Malaysian Fashion Week Partners with eBay

Fashion Meets Technology with the partnership of Malyasia International Fashion Association (MIFA) and eBay, the world's largest online shopping community.

Malaysia International Fashion Week (MIFW) has announced eBay Malaysia as the Official Online Partner and their new micorsite, www.ebay.com.my/fashion, will feature local established designers.

Shoppers will be able to log on and purchase from known Malaysian designers including Tangoo, Tom Abang Saufi, Asian Atelier by Alin Anuar, Eclipse, plus many more. Malaysia is attempting to form amazing partnerships to increase the benefits of ecommerce during fashion week.

Currently, eBay Malaysia most popular category is already fashion and according to the South-East Asia eBay Director, Allis Ghim:

“With an apparel business approaching US$5bil (RM17bil) annually and 89 million active users worldwide, eBay is thrilled to present to the participating M-IFW ‘09 designers a new and innovative sales channel in today’s competitive retail environment.”

Source: The Star Online

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Another Contender for Global Fashon Dominance

Back in August we wrote a post entitled Move Over Paris and Milan...Turkey Wants In documenting Turkey's quest to become an international fashion city. Well, it looks like Turkey is not in the running alone. 

At the close of Seoul Fashion Week, Mayor Oh Se-hoon continues his quest to make Seoul the world's fifth fashion capital as well, after Paris, New York, Milan and London.  Global fashionistas around the world are acknowledging that Seoul is not playing around, they really want the spot and have pushed aggressively for the past years.  For example, over 2.5 billion went into organizing fashion week. And the money chain doesn't stop there.  The city announced earlier this year that it would invest over 10 billion toward creating studios and manufacturing clusters in order to house the 100 new designers.  They are also launching "Seoul Collection in Global Fashion City", a program that will relocate about 20 designers to fashion capitals around the world.

So why the sudden rushes to become a fashion capital, especially with global consumers not buying? We have a theory. Very rarely, the secretive 300 billion dollar fashion industry does a major redesign...and now is the beginnings of a massive change. Print is dying while online seems to grow by leaps and bounds, the economy recently knocked New York City from its number one position which as put the word "change" in the air.  Trust us, change is coming and we think international cities around the world are feeling this and are beginning to take advantages of these new and rare opportunities. 

Source: Korea Hearald

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15 Year Old Model Takes Paris By Storm

15 years old 5 foot 11 inch model, Shena Moulton, has made a major international splash as the new black Caribbean model.  If you haven't heard of Shena yet, you will soon.  She is the youngest Jamaican model to be signed to an international agency, Muse Models, in 2007 at 13 years old after winning a competition called Fashion Faces of the Caribbean. However, this summer she has seen incredible press and international bookings. 

During her first season at Paris Fashion week, Moulton did 11 shows including Louis Vuitton, AF Vandervost, Kenzo, and more.  IN New York, she walked for Calvin Klein.  The buzz worldwide hasn't stopped since her appearance.  GAP Japan recently featured her and Pharrell Willians in their new international campaign. 

"I am very proud of myself 'cause I've been doing so good, so well in Paris," Moulton told The Sunday Gleaner. 

"It was more than I expected. The experience is good, it has been more amazing. I couldn't ask for more. Paris was especially great," Moulton said.

Source: The Jamaica Gleaner

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"The scandalous truth is that the majority of workers in the global fashion industry rarely earn more than two dollars a day in an industry worth more than £36bn a year in the UK alone. Many have to work excessive hours just to get this meagre amount and have no possibility to earn wages needed to properly feed, clothe, house and educate their families."

That strong and shocking statement can be found in a new report called Let's Clean Up Fashion: The State of Pay Behind the UK High Street(.pdf). It was published by Labour Behind the Label, a sweatshop campaigning group that is criticizing UK retailers for not paying hundreds of thousands of workers what they need to survive, support their families and lead a normal life.

Maybe this is the reason why New York's Garment District is failing. Back in the 50's almost 80 percent of garments were purchased and produced there, today maybe 3%. This epidemic was caused because garment exporting countries are setting their minimum wage so low that it effectively attracts British retailers' looking for cheap fashion that's then market up making up the multi billion dollar business.

Whatever your thoughts, this report is definitely worth reading.

Source: War on Want
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Bel Esprit Showcases Nation Designers

The Bel Esprit Showroom continues to promote talented and innovative designers who create contemporary collections that respect the world and its inhabitants. Bel Esprit a welcomes new group of artists from couture to sportswear that are changing the fashion landscape including:

Article 23 - Article 23 is committed to following the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and adheres to the principles of Article 23 of that Declaration guaranteeing fair labor and trade practices in the production of their collection.

Room To Roam - Germany company room to roam brings precision construction to streetwear. The collection is filled with cutting edge pieces that will last forever in any wardrobe. Many of the pieces are reversible offering a number of style options. All of the pieces are made from eco-friendly fabrics, and are locally produced in fair wage factories in Germany to reduce the collection's carbon footprint and to support local industry.

Emesha - London collection Emesha presented a collection with a nod to the sport set. Clean lines, crisp tailoring, and comfortable styles were the key to her success. Her simple and elegant white sheath dress, perfect for business and after 5 occasions, was the most popular, with editors already asking where they could buy it.

Indigenous Designs - Using refined knits, Indigenous Designs merges a new delicate minimalism with a sporty contemporary design for a fresh look. Numerous collections also feature vintage inspiration and subtle femininity, with silhouettes offering a sense of grace and fine detailing reminiscent of another place and time.

Boutique Ethique - Boutique Ethique designer Linda Row believes that designing clothes in this Century requires an awareness of the environmental impact of all raw materials used, from growing the fiber to manufacturing and coloring the cloth. The London-based company Boutique Ethique adheres to the slow fashion movement, creating a timeless collection of stand alone pieces featuring sculptural inserts and artisan detail.

McColl&Clan - American designer Lusmila McColl believes in giving fashion a new life. To support the local industry of the Hebrides Islands, the McColl&Clan collection uses Harris Tweeds in new, contemporary designs for men and women, offering high fashion from a centuries-old traditional wool. The wool is locally grown, hand-spun and woven, and dyed with vegetable dyes.

This new group of talented designers adds exciting fashion to the Bel Esprit Showroom, joining creative, contemporary and avant-garde collections from around the world that respect the environment and human rights. Editors and buyers applauded the Bel Esprit designers showing at the Ethical Fashion Preview and are looking forward to New York Fashion Week in February where more designers will show the world that fabulous fashion can have a conscience.

Source: Bel-Esprit
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