Apparel

Fashion designers don't usually give tours of biology laboratories, but on a rainy day this fall, deep in an industrial complex along the Brooklyn waterfront, Suzanne Lee guides me through the warren of labs that make up Modern Meadow. Lee recently joined the biotech start-up as its creative director. Beneath her white lab coat she wears leather pants and a neoprene shirt with a lightning bolt. When I ask what exactly a creative director of a biotech start-up does, she points to a plastic bracelet that encases the husks of three beetles. "Nature is the best designer," she says.

Under Armour is talking trash about its German rival.

"We're not going to compete with our dumbest competitor," Under Armour chief executive Kevin Plank said in an interview on Bloomberg Television, referring to Adidas AG's push for more athletic sponsorships to shore up its flagging U.S. business.

When asked again if he thought Adidas was his dumbest competitor, Mr. Plank doubled down. "I don't like them," he said. "I don't like the other guys either, but that's my job."

The public diss of Adidas comes after Baltimore-based Under Armour Inc., a relative newcomer to the athletic apparel industry, surpassed...

NBA athletes are legitimate fashion icons, with various stars (e.g. Russell Westbrook) and notable players (e.g. Nick Young) becoming notable not just for their play on the court but their sartorial impact. Some players will show up on basketball blogs just as often as they appear in the pages of GQ. Personal style is part of their public image and brand.

The league and its TV partners have rarely formalized any of this interest in the fashion world. That will change at All-Star Weekend when TNT airs a fashion show featuring several All-Stars.

Executive Apparel recently announced a new in-stock line of custom-tailored executive uniforms. Called "5545," the exclusive line of matching men's and ladies' uniforms features items made from a combination of polyester, wool and spandex.

Hanesbrands Inc. announced its Hanes + Box Tops T-shirt Design Challenge, open to all participating Box Tops schools. Distributors are encouraged to its invite school customers to enter the contest.

Gildan Activewear recently announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Comfort Colors for a total purchase price of approximately U.S. $100 million.

Three people have been arrested after police busted a gang suspected of selling counterfeit T-shirts from a warehouse in east London.

The gang is suspected of earning £100,000 (approx. U.S. $152,000) by printing illegal merchandise bearing the names of rock bands such as Nirvana and Motorhead, along with pop acts Justin Bieber and One Direction.

City of London police found thousands of T-shirts, along with printing gear, logo molds, paint and other equipment when they raided the factory in east London.

A man and a woman were held at a nearby home, while another man was held at the factory.

Charles River Apparel announced it has selected Boston-based 360 Public Relations as public relations and social media agency of record to promote the company's performance apparel for men, women and children. A third-generation family-owned and operated business, Charles River Apparel is looking to expand into new markets for its line of outerwear and other performance apparel.

Columbia Sportswear has revived a patent infringement complaint against a Poway, Calif. company, contending Seirus Innovative Accessories is using a Columbia-patented heat-reflective material without the Washington County-based company's permission.

The lawsuit is essentially a repeat of another case Columbia pursued about a year ago.

That case, however, was filed in a federal court in Washington state because Columbia could not prove Seirus products containing the disputed fabric were being sold in Oregon. In the lawsuit filed earlier this month in federal court in Portland, however, Columbia contends it has evidence Seirus products have been sold at several retailers in Oregon.

S&S Activewear recently announced the addition of Next Level Apparel and introduced Weatherproof Vintage to the promotional apparel industry. The new lines were unveiled at the ASI Orlando, PPAI Las Vegas and ISS Long Beach trade shows.