neutral" to "underperform," citing lasting damage from product-quality issues and difficulty attracting new customers, among other issues.

"Many customers have left and it's hard to get them back, especially given the focus on the women's active apparel business from brands such as Nike and Under Armour, and retailers such as Athleta, Sweaty Betty, Victoria's Secret, and others which have bitten into LULU," Sterne Agee analyst Sam Poser writes.

Twenty-five million women currently train with Nike's two training apps, nike+running and nike+training. At any time of the day or night, says Trevor Edwards, the British-born president of Nike, you can log on to nike.com and observe a Babel of animated feeds (and, of course, purchase merchandise). "You'll find women discussing what they like and don't like about a product," says Edwards. "And also which forthcoming events they're taking part in."

This is a level of engagement that media organizations, fashion brands and governments—especially governments—would kill for.

Denim jeans marketer Levi Strauss & Co. will shed 500 jobs, primarily from signing a five-year strategic agreement with Wipro Limited to outsource certain global business services.

This decision comes in the new phase of its global productivity initiative earlier announced in March 2014 and is expected to generate net annualized cost savings of $175 million to $200 million, once fully implemented.

"In this next phase of the productivity initiative, approximately 500 positions will be eliminated, primarily due to the decision to partner with Wipro, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company," Levis Strauss said.