Apparel

The reintroduction of a bill that would eliminate tariffs on imports of some recreational performance apparel into the U.S. has been welcomed by trade groups representing outdoor, apparel and footwear firms.

The bipartisan U.S. Optimal Use of Trade to Develop Outerwear and Outdoor Recreation (OUTDOOR) Act would benefit products like jackets and pants for hiking, biking, skiing and snowboarding, its supporters say.

As well as making these items more affordable for consumers, it would encourage participation in outdoor activities, and help designers and retailers of performance apparel better compete in the global economy.

Yesterday, attendees and exhibitors at PROMOTIONS EAST convened in the Atlantic City Convention Center for the Fashion-EAST-a Lunch and Learn event.

Will America join Japan and adopt "Super Cool Biz" this summer? That's the name of the program announced on June 1 in Japan which encourages office employees to dress down for the summer to save energy. The Japanese are famously formal in the workplace when it comes to attire and suit/tie is ordinarily de rigueur for salarymen everywhere. However, because of the tsunami-caused energy challenges, employees and managers are being urged to go casual for the hot season. We're not talking about no-tie casual, but rather Aloha shirts, jeans and sandals casual.

We're out at PROMOTIONS EAST today for the final day of exhibits, and after four days of Atlantic City weather and booth browsing, we've got some summer trade show-themed Editor's Picks lined up for you.

A list of logo-friendly links to start off your summer.

Heritage Sportswear announced that Rachel Hare has joined their sales force and will serve the Illinois promotional products market as a member of their expanded sales team. 

Promo Marketing is published out of Philadelphia. And here in Philly we know a little sumthin' sumthin' about about how to cheer on the home team.

Anvil Knitwear received Best First Time Report for its CSR Report for the North American competition sponsored by Ceres and the Association for Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) at the Ceres conference in Oakland, California.

Contrary to a common misperception that virtually all U.S. apparel manufacturing has migrated offshore—largely to Asia—in search of lower costs, some branded and private-label apparel is still being made in the United States, and, indeed, a bit of a turnaround is taking place, with brands and retailers reassessing the value of manufacturing domestically, or at least closer to home.

The U.S. apparel supply chain—as part of a larger Western hemisphere supply chain—lives, especially for higher-end and specialty brands, but also for moderately priced apparel.

The U.S. government continues to subsidize its cotton farmers—$24 billion over the past 10 years—despite the World Trade Organization ruling some of these subsidies illegal. And when the WTO backed Brazil's case that the subsidies were damaging, the U.S. government simply offered to pay subsidies to Brazilian farmers too.