The wool market has held steady this week, with the benchmark Eastern Market Indicator unchanged, closing yesterday at 1070c/kg. While sales are today under way in Sydney and Melbourne, yesterday across the board most categories lifted according to Australian Wool Exchange statistics. The biggest rises were seen in the north, where good quality fine wools saw the 16.5-micron category jump by 16c/kg and the 17.5-micron by 18c/kg. The 19.5, 20 and 22-micron categories in the south lost from

HSBC China Flash PMI fell to a nine-month low of 48.3 in June. This was below expectations for a marginal decline to 49.1, from 49.2 in May. A reading below 50 indicates contraction. “The HSBC China Flash Manufacturing PMI dropped to a nine-month low of 48.3 in June, following on the sequential reduction in both production and demand, wrote HSBC's Hongbin Qu in a press release. "Manufacturing sectors are weighed down by deteriorating external demand, moderating domestic demand and

Armani Fall – is the new face of fall 2013 campaign. The Italian model replaces Saskia de Brauw who fronted the brand last season. lensed Mariacarla with a curly mane in a pair of wide-legged pants and a tailored jacket from Armani’s autumn collection. Source: Fashion Gone Rogue.

Wild for Juicy –Here'sa full look at the fall 2013 campaign from Juicy Couture. The advertisements star Edita Vilkeviciute and Andreea Diaconu laying about in a rock ‘n’ roll themed set which is appropriate considering the autumn collection’s bohemian inspiration. The girls were photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin in Los Angeles, California, with styling by Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele. Check out the official campaign video below made with art direction by Roi Elfassy and Matthew

H&M Group’s sales including VAT increased in local currencies by 5 percent during the first six months of the financial year. Sales in comparable units decreased by 4 percent. Converted into Swedish Krona, sales excluding VAT amounted to an increase of 1 percent. In million Swedish Krona terms, the group’s profit after tax fell by 11 percent. Sales increased by 14 percent in local currencies in the period June 1 to June 17, 2013, compared to the same period last year. CEO Karl-Johan Persson

Italian fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have both been found guilty of tax evasion by an Italian court and sentenced to jail. The duo were both sentenced by Judge Antonella Brambilla to one year and eight months in prison, after being found guilty of failing to declare hundreds of millions of euros to the Italian tax authorities. The designers, who were in London over the weekend launching their menswear boutique, were not present for the verdict and have strongly deny the

It is not so often that one hears of a Leicester-based UK knitwear firm expanding these days. Leicester was once the thriving hub of knitwear production in the UK, employing 30,000 people, but as retailers have sought to protect margins in an increasingly competitive retail environment, much manufacturing has gone to the Far East. However, there are signs that for those who have managed to cling on through the difficult times, UK retail demand for their knitwear could be returning and even g

With the textile industry reviving from two years of slowdown, the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil) is confident that cotton textile exports from the country will double in three years. Chairman of the council Manickam Ramaswamy toldThe Hinduthat the annual cotton textile export now was worth $ 10 billion, consisting of cotton yarn, fabric and home textiles. India is most competitive manufacturer of textile products globally, compared to China and Bangladesh too. It has se

Apparel export of $17 billion is expected this financial year, compared to $14 bn last year, say those in the trade. A cheaper rupee will help. Exporters are hoping to capture buyers who used to source apparel from Bangladesh. The latter, currently the second largest apparel exporter in the world, has seen several negative happenings which have highlighted the poor working conditions of labour in the segment. These have led to several foreign brands which had outsourced garment making there to

Sixteen Cambodian garment workers and union representatives have been charged with inciting violence and damaging property during a strike for higher pay at a factory making clothes for U.S. sportswear company Nike, a lawyer said on Tuesday. Low-cost labor has attracted Western brands to Cambodia and garments now account for around 75 percent of exports from the Southeast Asian country, but strikes over pay and working conditions have become common. Up to 4,000 workers at Sabrina (Cambodia