The Women's Wear Initiative

IN THESE PAGES, I've mentioned the various corporate initiatives Cotton Incorporated pursues to increase the use of cotton in the marketplace. By identifying market segments that are underutilizing cotton, or by researching those areas which cotton has yet to penetrate, the corporate initiatives set the groundwork for increased demand.

Expertise from many parts of the organization is coordinated by these initiatives to foster adoption of products and technologies to maintain and further cotton's market share. A prime example of how one of these initiatives works is the Women's Wear Initiative, which uses resources from several different departments to create, market and promote innovations in the important area of women's apparel.

Women's wear is a key market for cotton as it accounts for 53% of the entire apparel segment of the industry and over 50% of fiber sales. That means an increase of as little as one percentage point in market share is the equivalent of 108,088 additional bales of cotton used on an annual basis. This translates into nearly $32 million dollars of additional revenue for cotton producers.

Expanding cotton's presence in this important area means identifying those qualities the consumer is looking for and creating a product that addresses those needs. Women want comfortable, well-crafted garments that hold their shape and make a fashionable statement whether in casual or more formal settings. With that in mind, two fabric lines, Cotton Essentials and Cotton Luxury, were developed to cover broad areas of the market.

But these fabrics don't just appear." Opportunities for fabric constructions are identified by research. Both the Fashion Marketing and Fabric Development departments comb through resources including trade shows, trade publications, the market place, the World Wide Web and consumers, for inspiration. These fabrics are often 100% cotton, but some blended fabrics - cotton/wool, cotton/cashmere and cotton/lyocell - have tremendous potential in the luxury line, integrating the benefits of these alternative fibers with the benefits of cotton.

Once viable constructions are identified, they must prove manageable on existing textile equipment. Our Fabric Development department takes on the responsibility of testing fabrics so that mills can create these innovative constructions easily to facilitate product adoption. Additionally our Dyeing and Finishing department adds their expertise by treating these new constructions with a variety of attractive finishes to enhance the feel of the fabrics and colors to better place them in the market.

After extensive testing with fabrications and finishes, Global Product Marketing presents these fabrics to mills and manufacturers. Utilizing their years of textile expertise, the Global Product Marketing team can point out the benefits of these constructions while addressing any concerns the mill/manufacturer representatives might have. The final step in this process is promoting our efforts to the textile trade, so that we generate interest in cotton and cotton-rich fabrics for the women's wear market. Currently, we are looking at several opportunities to generate interest in the press. One of the more exciting developments is the use of our women's wear fabrics in trade advertising.

http://www.cottoninc.com/CottonGrowerArticles/WomensWearInitiative/

The Women's Wear Initiative

IN THESE PAGES, I've mentioned the various corporate initiatives Cotton Incorporated pursues to increase the use of cotton in the marketplace. By identifying market segments that are underutilizing cotton, or by researching those areas which cotton has yet to penetrate, the corporate initiatives set the groundwork for increased demand.

Expertise from many parts of the organization is coordinated by these initiatives to foster adoption of products and technologies to maintain and further cotton's market share. A prime example of how one of these initiatives works is the Women's Wear Initiative, which uses resources from several different departments to create, market and promote innovations in the important area of women's apparel.

Women's wear is a key market for cotton as it accounts for 53% of the entire apparel segment of the industry and over 50% of fiber sales. That means an increase of as little as one percentage point in market share is the equivalent of 108,088 additional bales of cotton used on an annual basis. This translates into nearly $32 million dollars of additional revenue for cotton producers.

Expanding cotton's presence in this important area means identifying those qualities the consumer is looking for and creating a product that addresses those needs. Women want comfortable, well-crafted garments that hold their shape and make a fashionable statement whether in casual or more formal settings. With that in mind, two fabric lines, Cotton Essentials and Cotton Luxury, were developed to cover broad areas of the market.

