WWD articles from April 2005

WWD archives from April 2005

TRADING SPACES.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... NEW YORK -- Cosmopolitan Cosmetics is trying out new market positions for two of its designer brands. The beauty giant is launching Anna Sui Secret Wish exclusively with Victoria's Secret Beauty at the end of this month, and is fashioning a...

FIND A PARTNER: EQUITY GROUPS LINK UP TO EYE NEIMAN MARCUS.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Vicki M. Young, With contributions from David Moin NEW YORK -- Four partnerships are forming among venture capitalists eyeing potential bids for Neiman Marcus Group. Driven by higher acquisition prices in the market, private...

PENNEY'S STOCK SOARS ON LBO TALK.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Meredith Derby, With contributions from Vicki M. Young NEW YORK -- Amid indications that the management of J.C. Penney Co. will resist a takeover attempt by private equity firms, the national retailer's stock shot up 8.4 percent...

QUOTE OF THE WEEK.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... "I think designing is something I could get really good at. It comes naturally for me." -- Gwen Stefani

BENETTON NET UP, BUT SALES SEEN FALLING.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Amanda Kaiser MILAN -- A lower tax rate boosted Benetton's 2004 profits on declining sales, but the company warned that 2005 earnings and revenue figures will drop. Net profit for the year ended Dec. 31 grew 14.1 percent to...

IN BRIEF: COUNTING GROWS.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... COUNTING GROWS: LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton said Thursday a switch to new International Financial Reporting Standards would increase its 2004 net income by 18 percent, pushing it further into the 10 figures to 1.2 billion euros, or $1.56...

CLARIFICATION.
April 1, 2005... In an article on men's magazines on page 24, March 4, circulation figures filed by Maxim and Stuff for the second half of 2004 were compared with figures filed by FHM for the first half of the year. A comparison of all three titles' second-half...

SUZY: ROYALLY BROADCAST...A SEMI DEMI WEDDING?...CAREY-ED AWAY.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Aileen Mehle On Thursday, Prince Albert of Monaco assumed the sovereign duties of his father, Prince Rainier 3rd, because Rainier is not currently capable of carrying them out. He has been in intensive care for more than a week....

ANNA SUI'S GOT A SECRET.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Julie Naughton, Brid Costello NEW YORK -- Cosmopolitan Cosmetics and Victoria's Secret Beauty have a little secret for Anna Sui fans. The two beauty giants are teaming up to launch the designer's latest scent, Secret Wish, in...

TOP NOTES: THE END OF A BRAND...MARIONNAUD TAKEN OVER...LATREILLE APPOINTED...
April 1, 2005... The End of a Brand: Wella-owned Tony & Tina Vibrational Remedies, the former indie brand of color cosmetics and, most recently, fragrance and skin care, announced Thursday that it is "closing its doors." In an e-mail sent via global public...

DUNHILL'S FRESH START.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Brid Costello, Julie Naughton, New York PARIS -- Cosmopolitan Cosmetics is getting fresh with its Dunhill license this spring. The new scent, Dunhill Fresh, targets the modern man, according to Marine Gaertner, operational...

ESCADA'S DIAMOND DISTRICT.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Bryn Kenny NEW YORK -- Designer brand Escada is hoping to prove that diamonds are, indeed, a girl's best friend with the launch of its newest scent, Escada. Launching May 1, the women's fragrance will feature an advertising...

BARBOR TARGETS YOUTH MARKET.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Julie Naughton NEW YORK -- Babor, one of Germany's most venerable skin care brands, is planning to give its U.S. business a shot in the arm by appealing to the youth market. The brand will unveil its newest product range, B....

B&BW'S GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Andrea Nagel NEW YORK -- It's not like Dineh Mohajer to sit on the sidelines and watch newness and innovation pass her by. After all, the creator of one of the best-known nail polish brands to hit the beauty industry -- Hard...

CRITICAL MASS: FOOD STORES PLAN FOR MAKEUP SALES GAINS.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Faye Brookman PRINCETON, N.J. -- At a six-month-old Whole Foods Market here, shoppers can find all of their beauty needs in one location. Not only can they buy freshly baked organic breads, they can procure all-natural cosmetics...

