Friday, July 14, 2006

This edition of the Hosiery Insider
is sponsored by
DAK AMERICAS

If you know of someone in your company who would also like to receive Hosiery Insider, please email us at insider@hosieryassociation.com. Please provide complete contact information, especially email address.

THA Membership – 2nd Notices Being Mailed Next Week: Please help THA save on the cost of mailing out additional notices, by paying your dues promptly. Renewals for the 2006-2007 THA Membership Year continue to be received by THA, and we thank those companies for their prompt attention.

THA Global Manufacturers Committee (GMC) welcomes on board Nicole Bivens Collinson, Vice President of Trade Negotiations & Legislative Affairs, Sandler, Travis & Rosenburg (P.A), a person known and respected by many. In addition to being an excellent communicator and part of a global firm that many of us use, Nicole is very savvy to the ways of Washington and is a great asset in making sure that the playing field stays as even as possible. Those companies who are actively participating in this new initiative will receive a number of benefits including hosiery specific legislative summaries, in house seminars focusing on their particular needs, discounts on all STR seminars, industry “fly ins” among others. For further information on how you can get involved, please contact GMC Chairman Sandy Browder of Global DBMM, 336-723-0729 or gbrowder@global-dbmm.com.

AL Supplier Luncheons: The next Alabama Chapter Supplier Luncheon will be held on Thursday, August 17 at the Western Sizzlin’ in Fort Payne.

CHA Supplier Luncheons: The next CHA Chapter Supplier Luncheon will be held on Thursday, August 24 at the Hosiery Technology Center in Hickory, NC.

THA is pleased to announce the 2nd Annual Industry-Wide Golf Tournament will be held Wednesday, September 27, 2006 at Birkdale Golf Club. Birkdale is in Huntersville, NC, a short drive just north of Charlotte. THA is also pleased to announce that GROZ-BECKERT will be the major sponsor for this event. Those interested in a sponsorship, should contact Mike Austell at THA. More information will be posted soon to THA’s website.

Industry Support with Style! Take Advantage of Complimentary Member Access While It Lasts…. 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. Keep up to date on the latest statistical, legislative and trend information available. We are offering “free” access until the end of this month...please visit us at our new website www.hosieryassociation.com. …the user name is tha and the password is hosiery. We invite you to work through the site and give us your feedback! 

July/August Issue of Hosiery News on its way to you soon! The electronic version of the Association’s publication will be distributed next week and printed version the following…be sure to look out for the special MAGIC and WSA featured sections!

Hosiery Insider Sponsorship: Do you want a cost effective venue for communicating your messages to thousands worldwide? Sponsor the next issue of Hosiery Insider. For details, contact Mike Austell at 704-365-0913 Ext 204 or mike.austell@hosieryassociation.com.

Field of Slobs: “MAJOR League Baseball’s All-Star Game, which took place on July 11 in Pittsburgh, has always featured an endearing crazy quilt of colors and insignias, because the players wear their respective team uniforms instead of a generic outfit for each squad as in football and basketball. Unfortunately, the quilt has been a bit less crazy in recent years than in decades past, because most of today’s players wear their pant legs all the way down to their shoe tops. Of this year’s 64 All-Stars, only five — Ichiro Suzuki, Barry Zito, Jim Thome, Alfonso Soriano and Brad Penny — routinely hike up their pants to expose a once-crucial element of the baseball uniform: the colored sock.

If you think baseball hosiery isn’t important, think again. Back in the early days, when uniform pants were essentially knickers, stockings were the primary way for a team to show its colors. Note that we don’t have teams called the Blue Caps or the White Pants — we have the White Sox and the Red Sox. And during the McCarthy era, when the Cincinnati Reds were concerned that their team name might be associated with Communism, the team’s owners officially changed the club’s name to the Redlegs — a name that wouldn’t work today because not a single Red exposes his hose.

