WHAT'S IN STYLE

Royal Apparel Releases New Women's Styles with 'Roomier' Fits
September 2, 2015

Royal Apparel, Hauppauge, N.Y., has created better fits for women with seven new styles. Since a lot of women's sizing is actually juniors' sizing, customers often complain these sizes run too small and dislike having to size up to get the proper fit. After Royal Apparel repeatedly heard requests for better women's fits, the supplier worked on this initiative to make women's clothing roomier by using larger specifications and having many fitting sessions to perfect the new sizing.

Ralph Lauren's New Polo Shirt Tells You How to Work Out
September 2, 2015

Fashion and fitness aren’t exactly synonymous, but Ralph Lauren wants to change that. On Aug. 20, in conjunction with the U.S. Open (Aug. 31 to Sept. 13), the company will debut its $295 “PoloTech” shirt, a top embedded with sensors that measure biometrics, such as heart rate, stress level, breathing and calories burned. That info is then streamed into an app that not only records the data, but uses it to generate customizable workouts.

Say what?!

Ralph Lauren first unveiled the shirt at last year’s Open, where players and ball boys performed trial runs during practice.

Bangladesh Court Delays Screening of 'Rana Plaza' Movie Because of Terrifying Scenes
September 2, 2015

Bangladesh's High Court has imposed a six-month ban on the screening of a movie about a garment worker who was rescued from the rubble 17 days after a five-story factory complex collapsed more than two years ago, killing more than 1,000 people.

A two-member panel of judges ordered the ban Aug. 24 on the film "Rana Plaza" after a writ petition was submitted alleging that the movie has scenes of horror, cruelty and violence that could negatively affect workers in the country's vital garment industry.

Ellen DeGeneres' New GapKids Line Blows Away Gender Stereotypes
September 2, 2015

“Be you.”

Ellen DeGeneres breathed new life into that old cliché at Aug. 16’s Teen Choice Awards, telling her fans to be proud of their individuality.

“I want to make sure that everyone knows that what makes you different right now, makes you stand out later in life,” she said. “So you should be proud of being different, you should be proud of who you are.”

What H&M Has Been Doing With Your Unwanted Clothes
September 2, 2015

Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M will be rolling out a 16-piece denim collection next month that recycles the items collected via its in-store garment-collection program, the company announced.

The collection, which uses 20 percent recycled cotton, includes six pieces for women (three jean styles, a flare-leg denim overall, denim jumpsuit and a denim jacket), five for men (including two jean styles, a zip-up denim jacket and a sweatpant silhouette in coated denim) and a handful of children’s items, including a totally adorable zip-front hoodie with animal ears.

Hanesbrands Reports Financial Results for Second Quarter 2015
August 19, 2015

Hanesbrands Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C., reported the sixth consecutive quarter of record year-over-year growth for net sales, adjusted operating profit and adjusted earnings per share, due to benefits of acquisitions and Innovate-to-Elevate strategies.

Cambodia Unions Warn of Strikes As Factories Indicate No Wage Raise
August 19, 2015

Cambodia's garment factories have indicated they will reject demands for an increase in the minimum wage next year, angering unions and risking upheaval in a crucial economic sector for years dogged by unrest.

A survey distributed among members of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, which represents more than 500 factories, showed 63 percent of members want no raise and 26 percent support only marginal increases of $1 to $5.

It comes ahead of talks next month between the government, factories and unions to address demands for a sharp increase from the current monthly $128 minimum to $177.

Adidas, Indiana University Agree to $53.6 Million Deal
August 19, 2015

Indiana University has extended its apparel contract with Adidas in a deal that will nearly double the company's annual payment to the Hoosiers from $3.7 million to $6.7 million, Fred Glass, the university's director of athletics, confirmed Monday.

According to Indiana University, the deal worth $53.6 million over eight years is one of the five richest publicly known apparel deals in college athletics.

The deal also will help the Hoosiers ensure that "crimson and cream" are the same hues across all 24 Indiana University sports.

UFC's Ronda Rousey Selling 'DNB' T-shirts for Charity
August 19, 2015

It was the acronym heard around the world.

UFC champ Ronda Rousey's now famous comments about how she refuses to be a "DNB"—"do nothing b----"—got both men and women talking about body image, and now the UFC champ is selling T-shirts with the catchphrase to raise money for charity.

Rousey explains the term, which came up as she was addressing comments that her body is "masculine," on the T-shirt's website. "I have this one term for the kind of woman my mother raised me to not be, and I call it a do nothing b----," she said. "A DNB."

American Apparel Warns It May Go Out of Business
August 19, 2015

American Apparel has "substantial doubt" it will stay in business, the company said Monday. The clothing brand has been struggling for some time, and news it's nearing collapse came as American Apparel reported a net loss of $19.4 million for last quarter. "We believe that we may not have sufficient liquidity necessary to sustain operations for the next 12 months," the company said in a press release. It also announced plans to reorganize its debt and extend an existing line of credit from $50 million to $90 million, though it expects to post losses for the remainder of the year.