HARD CANDY TAKES A BACK-TO-BASICS APPROACH TO BEAUTY.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Bryn Kenny NEW YORK -- When Wende Zomnir took over duties as creative director of Hard Candy in the spring of 2003, the brand had lost its original luster. "When [Dineh Mohajer] founded Hard Candy, it was so right on, and then it...

RETAIL: ANTIN'S NEW REALITY.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Molly Prior NEW YORK -- There are few things riskier than reality television and retail. Hollywood, Calif.-based hairstylist Jonathan Antin has ambitions of mastering both. Antin, best known for his headline role in Bravo's...

DAMONE ROBERTS BUILDS HIGH-BROW SOCIETY.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Molly Prior NEW YORK -- Damone Roberts, the self-professed "Eyebrow King," is a walking advertisement. His brows are so astonishingly perfect that they spark conversation -- not to mention a flurry of "how-to" questions. His...

LACROIX'S FRIENDLY SKIES.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Miles Socha PARIS -- Sporting a cloud-like puff of organza at their throats, Air France's flight attendants are ready for takeoff with curvaceous new uniforms designed by Christian Lacroix. To be worn by 36,000 of the...

MEMO PAD: THE WEEKLY GRIND...DOMINO DOMINATES...BLOWING YOUR BUDGET.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Jeff Bercovici, Sara James THE WEEKLY GRIND: Brad Weekly? In Touch With the Olsens? At the rate things are going, it won't be long before there's a celebrity news magazine for every star in Hollywood. The latest to pile on is Us...

LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF O.(Amy Gross )
April 1, 2005... Byline: Jeff Bercovici NEW YORK -- As a preeminent female figure in American popular culture, Oprah Winfrey casts quite a long shadow. Smack in the middle of that shadow is where Amy Gross works. In a town where top magazine editors...

NEIMAN'S MARTENS CALLS IT A DAY.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Michelle Dalton Tyree BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- John Martens watched intently as artist Richard Deutsch applied the patina to a bronze sculpture being installed at the Neiman Marcus store here. The piece, "Five Elements,"...

MARC FOLLOWS THE SUN.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Rebecca Kleinman MIAMI -- It's been go, go, go for Marc Jacobs and company. After the rose-themed extravaganza to launch two stores in Los Angeles -- Marc Jacobs Collection and Marc by Marc Jacobs -- the designer headed...

PHAT FARM REMIXED.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Byline: Lauren DeCarlo NEW YORK -- Russell Simmons got some help from Parsons School of Design students with his latest remix Thursday. Simmons, founder of the Phat Farm clothing line, and Kimora Lee Simmons, founder of Baby Phat...

FASHION SCOOPS: ON TIME...NEW SHOES...DRINKING IT IN.
April 1, 2005... ON TIME: Versace and Timex unveiled the first fruits of their nascent collaboration at the Basel Watch Fair on Thursday, saying they expect to have sales of 15 million Swiss francs, or $17.9 million, this year. At a news conference, Timex...

TOD'S NET UP 18.9% IN '04.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Amanda Kaiser MILAN -- Tod's saw its 2004 profits and sales grow as it bolstered its distribution network and kept costs in line. Net profit for the 12 months ended Dec. 31 grew 18.9 percent to 30.6 million euros, or $37.9...

PAM PLANNING APPAREL, FRAGRANCE?
April 1, 2005... Byline: Julie Naughton NEW YORK -- Pamela Anderson has big plans for herself -- and they don't involve her bustline. After a news conference Thursday announcing her involvement with the MAC AIDS Fund, the actress, model, novelist...

MIZRAHI'S TARGET: A `SUPERMODELHERO'.
April 1, 2005... Byline: Marc Karimzadeh NEW YORK -- For Isaac Mizrahi, it's no longer enough for a modern-day supermodel to just strut and strike a pose. She also must be able to maneuver herself through high-speed chases in stiletto heels, fly through...

OPENING ACT.(Naum's new designs)(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... NEW YORK -- Designers Waleed Khairzada and Julia Jentzsch are drawing back the curtain on the first incarnation of their designer collection, Naum. The pair are fusing technology with luxury by exploring fabric innovations and pushing classic...

LOCKING IN THE TEAM: TOP NEIMAN'S EXECS GET GOLDEN PARACHUTES.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Vicki M. Young NEW YORK -- Whoever eventually ends up buying Neiman Marcus Group, Burt Tansky is likely to be a happy man. As speculation continues to swirl over potential bidders for the luxury retailer and some observers...

