Sibil 24-08 - Maredimoda

S
trategic
I
ntelligence for
B
odywear
I
ndustry
L
eaders
ISSN 1994-2419
Issue Week 24 -2008
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Contents BACKGROUND TRENDS
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• USA: trade buyers focus on basics - page 2
• BRAZIL: investment in apparel retailing recommended - page 2
• BREAST PAIN: research points way to sports bra design - page 3
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Contents SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENTS
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• CONDAMIN & PRODON: new version of BeCool launched - page 3
• NILIT: Chinese nylon 6.6 plant started up - page 4
• EUROJERSEY: sponsorship activities move to UK - page 4
• RATTI: results improve despite sales dip - page 4
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Contents THE APPAREL SCENE
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• BANANA MOON: growth maintained on all fronts - page 4
• ED HARDY: first swimwear collection launched - page 4
• BRETT LEE: celebrity underwear range launched in Australia - page 5
• FRENCH CANCAN: hosiery brand diversifies into lingerie - page 5
• ROYCE TOO: majority stake in company sold - page 5
• ARENA: new competition swimsuit approved by FINA - page 5
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Contents DISTRIBUTION
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• ANNE SUMMERS: strategic switch favours fashion lingerie - page 6
• COS: first ever swimwear range added to assortment - page 6
• CABANA LIFE: sun protective swimwear range launched - page 6
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Contents PEOPLE
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• CHRISTOPHER VIETH: takes helm at Maidenform - page 7
• CAROL DUNCOMB: to leave CEO post with Intimas - page 7
• MICHELE PAOLO LEVI: Nilit chief honoured in Italy - page 7
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Contents GETTING TOGETHER
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• MARE D’AMARE: partnership with Mare di Moda concluded - page 7
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Contents FINISHING TOUCH
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• SPEEDO: a reminder of how things were - page 7
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BACKGROUND TRENDS – Elements of strategy development
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ACCORDING to a report published by
Women's Wear Daily in the US, retailers focused on basics rather than fashion lingerie
during the May market week. Preference
was given to ideas or concepts considered
safe, from brands that promised long shelf
life and that could be replenished.
The search for safe merchandise is understandable but, even when economic conditions are difficult, fashion products that are
both creative and easily wearable will also
find buyers.
A MARKET study published by management
consultants A.T. Kearney in the USA finds
that Brazil offers the greatest chances of
success for international retailers of apparel.
With young people under 29 accounting for
60 per cent of the population, average annual spend on apparel exceeds EUR 400,00
and is six times higher than in China. Further, the Brazilian market, which is valued
at EUR 24.1bn is growing at a rate of 7 per
cent a year.
What might be termed the beach and body
culture is particularly well developed in
Brazil and, although the country has a welldeveloped bodywear industry and distribu-
tion channels, European brands attract
much interest. While import duties on apparel are dissuasive, the difficulty can be
overcome with appropriate licensing and
franchising options.
RESEARCH undertaken by a scientist at the
University of Portsmouth in the UK suggests
that damage to breast tissue is caused by the
speed rather than the extent of breast
movement during exercise. In a paper presented at the annual conference of the
American College of Sports Medecine, the
founder of the Research Group for Breast
Health at the University, Dr Joanna Scurr,
stated that subjects experimented upon experienced the greatest degree of discomfort
when the breast was accelerating or decelerating. She added that her research findings could have significant implications for
bra design.
Dr. Joanna Scurr & test subject
The findings justify a fundamental re-think
on the design of sport bras, which tend to
limit the extent and direction of breast
movement rather than the speed.
www.fulgar.com [email protected]
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SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENTS – Opportunities for manufacturers
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SAID to represent the second generation of
the BeCool polyamide yarns that provide air
flow control that generates a feeling of
freshness, BeCool Air is now being proposed commercially by Condamin & Prodon in France. The new version, that fea-
tures a more natural look and hand, was
launched at the Expofil salon earlier this
year.
The characteristics of the yarn seem to merit
close consideration for bodywear fabric ap-
plications.
