India : Planning Commission member raises plight of silk weavers - Textile News India

According to a member of the Planning Commission, which is an apex body of the Government of India and formulates the five year plans, there is a need to waive off or reduce customs duty on imports of silk yarn from China. Ms Syeda Hameed who was on a two day visit to Varanasi, which is famous for its silk industry, was particularly appalled, where she met the poor silk weavers. According to her the duty on Chinese silk fabric is higher than Chinese silk yarn. She sternly said that the Banarasi silk industry was dependent on Chinese silk rather than silk yarn from Karnataka and promised to raise the issue with the Planning Commission as well as the government of India. She also promised to bring to light the loop holes in the schemes launched by the Central Government for the development of handloom and handicraft, since these loopholes prevented these weavers from being benefited from the various schemes.

USA : Bergio Signs LOI to buy Italian Mario Panelli - Fashion News USA

Bergio International, Inc. announces that it has entered into a deal to acquire famous Italian designer Mario Panelli. Mario Panelli reported $1.5 million in inventory, $1.4 million insales for 2008, with moderate earnings. Bergio will acquire the Company for a liquidated inventory cost of $1,250,000 in cash. "Bergio is very excited to sign a Letter of Intent to acquire famous Italian designer Mario Panelli. Mario Panelli has been in business for over 40 years and is known internationally for his designs. This acquisition will give Bergio exposure into the international markets," stated Berge Abajian, CEO of Bergio International, Inc.Bergio is entering into its 20th year of operations withboutique, upscale jewelry stores. It currently sells its jewelry to approximately 150 independent jewelry retailers across the United States.

UK : Stick-it-on can transform clothing into wearable light show - Technology News UK

Anokimobi Ltd, the UK product design firm has just launched their Stick-it-on Flashing Panels; a range of flashing, animating panels that can be easily fixed onto any item of clothing or apparel such as t-shirts, jackets and bags. Nine funky panel designs have been created which, once attached, can transform clothing into a wearable light show; a fun, stand-out product which appeals particularly to the youth and clubbing markets. Anokimobi’s off-the-shelf flashing panel designs include animated DJs, dancers, aliens and robots some of which are sound reactive and will flash in time to music. They also offer a quick turnaround, bespoke design service for companies who want high visibility branding on promotional clothing and apparel. Flashing panels, while not a new product, are usually sold pre-fixed to an item of clothing, forcing the retailer to stock every panel design on every size of t-shirt or jacket. Anokimobi is the first company to offer Flashing Panels as a stand alone product. T-shirt and clothing retailers now have the option to buy panels that their customers can stick on themselves thus reducing the need to carry large amounts of stock. The Stick-it-on Flashing Panel wholesales for around half the price of a panel already attached to a t-shirt. Retailers can also benefit from higher profit margins as panels are shipped without the need to attach them first to bulky clothing thus reducing transport costs. Easy to attach and long lastingEasily applied in less than a minute, the Stick-it-on Flashing Panel takes 3 x AAA batteries and will flash for between 8-14 hours depending on design. Panels are lightweight and paper thin as they are based on Electro Luminescent technology; the energy efficient and versatile light source which is also used for Anokimobi’s groundbreaking solar powered advertising signage. Tom Tranter, Director of Anokimobi Ltd explains, “We have worked with Electro Luminescence technology for 5 years and have successfully launched EL Solar Signage. We felt that there was a place for a completely different fun and youth orientated product; an EL product which would offer versatility to both the retailer and to big brands who want an affordable way to reach the savvy youth market. We have also had a lot of interest from the safety, hi-visibility clothing market and are looking to develop a separate panel range for these clients too.”