WAL-MART'S MEDIA PITCH.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Katherine Bowers BOSTON -- In a major shift in corporate protocol, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is giving journalists limited access to the company and its leadership during a two-day conference starting Tuesday that is planned with the...

COMING THIS WEEK.
April 4, 2005... Monday: Los Angeles International Textile Show (through Wednesday). Wednesday: Ideacomo, Cernobbio, Italy (through Friday). Asia Pacific Leather Fair, Hong Kong (through Friday). Hennes & Mauritz reports on first-quarter sales and...

IMPORT SURGE TAKES TOLL ON INDUSTRY JOBS.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Kristi Ellis WASHINGTON -- Explosive growth in imports, particularly from China, contributed to the acceleration of job losses in textile and apparel manufacturing, which lost a combined 7,600 jobs in March. Apparel factories...

IN BRIEF: HARRODS GETS PERSONAL...O'CONNOR TAPS LEON.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... HARRODS GETS PERSONAL: On June 1, Harrods will launch a personal shopping service, the first time the Knightsbridge department store is offering such a program. The service, By Appointment, is free of charge and covers everything from fashion...

PENNEY'S: NO EASY TARGET.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Meredith Derby, With contributions from Vicki M. Young NEW YORK -- J.C. Penney Co. has strong defenses in place that would make a leveraged buyout by financial investors difficult, largely because getting the consent of its board...

FASHION SCOOPS: TOM TEASERS...TORY IN THE HEARTLAND...CAMELIAS FOR CARATS...
April 4, 2005... TOM TEASERS: There seems to be a rumor a day swirling around Tom Ford and his plans for the future, ranging from he's cast his first film to he's designing a car to he's signed an eyewear license. The latest is that he's in talks with the Estee...

FAITHFUL SHOPPER.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Marshall Heyman NEW YORK -- Back from a few months in Los Angeles, where she was shooting several movies as well as her recurring role on "The West Wing," Kristin Chenoweth breezes into Rebecca Taylor's boutique on Mott Street...

THE EARLY SHOW; NEW YORK -- CREATING A NEW LINE IS ALWAYS A CHALLENGING EXPERIENCE, WHETHER THE DESIGNER IS FRESHLY GRADUATED, COMING OUT FROM BEHIND THE SCENES OR AN INDUSTRY VETERAN. MEET SIX DESIGNERS FROM FOUR UP-AND-COMING LABELS WHO HAVE TAKEN THE PLUNGE.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Meenal Mistry, Venessa Lau NAUM As Waleed Khairzada and Julia Jentzsch sipped cocktails together on the rooftop of Soho House early last summer, they experienced the fashion industry's equivalent of love at first sight....

ORDERING, UNCERTAINTY BOTH STRONG.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Karyn Monget NEW YORK -- The ordering for fall was brisk at the Lingerie Americas trade show, but the tone of the March market was underscored by uncertainty over the pending merger of Federated Department Stores Inc. and May...

VASSARETTE GOES VROOM.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Arthur Friedman NEW YORK -- NASCAR, the top spectator sport in the U.S. with a fan base of more than 75 million, may seem unlikely to be paired with Vassarette lingerie. But they have a common denominator in Shawna Robinson. ...

DE BEERS LV'S AMERICAN DREAM.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Samantha Conti LONDON -- De Beers LV is ready to storm the U.S. jewelry market. The diamond jewelry joint venture between the South African trading company and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton will make its long-awaited U.S....

CHINA'S FIRST-QTR. SURGE.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Kristi Ellis WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Commerce Department, keeping a pledge to initiate a more timely textile-monitoring system, released preliminary first-quarter import data Friday, stoking the flames of controversy over China's...

U.S. STORES TRAWL SHANGHAIMART FAIR.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Lisa Movius SHANGHAI -- The three-day 2005 ShanghaiMart for Spring Women's Apparel Fair wrapped up last week with both excitement about the nonquota world and concern over its impact. The fair, which ran March 21-23, was...

WWD STOCK INDEX SLIPS 1.1%.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Ross Tucker NEW YORK -- Record high gas prices and a whirlwind of speculation regarding the potential sales or acquisitions of some of the biggest nameplates in retail pushed industry stocks into their fourth week of declines....