THE NEW nylon 6.6 plant built by Israeli
fibre company Nilit in Suzhou, China, was
officially opened last week. The 10'000 m2
facility that will employ 100 people starts
by producing textured yarns but will add
spinning capacity later. Nilit marketing and
sales manager Oded Breier said that the
plant will upgrade the availability and quality of textured nylon yarn offered in the region, a development that will prove very
valuable to Chinese customers, especially
those exporting to the West.
The new plant promises to give further impetus to the growth of Nilit's international
operations.
tant social event that brings together all the
major players in the country's bodywear industry.
The sponsorship will provide valuable support for the company's other promotional
activities but, in view of British women's attitude to lingerie (see last week's issue),
perhaps the investment would yield better
returns elsewhere.
FIRST quarter results of Como printers Ratti,
that produces bodywear as well as outerwear fabrics, show a 1 per cent dip in sales,
to EUR 25.5m, but a sharp reduction in
EBIT loss to EUR 0.14m from EUR 1.8m a
year earlier. The reduced loss is said to be
the first result of the cost cutting and restructuring measures being implemented.
PRODUCERS of the range of Sensitive®
bodywear fabrics, Eurojersey is strengthenWhether the improvement can be maining its promotional activities in the UK. For
tained in the current and future quarters,
the second year in succession, it sponsored
when economic conditions threaten to dethe 2008 Contour Fashion Ball, an imporpress demand, remains to be seen.
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THE APPAREL SCENE – What or how manufacturers are doing
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YOUNG-oriented cult brand of beachwear
and lingerie Banana Moon raised its 2007
sales by over 12 per cent to reach EUR
35m. The advance was due partly to growth
in wholesale exports, which now represent
60 per cent of turnover, and partly to the
expansion of
the brand's
retail franchising activities; the
number of
outlets rose
from 28 to
44 within
the year, including 14
outside
France. International
expansion
plans include entry into the Mexican and
Bulgarian markets.
Based in Monaco, where it is exposed to
multinational cultural influences, the company's design team has succeeded in creating novelties with a genuine international
appeal.
FOLLOWING the success of his Ed Hardy
outerwear collection, designer Christian
Audigier launched the first Ed Hardy Swimwear collection. It features exclusive Ed
Hardy tattoo print designs and also includes
the Ed Hardy Couture range of exclusive
limited edition pieces embellished with
Swarovski crystals.
The tattoo theme reflects an important trend
in youth culture and the swimwear could
become a must for many young people.
AUSTRALIAN cricket star Brett Lee, whose
men's outerwear label BL was launched in
2001, is to complement the range with an
underwear collection labelled Acestar. The
collection that was developed in collaboration with designer Bruno Schiavi comprises
y-fronts, trunks, boxers and sleepwear, all in
organic cotton or bamboo fibre blends. The
collection, due to reach retail outlets in
August, is said to be cool, sporty and affordable.
In Australia, where cricketers enjoy a prestige comparable to that enjoyed by soccer
stars in Brazil or Italy, the range is certain to
prove successful. In countries where the
sport is not played, however, the brand will
have to rely on its intrinsic qualities.
EXCLUSIVE and highly creative legwear
brand French Cancan in Paris is preparing to
launch a lingerie collection that is due to
reach stores for the A/W 2008/09 retail season. Built around five themes, all displaying
provocative and very French characteristics,
the collection features sets priced at from
120 to 165 Euros.
signer labels, the appeal of its name for consumers in English-speaking countries opens
up promising sales opportunities there.
Whether the management is capable of exploiting these to the full remains to be seen,
however.
HOSIERY specialists Royce Too LLC in the
US said that it had sold a majority stake in
the company to Okamoto Corporation, the
largest specialised hosiery producer in Japan. The deal will provide new opportunities for Royce to expand its private label
and speciality brand business while offering
the Japanese concern an entry into the US
market for its branded legwear.
Both companies stand to gain appreciably
from the synergies created by the acquisition.
CREATED by Arena to compete with the
high-tech competition suit developed by its
rival Speedo, the Powerskin R-évolution+
swimsuit won the approval of the FINA
(Fédération Internationale de Natation) ruling body early last week. Only a few days
later, it was tested and favourably commented upon by French champion Laure
Manaudou.
