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☆ Don't bank on free returns: 60% of retailers roll out stricter policies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Roughly 60% of retailers said they're making changes to existing returns policies, with fewer promising free returns, according to a recent survey of retail executives. "These adjustments in return policies are not there to cover costs," Kieboom said. "The more money retailers lose on returns the more they have to make up for that by raising prices," Beitelspacher said. How to avoid return feesStill, shoppers love free returns almost as much as they love free shipping. In fact, 98% of consumers said that free shipping was the most important consideration when shopping online, followed by more than three-quarters who said the same about free returns, according to a recent report by PowerReviews.

☆ Stores like Uniqlo, Timberland, and Arc'teryx will reward you for dropping off your unwanted clothes — they may even repair them
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Uniqlo's Manhattan flagship store offers low-cost repairs to worn clothes from the brand. PatagoniaWorn Wear is Patagonia's way of extending the life of its garments by allowing customers to trade in old clothes for store credit. According to the site, the old jeans are repurposed as part of a collaboration with Cotton's Blue Jeans Go Green, another recycling program. ReformationReformation's clothes recycling program, RefRecycling, has operated since 2015. LululemonLululemon's "Like New" section offers customers the option of gently used activewear at a cheaper price than the brand's new clothing.

☆ Bangladesh, IMF Reach Deal on $4.5 Billion Aid Package
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Philip Wen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bangladesh has reached a preliminary agreement for a $4.5 billion assistance package with the International Monetary Fund as it seeks to cushion its economy from the impact of the war in Ukraine and risks posed by climate change. The emergence of Bangladesh’s export-oriented garment manufacturing industry helped turbocharge economic growth and propel average incomes—and several indicators of human well-being—above those of South Asian neighbors India and Pakistan. But high inflation, a plunging local currency and recession concerns in the U.S. and Europe—its main export markets—have placed one of the world’s fastest-growing economies of the past decade under mounting financial pressure.

☆ IMF agrees $4.5 billion Bangladesh support programme
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) provisionally agreed a $4.5 billion support programme for Bangladesh on Wednesday as global inflation and the prospect of lower demand for its garment exports raised risks for its macroeconomic stability. The IMF said a "staff-level agreement" had been reached for a 42-month arrangement, including about $3.2 billion from its Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and Extended Fund Facility (EFF), plus about $1.3 billion from its new Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). Bangladesh has become the third country in South Asia to reach a staff-level agreement for loans with the IMF this year after Pakistan and Sri Lanka. A staff-level agreement is typically subject to approval by IMF management and consideration by its Executive Board. "The objectives of Bangladesh's new Fund-supported program are to preserve macroeconomic stability and support strong, inclusive, and green growth, while protecting the vulnerable," the IMF said in a statement.

☆ Weakening global demand hurts Vietnam's garment makers - industry official
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Khanh Vu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HANOI, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Vietnam's garment industry is expected to face a decline in orders from its key markets over the next two quarters, the country's textile and apparel association said on Monday, amid high inflation that is dampening global demand. The country is among the world's largest manufacturers for brands like Nike, Calvin Klein, Mango, Zara and H&M. He added however that exports this year were still expected to reach the target of $43.0 billion-$43.5 billion. The weakening of the dong currency has also added to the difficulties faced by some garment makers, as imports of their raw materials are more expensive, he said. But he added that exchange rate impacts are limited as the garment industry is now registering a trade surplus.

☆ Free returns may soon be a thing of the past as retailers roll out stricter policies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Crew (which was once well-known for a generous return policy that spanned the lifetime of a garment) have shortened their regular return windows to within a month. Changing the return policy is an easier pill for the costumer to swallow than an increase in the purchase price. "Changing the return policy is an easier pill for the costumer to swallow than an increase in the purchase price." How to avoid return feesStill, shoppers love free returns almost as much as they love free shipping. In fact, 98% of consumers said that free shipping was the most important consideration when shopping online, followed by more than three-quarters who said the same about free returns, according to a recent report by PowerReviews.