MOSSIMO NET FALLS 9.2%.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Arnold J. Karr NEW YORK -- Reductions in its business with Target and investments in its infrastructure translated into lower fourth-quarter and full-year profits at Mossimo Inc. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based design and...

SLOW SALES HIT RETAIL TRADE INDEX.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Amy S. Choi NEW YORK -- Market News International's weekly retail trade index dropped to 56.8 on March 26 from a reading of 57.7 a week prior. The index, which surveys apparel, home, electronics, general merchandise,...

250 LAYOFFS EXPECTED AT SEARS.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Vicki M. Young NEW YORK -- At least 250 employees at Sears Holdings Corp. could be let go, the first shakeout from the merger of Sears, Roebuck & Co. with Kmart Holding Corp. last month. Sears filed a notice with the Illinois...

NEW LOCALE, SAME COUNTERFEIT PROBLEM.(Silk Street market in Beijing displays counterfeit clothes)
April 4, 2005... Byline: Betsy Lowther BEIJING -- It's the first thing that greets customers as they stream into the new Silk Street market here: a selection of brightly colored North Face jackets, their signature logos prominently displayed, hanging in...

BELK NET UP 11.3% IN YEAR.
April 4, 2005... Byline: David Moin NEW YORK -- Belk Inc., a regional chain in the South with a fresh eye for expansion, on Friday announced strong earnings and sales for 2004. For the year ended Jan. 29, the company posted an 11.3 percent increase...

SAMANTHA THAVASA OPENING STATESIDE.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Sophia Chabbott NEW YORK -- Like any well-connected socialite, Nicky Hilton knows how to make a proper introduction. She brought the Samantha Thavasa brand to the U.S. with her signature collection four years ago and now the...

LAUDER STARS AT CEW.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Bryn Kenny While the Estee Lauder Cos. once again dominated this year's Cosmetic Executive Women Beauty Awards by winning a total of 11 awards out of 26 categories on Friday, it was L'Oreal's Lancome brand that stood out to many,...

BEAUTY BEAT: FREEZE SUES DERMAFREEZE... SEPHORA EXITING U.K.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Molly Prior, Ellen Burney NEW YORK -- Freeze 24/7 International LLC -- the makers of the antiwrinkle cream Freeze 24/7 -- filed a complaint in New York federal court Thursday for trademark infringement against Woodridge Labs,...

LUXURY LOOKS LEAD STYLEMAX BUYING.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Deb Pahl CHICAGO -- Consumers enamored with the luxe trend should be pleased come fall: buyers at Chicago's Stylemax were snapping up all things beaded, embroidered or sequined. "There's a lot more detail in the fashions, and...

MAXIMIZING THE MIX.(Brief Article)
April 4, 2005... Retailers are opening stores in overlooked neighborhoods, from the Upper West Side to Malibu, while REITs are finding novel ways to spruce up the mall. Despite the uncertainty created by department store consolidations, mall owners are...

BOSTON RETAILING SET FOR MERGER MAKEOVER; THE DOWNTOWN LANDSCAPE IS IN FLUX IN THE WAKE OF MEGADEALS.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Katherine Bowers BOSTON -- Get ready for a game of retail musical chairs in the Boston region, where the Federated-May merger, corporate takeovers, Nordstrom and other newcomers are set to propel fast-paced changes. The city...

10024 TRADES UP; THE UPPER WEST SIDE ZIP CODE GETS A DOSE OF STYLE.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Sharon Edelson NEW YORK -- Manhattan's Upper West Side was long considered an intellectual haven. It was more about substance than style. It had more markets and cheese shops than top restaurants. There were chess clubs and...

THE FASHION INDUSTRY'S MANIFEST DESTINY; SEEKING SPACE, LIGHT AND EDGE, SHOWROOMS MOVE WEST.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Amy S. Choi NEW YORK -- Comme des GarCons in the late Nineties pioneered the trend of fashion companies moving their offices and showrooms to the far West Side of Manhattan. Hugo Boss and Club Monaco soon followed. Now, Marithe &...

