Apparel

Apple and Nike are working on a new item of wearable technology that will have greater integration into existing gadgets, and is less obvious and more "stealth," according to Nike chief executive Mark Parker.

Nike has long been making wearable technology, originally partnering with Apple for its Nike+ running sensor range in 2006, which connected wirelessly to the iPod.

Nike discontinued its FuelBand fitness-tracking bracelet in April, shutting down the team that made it, which saw two of its key engineers move to Apple to work on the Apple Watch.

Is fashion in a "repetitive cycle?" Apparently yes, according to Swedish author and Fortune 500 business consultant Stefan Engeseth. And what could give the industry more juice? Ikea. "Fashion is an expression of how to package and sell design," he says via press release.

Engeseth suggests that Ikea could offer complete clothing items, but also offer composite parts that consumers could complete at home, much like the covetable furniture it provides. "Emotionally, this connects people to how life was in the beginning," Engeseth says. "Customers can personalize and 'hack' the designs."

Charles River Apparel, Sharon, Mass., a manufacturer of outerwear and performance apparel, was recently called upon by non-profit organization Friends of Boston's Homeless with a critical request to provide clothing as quickly as possible. Safety concerns about the access bridge to the Long Island Homeless Shelter in Boston gave the city little choice but to abruptly close the island. This decision affected more than 400 homeless guests and transitional program residents, many of whom were forced to leave with just the clothes on their backs.

Adidas had grand plans when it acquired Reebok eight years ago. The German footwear and clothing company had designs on Nike Inc., and on becoming the top dog of the athletic-wear world. It hasn't exactly worked out that way.

Reebok's market share has dropped. Adidas's market share has dropped. Nike's has only gotten bigger. Now, an investor group led by Hong Kong's Jynwel Capital is looking to acquire Reebok for $2.2 billion.

The thinking is that Reebok could better continue its turnaround if it's spared the harsh light of the public markets.

First came the athletes, then the greasers. Then came the nonconformists, the teenagers and finally the baby boomers. The shoe manufacturer Converse has sold its brand of cool and whiff of rebellion to generations of Americans.

Now Converse, the century-old American footwear maker, says some of the core elements of its widely recognizable Chuck Taylor sneakers—black stripes and a rubber toe topper—are being co-opted by Walmart, Kmart, Skechers and others. And it is taking them to court, accusing 31 companies of trademark infringement in 22 separate lawsuits filed Tuesday in United States District Court in Brooklyn.

Eric Lewis is an avid runner. The 23-year-old Ontarian is also an avid Lululemon shopper. In fact, it's the only sports apparel brand he wears, and he owns some 45 pairs of their Pace Breaker shorts.

"They fit perfectly, wash nicely and can also be worn every day," explains Lewis, who has maintained LuluMen, a site dedicated to Lululemon's masculine side, for the last three years. "I've tried other brands like Nike or Under Armour, but you can't find fabrics like Lululemon's, and I find that the cut and style are more tailored and unique.

Vantage Apparel, Avenel, N.J., a manufacturer and decorator of logo apparel, has hired Jennifer Strauss as sales representative for Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Puerto Rico, and has added Mike Newman as sales representative for New England, including parts of New York and Connecticut.

S&S Activewear, Bolingbrook, Ill., announced that it has strengthened its electronic data interchange (EDI) with a proprietary system called ApparelSync. EDI, the computer-to-computer exchange of documents, has become a standard for business-to-business collaboration across the apparel industry. With ApparelSync EDI, integrated customers are connected to real-time inventory, pricing, product information, and automated ordering and invoicing.

Adidas and Under Armour must write bigger checks than Nike in the lucrative collegiate athletic business.

That's the key finding of a soon-to-be-published paper from researchers at The Ohio State University, Texas A&M and Northern Kentucky University.

The researchers used data in the Portland Business Journal's database of university athletic deals in order to study how much the three sportswear giants pay to outfit college football and basketball teams. The contracts are coveted by companies because of the access provided to young, affluent and socially mobile fans.

The key finding: Nike often pays less than it should.

European retailers said on Tuesday they had found thousands of safety problems while inspecting Bangladesh garment factories in a drive to prevent a repeat of last year's Rana Plaza disaster that claimed more than 1,100 lives.

The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, an umbrella group of nearly 200 European brands such as H&M and Carrefour, said inspectors discovered 80,000 safety hazards in the 1,106 factories investigated this year.

"We've found safety hazards in all factories ... from minor to significant," said Brad Loewen, the Accord's chief safety inspector.