But these fabrics don't just appear." Opportunities for fabric constructions are identified by research. Both the Fashion Marketing and Fabric Development departments comb through resources including trade shows, trade publications, the market place, the World Wide Web and consumers, for inspiration. These fabrics are often 100% cotton, but some blended fabrics - cotton/wool, cotton/cashmere and cotton/lyocell - have tremendous potential in the luxury line, integrating the benefits of these alternative fibers with the benefits of cotton.

Once viable constructions are identified, they must prove manageable on existing textile equipment. Our Fabric Development department takes on the responsibility of testing fabrics so that mills can create these innovative constructions easily to facilitate product adoption. Additionally our Dyeing and Finishing department adds their expertise by treating these new constructions with a variety of attractive finishes to enhance the feel of the fabrics and colors to better place them in the market.

After extensive testing with fabrications and finishes, Global Product Marketing presents these fabrics to mills and manufacturers. Utilizing their years of textile expertise, the Global Product Marketing team can point out the benefits of these constructions while addressing any concerns the mill/manufacturer representatives might have. The final step in this process is promoting our efforts to the textile trade, so that we generate interest in cotton and cotton-rich fabrics for the women's wear market. Currently, we are looking at several opportunities to generate interest in the press. One of the more exciting developments is the use of our women's wear fabrics in trade advertising.

http://www.cottoninc.com/CottonGrowerArticles/WomensWearInitiative/

LABEL CONSCIOUSNESS

Care Labels Trump Designer Labels

Being label-conscious used to mean sacrificing all for the designer name of the moment. But, perhaps because they are busier today than ever before, modern women are approaching everything they do with an eye toward practicality, and that includes shopping and caring for all of the garments in their households.

It may seem “old school” to suppose that women are the primary launderers of the family; it is the 21st century, after all. But, women themselves state that it is a time-honored tradition. In fact, nearly 75 percent of female respondents told the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ that their mothers taught them how to do laundry.

Whether it’s an extension of old-fashioned home ec, or new-century economics tinged with environmental concerns, a garment’s care label is the starting flag for practicality. Those little hieroglyphs on the small tag speak more loudly than designer influence. According to the Monitor, three out of four female respondents said that they consult the garment care label and most do so simply because they need to know what they are getting themselves into before purchasing.

“Women check the laundering instructions for both economics and convenience,” explains Melissa Bastos, manager of market research at Cotton Incorporated. “They are factoring in the maintenance in terms of cost and how much time and effort the garment may require.”

Bastos also points out that the care label may be the tipping point for today’s bargain shopper. “If she is considering a sale item that might require dry cleaning or some other time-consuming maintenance, that extra time and money could negate the savings, and thus, the purchase.

”Monitor data supports the assertion, as three out of five female respondents revealed that they first review the laundering instructions in the fitting room, as opposed to their laundry room.

Industry insiders know that convenience is key. “I challenge you to find any woman who doesn’t value the concept of easy care, states Linda Teman, a manager at Sierra Trading Post, the multi-channel retailer. “Wash and wear, while a somewhat antiquated term, is still the ruling principle. I don’t think that will change since women have less time than ever and certainly don’t want to spend it in front of laundry machines or ironing boards!

”Think of the care and content label as a guideline, says Wendy Thayer, a spokesperson for Garnet Hill, another multi-channel retailer. “We put care instructions in every product category that we offer and that helps our customers get the most from their purchases. Following the recommended instructions will help maintain the integrity of the garment and maximize the investment.”

The care label is so important for some women that it even trumps brand name, reports the Monitor. While 50 percent of female respondents cited laundering instructions as information important to her purchase decision; only 25 percent cited the designer or manufacturer’s name.

Today’s technologically- advanced machines can lend consumers a hand and take some of the guesswork out of the laundering process, cites Teman. “Washing machines are getting more sophisticated and have different cycles for different fabrics, so we can take some chances here and there.

”Yet, problems do occur in the laundering process and these include torn seams, fading and shrinking. In just a few short years, the incidence of fading appears to be waning. In 2003, 68 percent of consumers told the Monitor that they bought a garment that faded. In 2006, nearly the same percentage cited the reverse; 70 percent said that they had not purchased an item that faded over time.