ATTRACTING THE ATTRACTIVE IN MIAMI; OWNERS USE FASHION TO LURE A HIGH-END CROWD.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Rebecca Kleinman MIAMI -- Fashion is being used to sell residential real estate here. In a new marketing twist, South Florida property owners are tapping designer trunk and runway shows to introduce stylish potential buyers...

NEW HAVEN GETS A FASHION MAKEOVER; PRICY JEANS AND TOP LABELS BRING A LITTLE BIT OF NEW YORK TO THIS COLLEGE TOWN.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Amy S. Choi NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The road to New Haven is paved with nondescript office buildings. Close to the city, rusted water towers fill the horizon along with faded warehouses that once housed the West Haven Lumber Co. and...

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS - AT THE MALL; REITS FIND HIGH RETURNS IN REDEVELOPMENT.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Sharon Edelson NEW YORK -- - Some see the glass as half empty, but the real estate investment trust industry views the lack of available land to develop new malls, retail consolidations and consumers' changing shopping habits as...

ON A SHOPPING SAFARI; MALIBU MIGHT BE FAMOUS FOR THE BEACH LIFE, BUT SHOPPING IS BECOMING QUITE A SPORT, TOO.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Michelle Dalton Tyree MALIBU, Calif. -- The sun is shining on Malibu retail again, after a long winter of treacherous rains that pummeled Southern California, caused deadly mudslides, killed at least 20 people and forced road...

VORNADO'S ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY; THE REALTY TRUST GOBBLES RETAIL PROPERTIES -- AND LOTS OF OTHER PROJECTS.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Amy S. Choi NEW YORK -- The best way to look at the investment choices of the secretive Vornado Realty Trust is perhaps not as a real estate investment trust, but as a bank. "Vornado is an opportunistic finance company," said...

CONNECTING RETAILERS TO THE RIGHT SPACE; DALLAS FIRM OFFERS A FULL MENU OF SERVICES TO RETAILERS.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Rusty Williamson DALLAS -- The Retail Connection, an 18-month-old company here, is reaching out to stores with real estate and investment services in an effort to boost the stores' sales and plans for the future. The company...

PHIPPS' NEW FAMILY OF RETAIL; THE ATLANTA MALL ADDS A BEVY OF UPSCALE RETAILERS AND NORDSTROM.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Rebecca Kleinman ATLANTA -- The events leading up to the remerchandising of Phipps Plaza here constituted "the perfect storm," an executive of the center said. Lease expirations, the closing of Lord & Taylor and the...

BUTTONED UP.(the uniform look)(Illustration)
April 5, 2005... LOS ANGELES -- The uniform has been around forever, but it's rarely looked so chic. For fall, designers have taken classics like epaulets, brass buttons and pinstriped fabrics and sassed them up for a modern feel. Here, Cory Lynn Calter's...

SHAKE UP AT GAULTIER: DONALD POTARD RESIGNS AS HOUSE'S PRESIDENT.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Miles Socha PARIS -- In another sign of turbulence at Jean Paul Gaultier, the French house said Monday its longtime president Donald Potard has exited. A Gaultier spokesman said Potard, a childhood friend of Gaultier's, had...

BUSH MOVES ON CHINA TRADE.(clothing and textile industries)
April 5, 2005... Byline: Kristi Ellis WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration Monday said it would begin a review of surging Chinese apparel and textile imports to consider whether to impose temporary safeguard quotas on $624.5 million worth of shipments....

IN BRIEF: IVERSON IN ICE...DELTA'S NEW CEO.(Brief Article)
April 5, 2005... IVERSON IN ICE: Ann Iverson, who has held chief executive titles at Laura Ashley, Kay-Bee Toys and Mothercare, has been named acting ceo of Dry Ice Inc. and a member of the board. Dry Ice is a 36-unit specialty retailer of home furnishings for...

DICKSON POON ACQUIRES LUXE WATCH FIRM.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Miles Socha PARIS -- Dickson Poon has quietly ticked off his first acquisition of the year, pocketing the Swiss luxury watch firm Bertolucci. Charles M. Jayson, president and chief executive officer of Dickson North America,...

CORRECTIONS.
April 5, 2005... Copley Place, a luxury mall in downtown Boston, is 98 percent owned by Simon Property Group. The mall's owner was incorrect in a story on page 6 of the Real Estate Review, Monday. The first name of Richard Sokolov, president and chief...