☆ Normcore No More: This Season’s Best Fleeces Will Help You Stand Out
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Max Berlinger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

MARIUS JOHNSON spotted the indigo fleece pullover on the YouTube page of one of his favorite influencers back in February. Finished with crochet detailing, the woolly number was the work of Story mfg, a small British brand known for its crafty aesthetic. Mr. Johnson, 26, an account manager at a creative agency in Boston, was attracted to the obvious care put into the garment, which he subsequently purchased. “You can just tell they’ve mastered their craft, with the stitching, the feel of the pullover and the fit,” he said. “[It] feels very personal.”That particular fleece was inspired by Patagonia’s Snap-T pullover, said Saeed Al-Rubeyi, who founded Story mfg with his wife Katy.

☆ Cotton exporter Benin developing home-grown textile industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Pulcherie Adjoha | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Benin has in the last few years become Africa's leading cotton producer, with annual production of 728,000 tonnes in 2020/21, according to government figures. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"We have decided that in this country, we are no longer going to sell this cotton raw. We are going to transform this cotton, in particular by installing integrated textile factories," said Letondji Beheton, managing director of the Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone (GDIZ), about 45 km from Cotonou. 1/6 People work at a shirt-making factory in the Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone (GDIZ) in Abomey-Calavi, Benin October 13, 2022. Although the systems are not yet in place to get cotton from field to factory, GDIZ has started training about 1,000 garment workers using imported materials for now.

☆ LoveShackFancy built a pretty, skinny, rich-girl dreamworld. The fantasy was impossible to live up to.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +34 min

Suddenly, in the midst of discussing what Cohen should wear to the next LoveShackFancy store opening, there was the sound of glass clanging. (Another person confirmed hearing this exchange, though the person close to the company said multiple Zoom attendees did not recall it.) The person close to the company said, "It is not uncommon for trips to have dual purposes — they always generate content." Another time, during a visit to the Palm Beach store, Cohen freaked out after seeing staffers in sweatshirts and sneakers. "As with most contemporary fashion brands, we currently do not operate in the plus-size business," the person close to LoveShackFancy said.

☆ Nasdaq Freezes Chinese Small-Cap IPOs After Price Spikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Michelle Chan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Nasdaq Stock Market’s pause on new listings of small-cap Chinese companies adds more bad news for those companies still hoping to raise money and go public in the U.S. The Nasdaq Stock Market has quietly halted listings of small-cap Chinese companies, holding up approval letters and demanding more information about related parties in deals, after a series of meteoric run-ups—and dramatic collapses—in IPOs this year. Shares of more than 20 recently listed companies have risen over 100% on their first day of trading. They include Hong Kong-based fintech company AMTD Digital which briefly jumped over 320-fold after its July listing, and Chinese garment maker Addentax Group which rose more than 130-fold on its market debut in August. The two stocks have since lost more than 98% of their value.

☆ Ralph Lauren accused of plagiarizing indigenous Mexican designs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, 20 Oct (Reuters) - The wife of Mexico's president on Thursday accused luxury American clothes brand Ralph Lauren (RL.N) of plagiarizing indigenous designs, which she described as an appropriation of the work of the country's pre-Hispanic cultures. "Hey Ralph (Lauren): we already realized that you really like Mexican designs," writer and researcher Beatriz Gutierrez said in an Instagram post. "However, by copying these designs you are committing plagiarism, which is illegal and immoral." The post shows a photo of a coat with colorful indigenous motifs hanging in a store. "Hopefully you repair the damage to the original communities that do this work with love and not for profit," Gutierrez added, attributing the designs to the indigenous communities of Contla and Saltillo.