With regard to fading, once again, women demonstrate their practicality; certain garments are going to fade and they accept that. Female respondents told the Monitor that they expected black cotton pants to fade after fourteen washes on average.

Such acceptance may explain why fading appears to be a decreasing concern; in 2006, 56 percent of respondents said that fading did not bother them, up from 38 percent saying the same in 2003.

That particularly holds true with jeans. “Respondents have told us repeatedly that they don’t care if their denim fades,” Bastos shares. “They actually expect it.”

However, if given a choice, some women would opt to preserve their darker denim hues with a little help from technology. In 2006, 51 percent of female respondents told the Monitor that they were somewhat to very likely to buy a pair of black jeans specially engineered not to fade; 49 percent felt the same about blue jeans.

Garment care labels are not an investment prospectus, but those little tags do contain data that impacts individual consumer economies. Calculating the asking price versus the long-term maintenance is the value formula today’s value-conscious consumers are making. For today’s women, being label conscious is not a matter of fashion pride or keeping up the Joneses; it’s a practical approach to making the most out of a wardrobe investment.

This story is one in a series of articles based on findings from Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ tracking research. Each story will focus on a specific topic as it relates to the American women’s wear consumer and her attitudes and behavior regarding clothing, appearance, fashion, fiber selection and many other timely, relevant subjects.

http://www.cottoninc.com/lsmarticles/?articleID=539

ETAILING HERE TO STAY

Unless there's been a long lapse in your WWD subscription, you know that online sales of apparel experienced tremendous growth during the 1998 holiday season. According to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle MonitorTM, 9.3% of women now browse the Internet for clothing, a rise of 37% in just three months, and up 63% from a year ago. Five percent of women did some or all of their holiday shopping (though not necessarily clothing) on the Internet, according to the American Express Retail Index, compared to 7% of men.

The number of "first-time" (not repeat) visits to apparel Websites increased 73% during the four-week period leading up to Christmas, according to Media Metrix, a firm which cracks Internet usage of a representative sample of national households. "A lot more retailers are going online," says Scott Silverman, director of Internet retailing for the National Retail Federation (NRF). "In most cases the 1998 holiday season is what drove that decision." According to Jupiter Communications, online apparel sales totalled $330 million in 1998, which represents two-tenths of one percent of total apparel sales for the year. However, online sales are doubling every year, while total retail sales have grown an average of five percent over the last five years.

"What everyone saw is this is the first time that ecommerce made an impact on traditional retailing," says Mark Goldstein, president of Impulse! Buy Network (www.impulsebuy.com ), a company which licenses etailing technology to retailers and portal sites such as Women.corn. "Looking forward to the twenty-first century, retailers are seeing that they have to take ecommerce seriously and not [view it] as a stepchild."

"Merchants and manufacturers of women's apparel have been relatively blind to the potential of the Web to date," says Ken Cassar, an analyst in the digital commerce group of Jupiter Communications (www.jup.com ), an Internet research firm. "Women have historically represented an inordinately small proportion of the online population—and a particularly low proportion of the online shopping population," he remarks. This is changing though— women's online adoption rates are growing at a faster rate than men's adoption rates, bringing us closer to gender parity. Women's apparel retailers are certainly beginning to appreciate the opportunity that lies before them. Their constituency is increasingly going online and online shoppers are, in general, becoming increasingly willing to buy highly differentiated products after cutting their teeth on books and CDs.

Some companies which have a Web presence but do not sell will start to test the waters. Other retailers that have already invested in cyberselling are Fine-tuning their strategies for next season (it's never too early).

Take Macys.com, which experienced 400-500% sales growth in the 1998 holiday season over 1997 (which itself was a 300% increase over 1996). "Sales of sweaters and pants, and our home business were very strong," says Kirn Miller, director of Internet strategies for Macys West. "We will expand, add new products, and test new concepts online,"

"What you're going to see is a lot of retailers using the holiday season to find out what works and doesn't work, and throw out what doesn't," says Silverman at NRF.

