THA Executive Committee Meeting – April 7 at THA offices in Charlotte, NC.

THA Board of Directors Meeting – April 27 at The Mulberry Inn in Savannah, GA.

**TODAY IS THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER** for THA's 101st Annual Convention that will be happening April 27-30, 2006 in Savannah, Georgia. THA has planned an excellent line up of speakers and topics, and you don't want to miss out on these informative presentations and networking opportunities.

Nicole Bivens Collinson of Sandler Travis and Rosenberg, P. A. will present “How Domestic Companies Can Take Advantage of US Trade Expansion” at the Global Manufacturers Committee meeting on Saturday, April 29 from 7:15*-8:15 a.m. (*new start time).

 

Jim Schollaert of Made in USA Strategies will present “Beyond the China Safeguards – Strategic Opportunities and Challenges for the Domestic Sock Industry” at the USA Domestic Manufacturers Meeting Saturday morning from 7:15-8:15 a.m.

There will NOT be a Legwear Communications Meeting on Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. If you had signed up to attend this meeting, please email Vicki Camp (vicki.camp@hosieryassociation.com) and let her know if you prefer to attend the DMC meeting, GMC meeting or neither of these so accurate headcounts can be obtained.

The updated Program Agenda can be viewed at http://www.hosieryassociation.com/2006-THA-Annual/program.html.

If you have already registered for the convention but do not have hotel reservations yet, you can still try and contact The Mulberry Inn at 877-468-1200 and see if they have any rooms available and if not ask to be put on their waiting list. (The March 27 deadline has passed for getting THA's room block rate.) We have obtained the names and numbers of four other hotels close to The Mulberry Inn that you can contact: 1) Savannah Riverfront Marriott (912-233-7722), 2) Staybridge Suites (912-721-9000), The Planter's Inn (912-232-5678), or The Marshall House (912-644-7896).

If you are interested in attending this year's Annual Convention, please make sure you send in your registration to THA by TODAY'S DEADLINE. Registration forms are also available on our website:http://www.hosieryassociation.com/2006-THA-Annual/registration.html.

Make plans now to join your fellow hosiery industry friends in Savannah, GA on April 27-30.

Note: A registration list will not be available until the week of April 17th,there are too many updates/additions to accommodate requests prior to that time. We can tell you that pre-registration exceeds last year's final attendance.

CIT COMMERCIAL SERVICES, NILIT AMERICA, PARKDALE, SWIFT SPINNING INC. and UNIFI INC. are our current general sponsors of THA's 101st Annual Meeting & Convention April 27-30 in Savannah. R. L. Stowe is a hole sponsor at the annual convention golf tournament. RadiciSpandex is sponsoring both a hole and a “closest to the pin” contest at the annual convention golf tournament. THA wishes to extend its gratitude for the support of these companies. Sponsorship information has been included with the annual convention brochures that were mailed out, so if your company is interested in joining these industry leaders, please contact Mike Austell at 704-365-0913 or email mike.austell@hosieryassociation.com.

Hosiery 101 & 102 Courses are coming up again at the Hosiery Technology Center on May 10 & 11. For more information about these courses contact the HTC through www.legsource.com.

The CHA Chapter of THA will hold their next meeting on May 25 at the Pepper Tree Inn, Greensboro. 

CHA's Golf Tournament: CHA will hold a golf tournament on Thursday, June 8 at Rock Barn Country Club. Rock Barn is a Robert Trent Jones Jr. course and site of a fall Senior PGA event. Registration for this Captain's Choice tournament is at 8:00 a.m. with a shotgun start at 9:00 a.m. The $90 registration fee will include golf, lunch and heavy hors d'oeuvres at the awards ceremony. 

HR/SAFETY GROUP – The May 12 HR/Safety Group meeting has been cancelled. The next meeting will be September 14-15 in Asheville, NC.

March/April issue of Hosiery News is out! The current issue of The Hosiery Association's official magazine is now available in print and electronic formats. Consisting of a unique blend of editorial which is meaningful to your businesses, Hosiery News is developed by a team of association professionals and is read consistently worldwide. Let us know if you're not receiving your copy.

 

 

Industry Support with Style! THA will soon be re-launching its web site with a new look and a new feel. With the thousands of consumers, retailers and industry professionals that visit us from across the globe on a daily basis, this new platform will offer its users with more functionality and more information readily at their fingertips than ever before. A “members only” section will enable its users to keep up to date on the latest statistical, legislative and trend information available. 

