Apparel

Ash City has announced the release of its 2014 collection. With more than 100 new styles, the collection encompasses the latest design elements with innovative performance and technology.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall of HALO SleepSack Wearable Blankets with Pink Satin Flowers. The petals from the floral embellishment on the blankets can detach, posing a choking hazard to infants.

It’s easy to find a nice-looking pair of shoes for $40 these days, and even easier to find a trendy $40 dress. But while “fast fashion” prices are so light on the wallet they almost feel as though they’re going to disappear altogether, the cost of luxury goods continues to rise and rise, with no end in sight.

Duality. Utility. Form meets fashion. Isn't that how many of our sportswear trends are developing these days? Shirts that work. Jackets that move. And now we have colors that captivate and catapult us out of harm's way.

Nike halted production on a line of sportswear on Wednesday after an outcry that the designs were culturally insensitive. The women's running tights, bodysuit, and sports bra in the Nike Pro Tattoo Tech line were decorated with a pattern based on Samoan tattoos called pe'a, which are traditionally reserved for men.

"To the outside world it's just a design," a commenter, Freddie Ika, wrote on a Change.org petition that was launched on August 2 to protest the sale of the items. "But to my Polynesian people, it's sacred."

How to include them in your fall promotions.

The aftermath of the April garment factory collapse in Bangladesh that killed more than 1,100 has apparel executives eying higher clothing costs next year.

Apparel unit costs look to increase at a low-single-digit rate next year, after a decline since 2012, according to a Cowen & Co. survey of 15 executives and agents that handle apparel sourcing for retailers and brand manufacturers. More than two-thirds of the survey respondents see higher apparel costs next year, with 20 percent of them expecting costs to even increase at a high-single-digit rate.

American Apparel announced preliminary sales for the month ended July 31, 2013. On a preliminary basis, total net sales for July 2013 were $57.6 million, an increase of 5 percent over July 2012. Comparable sales for July 2013 increased 8 percent, including a 6 percent increase in comparable store sales in the retail store channel and a 23 percent increase in net sales in the online channel. Wholesale net sales increased 2 percent for the month.

Ash City announce the appointment of Brent Neal as dedicated sales representative for the Southern Alberta and South Eastern BC territory. Neal's role will be responsible for building solid relationships with distributors, supporting and growing sales, and acting as the point of contact for customers in these areas.

Polyconcept North America announced two key promotions within Trimark Powered by Leed's. Sharon Willochell has been promoted to president of Trimark Powered by Leed's, and Michael Snyder has been promoted to vice president of merchandising and national accounts.