Abercrombie & Fitch and Gildan have reported poor financial results for the early months of 2009. But results at Marks & Spencer (M&S) are relatively upbeat, and UK-based Asos has continued to grow apace. One of the biggest casualties of the global economic slowdown has been the Germanybased luxury fashion group Escada, which filed for bankruptcy protection in August 2009. However, before doing so, it managed to sell four women’s fashion brands—apriori, BiBA, cavita and Laurèl, which belonged to its wholly-owned subsidiary The Primera Group—to two German firms. In the area of anti-counterfeiting, authorities have seized thousands of counterfeit clothing items in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Italy. In an attempt to combat counterfeiting activities, the EU launched an official observatory. Other intellectual property matters included the filing of two trademark infringement cases—one by Gucci against Guess and another by Kay Celine against Stein Mart and Sienna Rose.

Many companies have been taking steps to deal with the consequences of the global economic slowdown. Triumph International, for example, has reduced its workforce by about 8%, or 3,600 jobs. Meanwhile, UPM Raflatac has continued to transfer production of its radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and inlays to China and the USA. Other strategic activities have included: the signing of a global licensing agreement between Calvin Klein and Premium Golf Brands (PGB); collaboration between Fast Retailing and Jil Sander to develop a new clothing collection for Uniqlo; Iconix China’s development of the Rocawear brand in China and its acquisition of a 50% stake in Hardy Way; a licensing agreement between Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) and Target Entertainment relating to the development of PlayStation-branded apparel; and two agreements relating to the distribution of Tory Burch products in Japan and South Korea.

Market data show that global sales of apparel and home textiles made from organic cotton rose by 63% to reach US$3.2 bn in 2008, while sales of ethical clothing in the UK are expected to be worth £175 mn in 2009. In the Americas, the management consulting firm AT Kearney has named Brazil as the most attractive emerging market for apparel retailers in 2008, for the second year in a row. Several major brands have opened new clothing stores in various countries or are planning to do so—including Adidas in Saudi Arabia, Gap in Thailand, H&M in China, Top Shop in the USA, and Zara in Egypt. Japan-based Uniqlo and China-based Taobao have launched two virtual stores dedicated to selling Uniqlo products online to consumers across China. Meanwhile, Guess has invested in product life cycle management (PLM) software to manage its global sourcing and product development.

SUMMARY
ACQUISITIONS, DIVESTMENTS AND MERGERS
Delta Apparel has acquired Gekko Brands
Escada has completed the divestment of the Primera Group's women's fashion brands, prior to filing for
bankruptcy protection
Iconix Brand Group has acquired a 50% stake in Hardy Way
ANTI-COUNTERFEITING AND TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT
Authorities in Sri Lanka have seized more than 10,000 counterfeit Victoria's secret garments
Authorities in Thailand have seized more than 4,700 counterfeit Columbia Sportswear products
Gucci has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Guess
Italian customs officials have seized around 26,000 counterfeit Lycra swimsuits
Kay Celine has filed a counterfeit lawsuit against Stein Mart and Sienna Rose
The European Observatory on counterfeiting and piracy has been launched by the EU to combat the
production of fake goods
COMPANY RESTRUCTURING AND REORGANISATION
Triumph International has reduced its workforce by about 8% as part of a restructuring programme
UPM Raflatac is planning to reorganise its production facilities in order to strengthen its
competitiveness in the radio frequency identification (RFID) industry
FINANCIAL RESULTS
Abercrombie & Fitch has reported a 24% decrease in total net sales during the first quarter of its
2009/10 financial year
Outlook
Asos has reported a 104% surge in revenues in its 2008/09 financial year
Gap has reported an 8% decline in net sales during the first quarter of its 2009/10 financial year
Gildan Activewear has reported a 16.7% drop in net sales during the second quarter of its 2008/09
financial year
Second quarter 2008/09
First half of 2008/09
H&M has posted a 23% rise in sales during the second quarter of its 2008/09 financial year
Second quarter 2008/09
First half of 2008/09
New stores in the second half of 2008/09
Inditex has posted a 5% rise in net sales during the first quarter of its 2009/10 financial year
JC Penney has reported a 5.9% fall in sales during the first quarter of its 2009/10 financial year
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has reported a 0.4% rise in total sales in its 2008/09 financial year and a
2.9% rise in the first quarter of 2009/10
Fourth quarter 2008/09
2008/09
First quarter 2009/10
Global apparel markets: business update www.textilesintelligence.com

Perry Ellis International has posted a 9.7% decline in total revenues during the first quarter of its
2009/10 financial year
Outlook
TJX Companies has reported a 1% increase in net sales during the first quarter of its 2009/10 financial
year
INTERNATIONAL TRADE POLICY
Two US senators have introduced a bill which aims to provide textile and apparel imports from least
developed countries (LDCS) with duty-free access to the US market
The South African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) has submitted a request to the
South African government to increase apparel import tariffs
Vietnam has ratified a free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan
JOINT VENTURES, COOPERATION, LICENSING AND DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENTS
Brand Matter and Ivory International have entered into a licensing agreement covering Caribbean Joe
branded sportswear
Calvin Klein has signed a global licensing agreement with Premium Golf Brands (PGB) which covers
Calvin Klein Golf branded apparel
Fast Retailing is collaborating with Jil Sander to develop a new clothing collection for Uniqlo
Iconix China has entered into an agreement with Bosideng International to develop the Rocawear
brand in China
Sanei International and Kate Spade are planning to set up a joint venture company in Japan
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has entered into a licensing agreement with Target
Entertainment to develop PlayStation-branded apparel
Tory Burch has signed new distribution agreements in Japan and South Korea
MARKETS
For the second year in a row, Brazil has been named as the most attractive emerging market for apparel
retailers making foreign investments
Global sales of apparel and home textiles made from organic cotton reached an estimated US$3.2 bn in
2008
Sales of Ethical clothing in the uk are expected to be worth £175 mn (US$251 mn) in 2009
Sales of apparel in the USA declined in December 2008 and February 2009, but sales of dresses, jeans,
outerwear and tights rose
NEW STORES
Adidas has launched its first originals retail store in Saudi Arabia
Aéropostale has opened its first PS from Aéropostale retail store and has launched a new website
Gap and Armin Systems have entered into a franchise agreement to establish Gap retail stores in
Thailand
H&M opened its first store in Beijing, ChinA
Topshop opened its first store in the USA
Zara has opened its first store in Egypt
ONLINE RETAILING
Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) has announced plans to close its online luxury clothing
retailer, eLuxury
Uniqlo and Taobao have launched two virtual clothing stores for the Chinese online retail market
Global apparel markets: business update www.textilesintelligence.com