 

 

NC State University's 2006 Continuing Education Schedule: May sessions include: “Distribution Free Analysis” – May 2006 , “New Product Development—Wipes” – May 1-5, and “Dyeing and Finishing Fundamentals” – May 16-19. Most of the courses are held on NCSU's Centennial Campus. To view the entire 2006 schedule or if you are interested in registering for one of these courses, visit www.ContinuingEducation.NCSU.edu.

Dallas Market Center Show – The Men’s & Boys’ Apparel Market and the Women’s & Children’s Apparel and Accessories show will be held at the Dallas Market Center in Dallas, TX June 1-4. Dallas Market Center, the largest wholesale merchandise resource in the world as recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records, is the one location where retailers from around the globe source a wide range of products including textiles, fashion accessories and women's, men's, children's and western apparel. With more than 50 markets each year attended by more than 200,000 buyers, Dallas Market Center offers an array of services geared toward helping retailers expand business & increase profits. Additional 2006 show dates: August 17-20, and October 26-29. For more detailed information, visit www.dallasmarketcenter.com.

2006 Seattle Trend Show – Show dates for 2006 have been released for the Seattle Trend Shows. This show is a regional tradeshow for the Pacific Northwest, featuring women’s, children’s and men’s apparel and accessories. For 65 years this show has served independent retailers from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and British Columbia. The shows will be held at the Qwest Field Event Center in Seattle, Washington. Dates are as follows: June 10-12, August 5-7 and October (TBD). For more information about this show, contact Patricia Hodges, Executive Director, Pacific Northwest Apparel Association: T – 206-767-9200, F – 206-767-0707, E – pnaa@earthlink.net, W – www.seattletrendshow.com.

Material World Show – Material World will have one more show in 2006: September 26-28 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York, NY. “From Design to Delivery, the Premier Global Trade Event for the Sewn Products Industries.” Additional information can be found at www.material-world.com.

Sara Lee Corporation Announces Executive Appointments for Sara Lee Branded Apparel; Chaden Named Executive Chairman; Noll Appointed Chief Executive Officer: On March 30, Sara Lee Corporation named Lee A. Chaden to the position of executive chairman of Sara Lee Branded Apparel, and Richard A. Noll to chief executive officer of Sara Lee Branded Apparel, effective April 1, 2006. Last year, Sara Lee announced its intent to spin off as an independent, publicly held company its Americas/Asia apparel business, Sara Lee Branded Apparel, a move that is expected to be completed between June and September, 2006. Once that spin-off is complete, the new company will be known as Hanesbrands Inc. "As we finalize our preparations to spin off Sara Lee Branded Apparel, it is important that we formalize the management organization that will lead the new company," said Brenda C. Barnes, chairman and chief executive officer of Sara Lee Corporation. "Both Lee and Rich are proven business leaders who not only possess a wealth of global apparel industry knowledge and experience, but also have a strong track record of developing and executing successful business strategies." In their new roles, Chaden will concentrate on preparing the enterprise to be spun off as an independent, publicly traded company, including recruiting a board of directors to govern Hanesbrands Inc., while Noll will focus on managing the global business.

G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. to Design and Produce Wal-Mart's Exsto Brand; To Supply Sportswear, Outerwear, and Hats; Launch to Begin July 1, 2006: On March 30 G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. announced that it had expanded its relationship with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. with its participation in the design and production of a new young men's branded sportswear line, Exsto, which Wal-Mart recently acquired from G-III Apparel. The Exsto brand is aimed at price-conscious, male consumers between 18 and 35 who seek strong fashion that reflects a hip, urban sensibility. G-III noted that it is currently the sole supplier of Exsto branded products to Wal-Mart. Initially, the line will consist of sportswear, outerwear and hats and is expected to be available in 300 select Wal-Mart stores for the upcoming Fall season.

Fashion Week in Mexico: Fashion Week Mexico launched its second ever fashion season this week the rooftop of Camino Real Hotel in the heart of Mexico City's Polanco district.

An angry group of designers which included Diane Von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez and Zac Posen descended on Washington DC demanding copyright protection for their designs.They have the backing of Virginia Republican Representative Bob Goodlatte who is expected to introduce legislation to protect the intellectual property of designers from knockoffs. High end fashion designers are tired of seeing their work instantly copied and in the stores for about a tenth of the price before they have even started shipping it themselves without the type of legal protection found in other industries.