Arena & Laure Manaudou
French Cancan
Although the price range of the new collection will bring it into competition with de-
Some weeks earlier, Manaudou had complained that suits available at that time gave
her little hope of winning a medal in Beijing.
Her approval last week suggests that pool
events in Beijing may now not be dominated by a single brand.
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DISTRIBUTION – Who moves what and how
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THE REFURBISHING of its flagship store in
London's Oxford Street that is now in progress marks a change in the merchandising
strategy of the Ann Summers chain. CEO
Jacqueline Gold said the new concept will
be more luxurious and glamorous, focusing
on fashion rather than eroticism, and moving sex toys to the back of the shop. She
added that the company had always been
led by social trends and said that lingerie
these days is worn to be seen. The company
acquired the Knickerbox lingerie chain and
e-commerce in 2000 and the brand is to be
featured more prominently in Ann Summers
outlets and at sales parties.
In the past years, competition in the sex
business has become keener and the new
strategy more closely focused on lingerie
promises a better bottom line. If successful,
it could win market share from established
lingerie chains as well as from independent
specialists.
CREATED by fashion giants H&M as a more
stylish yet still affordable alternative to its
own stores, the COS chain is adding a
swimwear range to its assortment. The range
consists of two-piece suits, with parts sold
separately, at prices around EUR 25,00.
As yet, the COS chain is too small for its
adoption of swimwear to make an impact
on the market. If it grows as planned, however, it could become a key player in its
price range, just as H&M has been for many
years.
SUN PROTECTIVE apparel distributors Cabana Life has added swim and beachwear
for men, women and children to its range of
UPF 50+ garments and accessories. The ecommerce, which was founded by a skin
cancer survivor, is donating 20 per cent of
every purchase to a skin cancer organisation of the buyer's choice during this month
and in July.
Ann Summers
Despite repeated warnings by health experts
over many years, the incidence of sunrelated skin cancer continues to rise rapidly,
even in countries not known for their sunshine. When people realise that sun protection is not a fad but a survival factor, today's
pioneers in the field of sun protective apparel should have their reward.
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PEOPLE – Corporate appointments
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FOLLOWING the resignation of Dorvin
Lively last March, Christopher Vieth (43) was
named CEO and COO of Maidenform. Vieth joined the comany from Blue Tulip
Corp. and had previously been CFO for
Dow Jones.
COINCIDING with the completion of its
strategic review, Intimas Group CEO Carol
Duncomb is to leave her post in August.
Last year, the company slipped into the red
by GBP 1.07m against a profit of GBP
3.85m a year earlier.
CHAIRMAN of Israeli fibre company Nilit,
Michele Paolo Levi, was honoured by the
Italian Republic that bestowed upon him
the title of Cavalieri del Lavoro (Knight of
Industry).
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GETTING TOGETHER - Markets for goods and ideas
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THE ORGANISERS of the new Mare d'Afeature around 100 brands, including a
mare beachwear salon, to be staged in Flornumber of imported collections.
ence from 28 to 30 June, concluded a partnership agreement with the Mare di Moda
With the collaboration of Mare di Moda, the
swimwear production supplies salon that
Florence event could well grow into a salon
takes place in Cannes in November. Last
that is truly representative of the Italian
staged in February this year under the title
bodywear industry. Such an event has not
Immagine Italia, the Florence event attracted
been staged since the Intimare show in Bosome 9'300 buyers and the June edition will
logna ceased to exist some years ago.
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FINISHING TOUCH – The smile for this week
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CELEBRATING the 80 years of the brand,
Speedo reminds the world that the Speedo
suit worn by breast-stroke gold medallist
Claire Dennis at the Los Angeles Olympic
Games in 1932 was criticised for revealing
too much of her shoulders. Four years later,
at the Berlin games, the Speedo trunks worn
by the Australian swimmers were consid-
ered too daring because they did not cover
the chest. It adds that the police banned
Speedo two-piece women's suits form Australia's beaches as late as 1940.
Prudes from the first half of the 20th century
would approve of current competition
swimsuits that cover almost everything.
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