GOTTSCHALKS HIRES FINANCO TO EXPLORE OPTIONS.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Meredith Derby, With contributions by Vicki M. Young NEW YORK -- Regional department store chain Gottschalks Inc. is on the selling block and has hired investment banking firm Financo Inc. to explore strategic alternatives, people...

HILFIGER RETEAMS WITH TOTH BRAND IMAGING.(Brief Article)
April 5, 2005... Byline: Vicki M. Young NEW YORK -- Tommy Hilfiger Corp. is back together with Toth Brand Imaging. The last time the two firms connected was 15 years ago when Toth developed an image campaign for Tommy that gave the brand a popularity...

LADY JANE.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Jacob Bernstein NEW YORK -- She went head-to-head onscreen with Robert Redford, robbed banks in "Cat Ballou" and saved the world in the sci-fi camp classic "Barbarella." She's won two Oscars, married three very famous men --...

UTILITARIAN CLASS.
April 5, 2005... LOS ANGELES: Elegance meets practicality this fall, as military peacoat, maitre d' tuxedo and, marching band-collared shirt are transformed into feminine looks, thanks to pops od color, crushed velvet and splashes of silk. Caption(s):...

THE MANY COLORS OF DORIS DUKE.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Rosemary Feitelberg NEW YORK -- A seaside English Manor estate is not the first place most people would think of to find a treasure chest of exemplary 20th-century fashion, but Doris Duke's summer home in Newport, R.I., is about...

THE DARK SIDE.(textile design trends)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2005... NEW YORK -- Florals took a moodier turn at last month's Premiere Vision. In place of this spring's bright colors, the palette was rich and sophisticated. Seen on both prints and jacquards, these darker patterns featured base shades of olive...

FAREWELL FETE.(Francois Damide, of Solstiss/Bucol, moves back to France)
April 5, 2005... Byline: Daniela Gilbert NEW YORK -- France will be lucky to have him back. That was the sentiment last Wednesday as friends and co-workers gathered to bid adieu to Francois Damide, the U.S. president of Solstiss/Bucol. The Frenchman...

CHINA IS TALK OF MATERIAL WORLD.(textile and apparel conference)
April 5, 2005... Byline: Georgia Lee MIAMI BEACH -- Squeezed by rising competition and pressure from big U.S. retailers to offer lower prices and faster turn times, apparel and textile sourcing executives headed to Material World looking for something to...

FIRST LADY WELCOMES DESIGN WINNERS TO WHITE HOUSE.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Rosemary Feitelberg WASHINGTON - The first photo the National Design Award winners cast their eyes upon inside the White House Friday was of a man's hands, presumably those of President George W. Bush, holding a baseball. But their...

FASHION SCOOPS: ROYAL CHANGE...TRUNK TALK...LIVING FERRAGAMO.
April 5, 2005... ROYAL CHANGE: For Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, the show will go on -- just a little later than planned. Their wedding date has been moved to Saturday from Friday so that the Prince of Wales can attend the funeral of Pope John...

AMERICAN EAGLE, `APPRENTICE' DESIGN WITH TECH IN MIND.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Meredith Derby NEW YORK -- American Eagle Outfitters Inc. teamed up with multimillionaire Donald Trump's executives in training to come up with wearable technology designs for its existing spring line. Top executives from the...

MEMO PAD: FINAL COUNTDOWN...LEFT BEHIND IN L.A....PAPER TRAIL.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Jeff Bercovici, Rose Apodaca, Sara James FINAL COUNTDOWN: Lists are the anabolic steroids of magazine journalism: easy and effective, but not something you want to make a habit of. That is, unless you are Sidney Frank. Fresh off his...

CIT GROUP PURCHASES SUNTRUST FACTOR BIZ.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Ross Tucker NEW YORK -- CIT Group solidified its position as the nation's largest factor with the acquisition of SunTrust Banks' factoring division. Meanwhile, longtime acquisition target Capital Factors Inc. was picked up by New...

BEAUTY BEAT: MODELCO AIMS FOR QUICK FIXES.
April 5, 2005... Byline: Bryn Kenny NEW YORK -- Working in the time-pressed, perfectionist world of fashion, former model agent Shelley Barrett believed there was a dearth of quick-fix beauty products on the market -- so she created her own. ...