Apparel

The Academy Awards are fast-approaching, and who doesn't like to have a little fun at Hollywood's expense? Here are 3 products that are sure to win the award for "Best Oscar Party."

Bangladesh's ready-made garment exports are continuing to soar, rising by nearly 20 percent in the first-half of the current fiscal year despite ongoing political uncertainty, labor unrest and factory safety issues.

Apparel exports climbed to $11.9 billion in the six months from July to December, up from $9.95 billion a year earlier—and exceeding targets set at $11.28 billion.

Under Armour's house just got a lot bigger. The Baltimore-based sports apparel company announced Tuesday that it has signed the University of Notre Dame, one of the nation's most popular college football programs, to a 10-year exclusive deal to design and supply clothing, footwear and equipment for all of the school's men's and women's varsity teams.

The deal, which Notre Dame called the largest ever in college football, comes a day after Under Armour's headquarters in Locust Point was decorated with banners welcoming Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel to its house.

Los Angeles-based American Apparel Inc., a vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor and retailer of branded fashion basic apparel, announced preliminary sales for the month of December 2013.

For decades, declining prices have helped American consumers spend less on one critical part of every family’s budget: clothing. But those days may be ending.

The government reported this week that consumer prices for apparel rose 0.6 percent in 2013. That is hardly rampant inflation, but it was the third consecutive year that apparel prices increased. Before 2011, those prices had risen in only two of the previous 13 years.

Cutter & Buck’s Men’s Golf Collection combines superior performance with a clean, modern look that works for an active lifestyle. For Fall 2014, the company continues to focus on an all-weather wardrobe that transitions seamlessly from summer to fall, and includes sophisticated pieces that move easily from the course to the clubhouse and feature bold, new color anchors.

Cambodia gained unwanted attention this month when four people were shot at a garment factory outside of Phnom Penh amid a strike over higher wages. Chinese billionaire Ma Jianrong's Shenzhou International, a supplier to Nike, Uniqlo and Adidas, temporarily shut production at a facility there as a result. Cambodia's problems followed a factory building collapse in Bangladesh last year that killed hundreds.

Industrial Revolution II, a garment supplier whose backers include movie star Matt Damon, has touted its wish to balance shareholder interests and social progress. I exchanged with CEO and co-founder Rob Broggi, a former hedge fund executive

Providence, R.I.-based Teespring, a Y Combinator-backed startup that allows anyone to outsource the production and distribution costs involved with selling their own custom T-shirts, has raised $20 million in new funding in a round entirely led by Andreessen Horowitz. The funding, which closed around a month ago, will also see the firm's Lars Dalgaard joining Teespring's board.

First launched in 2012 by Brown grads Walker Williams and Evan Stites-Clayton, the idea for Teespring originally came about after Williams tried to save a local bar from shutting down by selling a "save the bar" custom T-shirt.

With fitness trackers for dogs, partnerships between designer brands and fitness bands, and digital health apps dominating last week’s CES show, health and fitness is at the forefront of efforts to connect consumers with technology. One unique trend—deemed “Emotional Mirror” technologies—seeks to make the simple act of wearing clothing an interactive tool for participating in (and communicating about) a healthy, happy lifestyle.

PSFK and Intel iQ highlighted these technologies in their “Future of Wearable Technology” report, out last week, which featured 10 major trends driving the form and function of personal devices.

Bodek and Rhodes, a distributor of imprintable apparel based in Philadelphia, unveiled its new trade show booth during January's ASI event in Orlando, Fla. Boasting 33 percent more space than last year's version, the booth features a new, retail-inspired design.