☆ Shein factory employees are working 18-hour days for pennies per garment and washing their hair on lunch breaks because they have so little time off, new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Workers who make clothes sold on Shein get as little as 4 cents for each item they make, according to a new investigation. They often work 18-hour days with one day off per month, Channel 4 and The i newspaper reported. Some workers even wash their hair on their lunch breaks because they have so little time left after work, according to the report. Employees are hit with a fine amounting to two-thirds of their daily wages if they make even one mistake, according to the report. In one of the factories, female employees washed their hair on their lunch breaks because there is so little time left after work.

☆ The career rise of Nadine Macaluso, from modeling and marrying the 'Wolf of Wall Street' to divorcing him and becoming a family therapist
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Nadine Macaluso started her career as a model to support herself before she met her ex-husband. While married to Jordan Belfort, Macaluso gave up modeling and started a maternity company. After leaving Belfort, Macaluso found her path to therapy through meditation and earned her Ph.D.Get the latest tech news & scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. Macaluso, 54, was played by Margot Robbie in Martin Scorsese's 2013 film, "The Wolf of Wall Street," which was adapted from Belfort's autobiography of the same name. Later in their marriage, Macaluso started her own maternity company.

Karnataka state's ban on the garment in schools in February unleashed protests by Muslim students and their parents. "We have a divergence of opinion," said Supreme Court Justice Hemant Gupta, one of two judges on the panel. The chief justice would set up a larger bench to further consider the case, they said but did not say by when that could happen. Supreme Court decisions apply nationwide. "Hopefully, the chief justice will set up the larger bench soon and we will have a definitive verdict," he said by telephone.

☆ The future of fashion is in everyone's hands
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Electrolux | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

And while many global economies and industries are still in recovery, it could be said that fashion — and sustainable fashion — is not only recovering but in the midst of a revolution. Power to the consumer: Environmental solutions within reachElectroluxWhat if the future of sustainable fashion is already within reach – literally? Butani said that small changes to our behaviours and "breaking the pattern" of legacy habits holds the key to making more sustainable fashion choices. Which is why Electrolux's partnership with Rave Review, an upcycling fashion house, is so relevant. If you would like to discover more about sustainable fashion practices and how Electrolux is shaping the future of garment care, please visit our website

☆ Man pictured wearing 'Camp Auschwitz' sweatshirt during Capitol riot pleads guilty to one misdemeanor charge
▼ + stars: | 2022-01-27 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A man photographed wearing an antisemitic sweatshirt during the Capitol riot has pleaded guilty. Robert Packer on Wednesday pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor trespassing charge. Robert Packer, 57, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one trespassing charge stemming from his role in the insurrection. The count carries a possible six-month prison sentence, though other Capitol defendants who have pleaded guilty to the same charge have received little to no jail time. A photo of Packer wearing his "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt inside a Virginia store in December 2020.

☆ I make $5,000 a month washing people's clothes on SudShare — here's how
▼ + stars: | 2021-12-07 | by ( Lauryn Haas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Before I found out about SudShare, I drove for ride-hailing companies like Uber and cleaned houses with different companies. As a Sudster, I started earning between $600 to $700 a week at the beginning, then more clients started placing orders. On a good day, bags are from $55 to $60, sometimes upward of $120, as it's $1 per pound of clothes. When folding clothes, I don't fold all of them at the same time but rather separate the loads by clients. Usually if I pick up a lot of clothes, I don't deliver them the same day, but I deliver them all by the next morning.

But realistically, buying a quality leather jacket can become a substantial financial investment — one that most guys aren't ready to make (myself included). Most worthwhile options cost around $700 or more, which, for a while, meant that my only chance of getting a premium yet affordable leather jacket would be in a thrift store. That was, until I found out one of my favorite shoe startups was making really nice leather jackets without the retail markup. Very seldom will you find a genuine leather jacket of this quality at an under-$500 price. According to a currency inflation calculator, the $700 my dad spent on his leather jacket in 1996 is equivalent to $1,121.24 in today's dollars.

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