"We definitely expect to see a lot of women's apparel retailers, as well as manufacturers, opening up online stores," says Melissa Bane, senior analyst at the Yankee Group

Retailers' success online will depend on how they combine their online strategy with their offline strategy. "[Brick and mortar] retailers have to understand their core competency and ask how that unique core competency can be extended to the Internet and leveraged," says Goldstein of Impulse! Buy Network. "For example, Filene's Basement is famous for its great closeouts. They have been planning their online site carefully, and of course they will use what they're known for." He continues, "On the other hand the Gap’s strength is the quality of the shopping experience. So the company thought TheGap.com through, put a lot of time and money into it, and really integrated their online presence with their stores. For example, say a local Gap is out of a customer's size jeans. She can buy online while she's in the store, and it will be shipped to her home without shipping charges. The Gaps online presence benefits their stores, and vice versa. As a result, TheGap.com is doing really well."

"We have very vocal customers, and we've gotten a great reaction from them about the 1998 holiday season," says Rebecca Weill, the Gaps spokesperson. "We don't look at our site as competing with our stores at all. There's a lot of synergy; they're very complementary. A customer may prefer to pre-shop online and make a purchase in the store. That's fine with us."

What’s on the horizon for etailing? Bane at Yankee Group cites personalization technologies such as customer profiles, gift registries, reminder services, and email for direct marketing. Cassar at Jupiter cites the Lands' End "my virtual model," which allows you to build a model of yourself and try on different outfits. "It's rough now, but it offers interesting possibilities," say Cassar. "Live Picture is a company whose technology is used on the Gap and other sites. It allows you to zoom in on a product without any degradation of resolution (in fact, the resolution improves as you zoom). It offers the potential to improve the catalog visual experience."

"We want to be there in whatever way the customer wants," summarizes Weill at the Gap, "Our site is all about making shopping easy for customers."

http://www.cottoninc.com/lsmarticles/?articleID=262

Fashion for Women: Checkout the Latest Trends

The exquisite color and contour with the vibrant luster in fashion is what women really love more. May it be an impeccable one or not, but the carefree touch that it generates on the body-and-dress is what fashion destines to get adept of.

Whats current in the womens fashion world? Lets take a close look.

Yarns for autumn

The hottest in trend is something close to nature both in the use of raw material and in style. Velvet cardigans in fine knitting pattern are among the favorites of world famous designer Michael Kors. The raw material used for knitting these cardigans is mainly soft wool mixed with silk and ramie. Well this rustic style womens winter wear is round-up with elegance and sophistication. You can call it the perfect outfit that will match with a silken pencil skirt.

But the yarn pattern of weaving has many fashionable outfits very latest perfect for casuals. The yoke style patterned sweaters are through into your wardrobes this season. They are smart and can be easily worn with jeans trousers and laced skirts. The colors to knit these sweaters are generally a combination of contrasts. Loud colors go perfect with matt finished threads where the body of the sweater will be soothing but the yoke designs will be appealing with bright patches.

For casual trousers you need something sleek and light. Boden womens wear sets the flow. The V-neck half-sleeve skinny multi-color sweater cum top will suit the best. Colors like sky blue, yellow ochre and cherry red are in vogue to knit this outfit. And it is exactly made for working women of middle income group. Get one right now before the collection gets over.

Denim - an all time trend setter

Denim is always in. You rather think it this way. But the difference lies in designs and make-ups. The autumn 2006/07 fashion sets the new brands like tuxedo tops, skinny jeans in black or indigo shades, denim jackets to be put with chiffon skirts and classy denim tops.

The type of denim jeans in vogue is washed jeans and women prefer this distressing effect for ease. The casual mood merged with intellectual looks build up the magnetic persona a woman aspires to carry. Denim proves it all.

