Fashion in Recession Economy
April 29, 2008
Who needs to spend money on another boring T-shirt? When times get tough, women force to examine self-care items or trend, low price does not seem to require foregoing the last rabies. The strategies developed by buyers to cope with the uncertainty hanging over the economy are a new twist in a complex and fickle industry that pressure women to update their wardrobe every season.
Recession or not, the middle class are dressing fashionistas fashion forward. Their determination to follow the latest trends in different plays - buy cheaper, but the high-style pieces, or opting for a wardrobe of reasonable facsimile of counterfeit which does strain the budget.
However, clothing retailers are feeling the pinch as buyers discount on the purchase, amid the escalation of gasoline prices, a housing crisis, credit tightening and widespread consumer skittishness. The trend of fashion, after all, are nice to have, but this is not really essential.
Sales of clothing women are estimated to have fallen 3 percent in February and March of the year-ago levels, according to research firm NPD Group. The hardest hit categories? Coats, clothing and accessories.
“In this type of economy, obviously, there is the temptation to shop in your own private,” said Wendy Liebmann marketing consultants of WSL Strategic Retail. “The temptation not to buy is clearly enormous at this point . ”
Yet the truly dedicated buyers arrive to find the way to achieving high quality and low.
Source : Reuters
French Fashion Industry Against Anorexia
April 10, 2008
The fashion industry headed French fashion houses, advertising and media Wednesday signed a bill to combat anorexia among models in the magazine ads and parades.
The fight against anorexia player in the world of fashion, the capital was led by Roselyne Bachelot Minister of Health, as well as other groups of countries in the world. This will put an end to the display of ultra-thin body mannequins.
The measures were drawn up by a working group set up in January 2007 by the Ministry of Health in response to the death of models and the outcry on a naked body bone promoted as the epitome of beauty.
To recall, in November 2006, the Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died at the age of 21, weighing at least 40 kilograms to 1.7 meters in height of its image. Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos succumbed to a heart attack in August of that year.
The charter sets out a series of guidelines, but do not impose any restrictions. Spain, for example, has established a body mass index of at least 18 years for the parade of models. This is equivalent to a minimum weight of 56 kilograms (123 pounds) for a height of 1.75 meters (5.74 feet).
The signatories of the charter pledged to stop using “images of people, especially young people, which could contribute to the promotion of a model of extreme thinness.”
Spain is the first European country to adopt a tough position against anorexia. In September 2006, it banned models whose bodies are frail series body mass index, at its Pasarela Cibeles fashion show in Madrid. Beginning of last year, the houses of haute couture Spanish Zara and Mango also begun to put up 38-size mannequins (US size 
in their windows and windows stopped placing larger racks of clothes at the back of their stores.
In Italy, an anti-anorexia charter was signed in February 2007 to promote the health and beauty of girls under 16 bans podiums. Catwalks on Italian models must submit health certificates to prove that they do not suffer from eating disorders.
Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani was released last year with a series of anti-anorexia ads featuring French Isabelle Caro, who weighs just 32 kilograms (70 pounds) for a height of 1.65 meters. Similarly, the Italian clothing company No-l-ita launched its ads in the middle of Milan fashion week under the slogan “No to anorexia.”
In France, agencies require a license issued by the government and the special authorization for models under 16, which should also undergo regular medical checks.
In Britain, models suffer from anorexia or bulimia must present a certificate attesting that they are being treated for the disorder before participating in the Fashion Week Britain in London in September.