But don’t blame the players. The real fault lies with Major League Baseball’s higher-ups, who are legendarily persnickety about everything from sleeve lengths (must be standardized within a given team) to handwritten cap inscriptions (forbidden under any circumstances) but have allowed pant cuffs to migrate southward with nary a peep, with disastrous results for the game’s hosiery heritage.

So what can be done? Plenty. Little League coaches can teach their players how to cuff their pants up high. Weekend softball players can do it themselves. And fans could reward players who know the proper way to wear a uniform when next year’s All-Star Game voting rolls around.

And don’t give up — history has a tendency to reward the faithful. After all, the last two World Series champions were the Red Sox and the White Sox.” (By Paul Lukas for The New York Times)

Lean Manufacturing and the Importance of Cycle Time - July 17-18, 2006 – Cary, NC: Join [TC]²’s 2006 Student Interns for this two-day program discussing short cycle manufacturing’s important role in today’s environment and participate in the Penville Plant™ hands-on activity. Lean manufacturing systems reduce work-in-process, increase quality, and shorten lead times. You'll find out how to achieve these benefits as well as understand the commitment required at all levels of the organization. If your customer is requiring faster service time and responsiveness, this seminar is a must. For more details, visit http://www.tc2.com/what/seminars.html.

NC State University’s 2006 Continuing Education Schedule: Upcoming sessions for July include: “Introduction to Nonwovens Products and Processing” – July 24- 26 and “Color Basics for Textiles” – July 25-27. 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.

cordially invite you to attend our can't miss seminar
DR-CAFTA: Implementation Challenges and Opportunities
July 25, 2006
Union League Club in New York, NY

On Aug. 2, 2005, President Bush signed the DR-CAFTA into law. But nearly a year later, the agreement has yet to be fully implemented. What is happening with the "rolling implementation" and how does it affect your company? What needs to be done and what can be done to address the problems created by this situation? Please join us for a half-day seminar that will provide you with the latest information on outstanding issues, pending changes and required changes. THA members receive 15%. For further information, e-mail to messages@strtrade.com, or call (800) 5TRADE5 or (305) 267-9200.

LAST CHANCE FOR TOUR! Join us for a special tour on August 1 as we team up with WSA to grow the hosiery (all legwear/footwear categories) component at its next show which will be held August 1-4 in Las Vegas. Each event attracts over 1,600 exhibitors representing 6,000 brands and 34,000+ industry professionals and buyers from department stores, specialty retailers, footwear chains, independent footwear retailers and boutiques across the globe. 97% of buyers took buyer action at the last show. 94% of attendees hold management positions with purchasing authority. 89% of buyers attend this show exclusively. The WSA show delivers the largest concentration of buying power in the footwear and accessories industry. Contact Sally Kay at (704)365-0913, ext. 212 or email sally.kay@hosieryassociation.com for details on how you can participate in the official THA tour of WSA. See Style Walk-The Fashion Show featuring shoes and hosiery products….your retail customers will. THA will be directing space sales for the 2007 Show…can you afford not to participate?

2006 Seattle Trend Show – 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: August 5-7 and October 5-8. 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.

Register Now for the First-Ever RFID Event Designed for Apparel and Footwear to be held August 15–16 in New York City at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Center for Professional Studies for this unprecedented event. The RFID Journal – AAFA Apparel & Footwear Summit is the first event designed by the leading RFID publication and the leading industry trade association to address the issues and concerns of companies in the apparel and footwear industry. [www.rfidjournal.com/apparel/2006/]

By attending this one-of-a-kind event you’ll get a critical understanding of how RFID can benefit companies in the apparel and footwear sector, including:

• The benefits of tagging individual items
• The timeframe in which major retailers are likely to mandate tagging of individual items
• How RFID can improve internal process and cut costs for manufacturers and retailers
• How manufacturers can use RFID to gain more visibility into work-in-process and order fulfillment
• The benefits and challenges of implementing RFID in small and mid-size manufacturing and retailing companies
• Best practices for using RFID to improve delivery speed and accuracy in the complex supply chain
• Insight into how RFID can and is being used to deter theft, diversion and counterfeiting of high-value apparel and footwear brands
• And more!