Fashion accessories in trend

Chunkier Boho casual ethnic jewelry is in and heavy costume jewelry are out. The luxury lines of estate jewelry are doing pretty well in todays fashion trend. Also the plastics and metals do find a larger room than the conventional gold and silver jewels. Well these are mainly for casual wears and young women going to office or universities prefer them more. They are handy and not so expensive. For party wear diamonds and platinum take the lead.

Fashion is incomplete without matching handbags. Abstract Flap Bag from Anuschka Women's Handbags is in high demand at present. You can buy one at 109.95. Perlina Women's Handbags are available at 139.95 and it is the first choice of young women. ILI womens Handbags and Touch Ups Women's Handbags from Victoria are in the low budget list. The former one is available at 45.95 and


http://www.mainarticles.com/Article/Fashion-for-Women--Checkout-the-Latest-Trends/5507

Women Fashion Trends

Women fashion trends borrow heavily from trends for grown ups, but include one important distinction: teen fashions exist within strictly enforced fashion subcultures. For most womens, clothing is short-hand for declaring which clique they belong to. Womens tend to dress in clothing that announces their affiliations and interests with crystal clarity.

Women's fashion will be moving toward stylish and elegant femininity this summer with pants taking a back seat to dresses and skirts. Bright colors are making a comeback this year with red-orange and fuchsia taking center stage. Cool, neutral colors may make a splash this summer in lavender and aqua shades. For women who prefer darker tones, brown is predicted to be the new black with trendy colors ranging from rich chocolate to light khaki.

Top 8 Trends in Women's Fashion

1. Dress Her in Complete Looks.

2. Skinny Jeans.

3. Fun Shoes that Really Express Her Personality.

4. Special Clothes That Will Make Her Stand Out.

5. Leggings Worn Under a Short Skirt.

6. Longer Tees and Other Long Tops.

7. Pastel Prints and How to Wear Them.

8. Designer or Designer Inspired Jeans.

Women should select right dress according to the type of body. Before choosing any dress, determine the type of body, as there are different height and weight and age.

1. One should wear free flowing clothes in a single tone for getting a slim and long look. Try fabrics such as georgette or chiffon for dresses.

2. One should wear clothes according to size. Loose fitting clothes do not give good look to anyone. One must wear fitted clothes to look gorgeous.

3. One must be careful about wearing accessories as these speak more than dress. Therefore always watch out accessories.

4. Women should be sure about jeweler; it can suit one’s face.

5. If one has thin waist, wear belts for feeling comfortable.

6. One should invest in the bags, a basic wardrobe and shoes.

7. Women should not following trends of fashion blindly.


http://www.mainarticles.com/Article/Women-Fashion-Trends/7733

Decision Direct Research Introduces Women’s Apparel Survey

Women’s apparel catalogers and Internet retailers can learn what customers think about them via a new online cooperative survey from Millard Group’s Decision Direct Research division.

Decision Direct Research conducts direct marketing online cooperative surveys on a quarterly basis that provide data regarding customer attitudes, opinions and online shopping trends.

The new Women’s Apparel Survey targets a smaller segment of the industry. It includes questions on purchase trends and future buying intentions; satisfaction with Web site shopping experience; approval of apparel offerings and insight about additional merchandise possibilities.

“A significant challenge for any retailer is to determine who their customers are and what they want,” said Lilliane LeBel vice president of Decision Direct Research at Millard Group, Peterborough, NH.

The new survey fills this need in two ways: providing women’s apparel retailers with specific market information and providing customer insight for less than other customer insight reports. This is possible, “because all participating clients are using the same survey, and because we provide a report, not narrative, as the deliverable,” Ms. LeBel said.


http://www.dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/research-studies/38291.html

FASHION SMORGASBORD

Today's women's apparel appeals to a variety of tastes

If variety is the spice of life, then women are asking for seconds, thirds and even more helpings of this season’s tasty offerings in apparel.

According to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle MonitorTM, the newest fashions have scored big with women. Thirty-nine percent of respondents say that they like this season’s fashions more than those from last year. That’s a year over year increase of 15%!

