Apparel

Labor unions have alleged that approximately 500 workers have lost their lives to garment unit fires in the last five years. Most recently, the fire in a garment factory in Karachi Pakistan claimed the lives of nearly 300 workers, exposing the lack of health and safety measures of garment factories in low-cost garment manufacturing hubs like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, India, etc.

Many of these garment factories produce product for renowned global brands and retailers like H&M, Levi Strauss, GAP, Topshop, Next, Adidas, Marks & Spencer, Tommy Hilfiger, Timberland, Debenhams, Sports Direct and many more.

In a study published in Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, Jung Ha-Brookshire, an assistant professor in the textile and apparel management department in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at MU, surveyed American consumers to determine the value they place on apparel produced in different countries. She showed participants a cotton shirt, told them it was made in China, and said it sold for $40 in retail stores. She then showed them the same piece of clothing and told them it was made in the U.S. with U.S. cotton. The results showed a troubling trend for American consumers.

Greenville, South Carolina-based Delta Apparel Inc. achieved record revenue for its fiscal 2013 first quarter ended Sept. 30, 2012.

The U.S. Department of Labor has filed an action to enforce a subpoena issued to Los Angeles-based apparel retailer Forever 21 seeking documents related to the company's apparel contractors and manufacturers.

As a part of its ongoing 20 year anniversary celebration, Tri-Mountain, Irwindale, Calif., has announced the release of its first ever Team Sports catalog this week. This latest catalog features over 140 apparel styles made with the athlete and team in mind.

To protest the labor practices involved in producing USC apparel, students—dressed in recycled materials ranging from newspapers to plastic bags—assembled in front of Tommy Trojan for a runway show Wednesday.

Student Coalition Against Labor Exploitation wants the university to use an independent monitor to audit factories that produce USC apparel, according to the event's organizer Sarah Newell, who is a sophomore majoring in business administration.

"We want the students to know this," Newell said, "so we can gather as a student body and pressure USC to sign on to the Workers Rights Consortium ... which would monitor USC's factories

A company that sells official National Football League apparel has sued Facebook for allegedly displaying ads for counterfeits.

"Facebook has failed to take any measures to curb or stop the placement of fraudulent and illegal ads on its website, opting instead to grow revenues by adding additional counterfeiters each day to its roster of advertisers," Krystal's NFL Shoppe alleges in its complaint, filed this week in U.S. District Court in New Mexico.

The company is seeking to bring a class-action on behalf of all retailers and wholesalers of official NFL clothing.

Krystal's argues that Facebook is more than a "passive party" to

As part of its recent third-quarter results press release, HandsBrands Inc. announced that it has "substantially completed" the discontinuation of its private-label and Outer Banks domestic operations. From the press release:

"On May 30, Hanes sold its European imagewear business, and the company has substantially completed the discontinuation of its private-label and Outer Banks domestic imagewear operations serving wholesalers that sell to the screen-print industry. In accordance with GAAP requirements, the company reported results for the second and third quarters on a continuing-operations basis and revised prior-period results to reflect continuing operations. The company's branded printwear operations will continue to operate and serve the branded domestic screen-print market."

Aprons and uniforms set knowledgeable employees apart from bewildered shoppers. Imagine what they could do for your programs?

The end of the fourth quarter is closer than you think. Are you prepared for the new year?