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 August 17-20. 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. The final 2006 show date will be October 26-29. For more detailed information, visit www.dallasmarketcenter.com.

VISIT OUR BOOTH: Sourcing at MAGIC The "You Wear US Well" team would like to invite you to join this effort. In conjunction with SEAMS, the Hosiery Technology Center (HTC)and The Hosiery Association (THA), the nine hosiery companies and seven apparel makers have joined together to secure exhibit space at the 2006 MAGIC show in Las Vegas - where as you know each year thousands of retailers come to find the products that they want to offer their customers. The nine hosiery companies are Johnson Hosiery, WY Shugart, Kentucky Derby Hosiery, Twin City Knitting, Wells Hosiery, Knit Rite, Wrights Hosiery, Fox River Mills and Angel Hosiery. The apparel manufacturers are A.S. Tees Mfg., Carolina Apparel Group Inc., Creative Outlet, Cal Cru, Kellsport, Vinci Clothiers and Ultimate Sports and Apparel. With a sponsorship of either $600 or $1200, you can put your company in the MAGIC show booth and show other potential manufacturing customers the kind of commitment you're willing to make as a supplier. Your company’s name will be included in the included in the special MAGIC section of Hosiery News, THA's official publication, the MAGIC press kits and a quarter page ad in Legwear Trends and Textiles Tomorrow. Please contact Dan St. Louis at sockman@legsource.com for details on how you can financially support this effort.

ASAPShow – Authority in Global Sourcing – Two Shows, Two Cities, One Trip, for One Price. ASAP Vegas – August 27-30 and ASAP Los Angeles – September 1. They have extended their show hours from 9:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. the first three days and will be 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on the last day. Overseas apparel manufacturers will be showcasing their production (sourcing, contract manufacturing, outsourcing) capabilities to international buyers all under one roof at the Sands Expo/Venetian. For more information, go to www.asapshow.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.

Supermodel Kate Moss just landed another lucrative endorsement this time as the new face of lingerie maker Agent Provocateu. The label's owner, Vivienne Westwood's son Joe Corre, told the Daily Mirror: "Watch out for something in September that is huge – but top secret for now." Moss's income is thought to have increased almost three fold from about 15 million dollars before her cocaine scandal last year to somewhere around 40 million dollars today. Some of her recent contracts include Virgin Mobile, Roberto Cavalli, Calvin Klein, Rimmel, and Nikon.

Ashlee Simpson scores with Victoria's Secret but does Victoria's Secret score with Ashlee Simpson? With some of the most beautiful women in the world to choose from it is a bit hard to believe that Victoria Secrets would settle on Simpson. Jessica Simpson's younger sister has reportedly signed up to become a Victoria's Secret model and the face of a new collection called Pink aimed at younger women. Victoria's Secret models in the past have included Gisele Bundchen, Heidi Klum, Adrianna Lima, Petra Nemcova, Ana Beatriz Barros, Claudia Schiffer, Carmen Kass, Laetitia Casta, Karolina Kurkova, Stephanie Seymour, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Elle Macpherson, and Tyra Banks.

A recent study released by The Telephia Mobile Game Report found that 65 percent of mobile game revenue is due to female wireless subscribers who comprise 72 percent of the total share of revenue. Men made up 28 percent. The top three games were Tetris, Tetris Deluxe and Bejeweled. 2006 marks the 60th anniversary of the bikini. The infamous two piece swim suit was considered scandalous when it was introduced in 1946. It was so explosive that it was named after the Island of Bikini where the first atomic bomb was tested. French designer Louis Reard could not get any models to wear it and had to hire an exotic dancer. Three weeks earlier another French designer, Jacques Heim, introduced a two piece swim suit that he called The Atome.
Heim received the official credit in the history books but Reard's name stuck.

The contents printed in this document are informational in nature. They are gathered from various industry sources and do not necessarily reflect the views and/or actions of THA.

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