In addition, the Shopping Barometer is up dramatically, especially among the Fashion Innovators, from 72.18 points last year to 80.80 this year, an increase of 8.62 points. Monitor data also reflects thatwomen currently allot more time for apparel shopping these days – spending an average of 111 minutes in stores, up 10 minutes from the previous year.

And if you need more convincing, consider this: the most recent Monitor data reports that 27.2% of women love shopping, up from just 17.9% for the

same period last year.

So, what’s not to like?

The options of what to wear for women seem suddenly endless: twin sets, slim trousers, short, long and knee-length skirts, and man-tailored button-down shirts in long and three-quarter length sleeves. The new styles encourage creativity and, more importantly, look good on a variety of body types.

“Designers are not following any specific trend right now so there’s a lot of diversity in apparel,” asserts designer Mark Montano. “One reason young designers are becoming more popular is that they have something that no one else has. Their clothing allows people to be more expressive and individual. I thinkwomen are tired of being part of the pack.”

In fact, 65% of consumers say the current styles are anything but boring reports the Monitor.

Notes Jo Cohen, associate director of The COTTONWORKS® Fabric Library for Cotton Incorporated, “Women have experienced a fashion breakthrough, which is why they’re buying more clothes now. Their apparel has become a way in which to express their individuality. The 90s have been the decade of eclecticism and the birth of the new casual.”

Designer Jill McGowan, who has built her Portland, Maine-based women’s fashion company around the classic white shirt, agrees, “I think the trend now is that women are finding their own style and finding it in their own way. It’s less dictated than ever before.”

Many recognize that it is the designers who have spearheaded this trend, by making fashionable clothes that are more accessible and speak to the everyday sensibilities of the average woman. A woman they’re finding is willing to pay more for a quality item with superior style.

Says Cohen of Cotton Incorporated, “Designers have played a key role in this by taking into consideration the needs of the contemporary woman and making more wearable clothes.” She adds, “I think one of the successes of cotton is that it’s becoming more and more seasonless, so that a woman will invest in something more costly because it can be worn year-round.”

Concurs McGowan, “The time has finally come when the designer is meeting the needs of the customer. We’re seeing more customers buying more practical, wearable items for their wardrobe which are not boring, but timeless. I think customers are willing to pay more for quality – invest extra money to have a product that will survive several seasons and still look great.”

Montano feels that color is one of the main driving forces behind the new fashions. “Before, when so many neutral colors were playing a part in fashion, it didn’t matter what you wore because it was all beige or black,” he says. “Color gives you a whole range of opportunities that are perfectly acceptable and more an expression of who you are. ”

All this has generated a new excitement about women’s apparel, a spark which has been missing from seasons past.

The advent of casual days at the office seems to be one of the greatest influences on the current fashion, especially for women. With offices sporting an average of two casual days per week, women have had to come up with their own alternative to the men’s polo shirt and khakis uniform.

And it is a challenge they have embraced with enthusiasm.

Linda, an editor for a women’s consumer magazine, can’t say enough good things about the new fashions. “What I really love about fashion now is that there are such a variety of styles,” she enthuses. “It’s so easy to pull an outfit together that’s elegant, yet comfortable. And there’s a whole feminine element to the newest looks too, but not the frilly, frou-frou kind. It’s definitely chic.”

Designer Montano defines the new fashion as not so much casual but comfortable dressy. “The look is dressier now,” he asserts. “We’re seeing beads come back and sequin trims and things that make clothing more special.”

But perhaps it is a recent article in the Style section of The New York Times that summed it up best, “While women still dress up on special occasions, fashion for the 21st century will be based on comfort and utility.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

This story is one in a series of articles based on findings from Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ tracking research. Each story will focus on a specific topic as it relates to the American women’s wear consumer and her attitudes and behavior regarding clothing, appearance, fashion, fiber selection and many other timely, relevant subjects.


http://www.cottoninc.com/lsmarticles/?articleID=237