Up for Womenswear Designer of the Year are Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough for Proenza Schouler, and Marc Jacobs. For Menswear Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne and Alexandre Plokhov for Cloak made the cut. Tom Binns, Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors were named for the Accessory Designer of the Year award. The awards gala takes place June 5 at the New York Public Library. Presenters at the event included Michael Kors, Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez, Stan Herman, and John Varvatos.

Evolving Trends in China Could Help Resolve Trade Irritants with U.S.: According to press reports, there are early indications that China’s status as the premier destination for low-cost manufacturing may be slipping. Labor-intensive production of clothing, toys, and other goods is beginning to move out of China to countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh, where costs are lower. The emerging situation has been fostered by a relatively recent change in Beijing’s economic policy. For most of the past 20 years this policy focused on creating jobs for the millions of people that migrated from China’s interior to the coastal cities. The result was an increase in factories producing goods that required relatively unskilled labor and were largely destined for foreign markets. Increasingly, however, this approach does not fit the domestic and global environments. Within China, wages are on the rise as workers become more skilled and the availability of cheap labor from rural areas begins to wane. Higher wages have yielded a growing middle class with more purchasing power, and the government is therefore encouraging factories to produce more for domestic consumption. This, in turn, could reduce exports to the U.S. and thus ease the pressure from Washington for more balance in bilateral trade. Beijing is also seeking to promote more value-added manufacturing by Chinese companies. This effort is primarily designed to establish a foundation for steady, sustained domestic economic growth, but officials also hope that higher end goods will be less vulnerable to unfair trade allegations, and the penalties and restrictions that can result, in foreign markets.

U.S. and Indonesia Working Toward FTA Negotiations: U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Rob Portman met with Indonesia’s Minister of Trade Mari Pangestu this week to discuss how to broaden and deepen economic relations under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA). The meeting followed two days of TIFA discussions between delegations from both countries covering a wide range of issues, including agriculture, investment, IPR, corruption, customs and transshipment.

Thomas Argues Administration Should Redirect Focus to Bilateral and Regional FTAs: House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) recently said that the Bush Administration should turn its focus away from the conclusion of the Doha Round and instead negotiate with certain key partners to conclude bilateral and regional trade agreements that Thomas argues would ultimately be more beneficial to the U.S. Thomas was particularly critical of the European Union’s (EU) position in the Doha Round and said that the EU and the U.S. have “irreconcilable differences” in their views on trade. Though he conceded that the U.S. cannot simply walk away from the WTO negotiations, he believes the talks should not be its primary focus over the coming months.

Japanese Trade Minister Proposes Regional Trade Pact: Japanese Trade Minister Toshihiro Nikai has proposed the creation of a 16-nation East Asia free trade zone that would include the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Korea, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand. Nikai said he would like to see negotiations begin in 2008 and conclude in 2010. He could introduce the proposal at today’s Japan’s Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, which is headed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Several press reports, however, highlighted the difficulties in achieving this goal, citing recent friction between Japan and China and Japan’s reluctance to reform its agriculture sector as two potential stumbling blocks.

DR-CAFTA Implementation for Nicaragua and Honduras: The White House has announced that DR-CAFTA entered into force for Nicaragua and Honduras on April 1. As a result, originating merchandise from these two countries entered on or after April 1 will be eligible for duty-free treatment under the agreement. DR-CAFTA is now in force for three of the six signatory countries; it went into effect for El Salvador on March 1. The implementation of DR-CAFTA for Nicaragua and Honduras still leaves open the question of CBTPA-qualifying merchandise that is co-produced in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, or Guatemala. For example, a garment assembled in Honduras from fabric knit in Costa Rica from U.S. yarn still will not qualify for duty-free treatment under DR-CAFTA until the agreement becomes effective for Costa Rica, which some sources speculate might not happen until sometime in 2007. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) said recently, however, that it is working with Congress to make the necessary technical corrections to the agreement to allow duty-free entry for textile and apparel products made in signatory countries with inputs from countries for which the agreement is not yet in effect. A legislative fix could be included as part of the miscellaneous tariff bill (MTB), which passed the House on March 15, or the Oman free trade agreement (FTA) implementing legislation, which has yet to be introduced.