International
News
- October 2005
Nassau , Bahamas , September 13, 2005 (Guardian) - Prison
officers turned up in casual clothes yesterday in protest
over new allowance benefits for uniforms that were promised
by the government.
The ' dress casual ' action was planned last Friday by
the Prison Staff Association, and 85 percent of the guards
on the three shifts went to work without their uniforms
on Monday.
A guard on duty said the Prison Staff Association was
looking for a $120 a month uniform allowance. "You
have to be sharp and crisp the way they want your shoes
clean and uniform well pressed," he added.
Officers said the uniform allowance was promised back
in July of this year.
Superintendent Rahming revealed that the Prison Staff
Association had been in talks with the government for the
past 16 months. "The president invited members to
report to work today out of uniform because in his words,
' They can ' t afford to keep their uniforms clean and
the police and the defense force get an allowance," he
said.
Superintendent Rahming refused to comment on what disciplinary
action would be taken if the guards refused to wear uniforms
today. "We ' ll see what tomorrow brings," he
said.
He also denied the claim that officers face being fired
if they turn up again out of uniform.
Meantime, Police Staff Association chairman Bradley Sands
confirmed that police officers received a uniform allowance
of $120 a month. But he said that they are looking for
an increase of $60 as cleaning costs have gone up.
"I support the officers being paid [a] uniform allowance
knowing how costly it is to clean them," he said. "I
believe they have to send a message to the relevant authorities
that they need the uniform allowance as was promised to
them."
Sydney, Australia, September 25, 2005 (Sun-Herald) -
Students are being clad in expensive school uniforms created
by top Australian fashion designers that can lead to a
bill of more than $1500 for parents.
Even kindergarten pupils are being decked out in the
fashionable outfits. Some parents say the prices are too
high and dry clean-only instructions lead to a yearly cleaning
bill of $700 for a school jacket alone.
One mother whose children needed the designer uniforms
said she paid more than $1500 for one full winter and summer
uniform set. She said one of the worst features of the
uniform was the stipulation that it was dry clean-only.
"Children are naturally grubby and to have dry clean-only
fabrics is crazy," said the mother, who did not want
to be named for fear of offending her child ' s North Shore
school uniform committee.
"It ' s not only the cost, but what dry cleaners
will do the job on a Saturday ready for school again on
Monday?
NSW Parents and Citizens Association president Sharyn
Brownlee said uniforms were big business for the designers
and the schools. "Some schools make tens of thousands
of dollars from school uniform contracts," Ms Brownlee
said. "For the designers it is lucrative and is about
stamping their brand name on a younger generation.
Ben Ward, a leading Sydney fashion designer who has dressed
the likes of Elle Macpherson and Kylie Minogue, has just
put the finishing touches to a new summer uniform for Meriden
School at Strathfield.
He said it was a refreshing and smart update. "Girls
are a lot more developed at the age of 12 and 13 years
now and need more room," Mr Ward said. "They
are also more conscious about their figure types. They
should like their uniform and not feel it is something
their mother wore.
Designer touches may be as simple as adding a colored
button to a white shirt or lining a blazer with striped
material. Mr Ward said: "There is a sensitivity of
detail. It is a mix of the classic with a slight edge."
Meriden School principal Carolyn Blanden said: "It
has taken us 12 months just to design the new dress, blazer
and hat. We went to great lengths to design something students
would feel good wearing. The girls should go out into the
world feeling they look nice."
Atlanta , GA , September 6, 2005 - The “Chuppies” of
China are quite prepared to “Buy American.”
A public opinion poll of China ’s emerging urban
middle class found that high-quality personal care toiletries
and consumer electronics lead the list of most desired
American products. Apparel and fashion accessories and
music and videos are close behind.
The items drawing the least interest – American
cigarettes and liquor.
“These findings show the urban consumer market
in China has a great potential for foreign, and especially
American, exporters,” said Fei-Ling Wang, International
Affairs professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “It
confirms there is a sizeable group of urban residents in
China with considerable disposable income who are developing
brand-name consciousness, becoming savvy consumers and
acquiring a taste for foreign goods.”
The survey, sponsored by UPS and conducted by Research
International, involved 1,140 Chinese consumers between
the ages of 20 and 59 in six cities. UPS commissioned the
research to better understand the Chinese marketplace – to
help its customers learn which U.S. products are most in
demand, and to stay abreast of consumer trends within China
as the company develops its service offerings.
“According to the State Department, U.S. exports
to China have grown 80 percent since 2001, but this survey
shows the Chinese would like even more quality American
items,” said Kurt Kuehn, UPS senior vice president,
worldwide sales and marketing. “The spending power
of this middle class is exploding. Many American companies
view China as a threat rather than an opportunity; they
run the risk of missing the China potential and being left
behind.”
There has been much written about the Westernization
of young urban Chinese consumers, or “Chuppies,” and
the UPS study offers additional insights. For example,
consumers under 40 are more interested in America ’s
books, music and videos; the younger demographic in the
20-to-29-year-old bracket is most attracted by consumer
electronics and American apparel and fashion accessories.
When making purchasing decisions, 60 percent of respondents
cited quality as the most important purchase decision factor.
That was followed by price/value at 18 percent, which was
more important to older respondents than to younger ones.
The country of origin and manufacturing location both fell
far below quality in importance at 4 percent and 3 percent,
respectively.
“The survey indicates that Chinese consumers are
more selective and more sophisticated than formerly thought,
and I believe that American business needs to be ‘smarter’ than
it has been,” said Kuehn. .
September 8, 2005 (Emerging Textiles) - US apparel imports
from China in categories embargoed since July have now
virtually ground to halt, according to latest data. Shipments
received in August were mainly down from July but remain
above the monthly average for 2005. Imports of wool products
are going up. Industry associations are continuing to react
and pushing for further safeguard measures.
The latest data from the US Department of Commerce reveal
a virtual standstill of imports into the US of Chinese
apparel in categories embargoed in July. The statistics
also show mixed fortunes for other products with cotton
apparel categories falling on the whole in August.
All but one categories of woolen apparel increased significantly
with several man-made fiber (MMF) products also going up.
The ten categories embargoed since July (338/339, 347/348,
352/652, 638/639, 647/648) have seen imports grinding to
a halt during August.
However, some items in these categories have still managed
to squeeze their way past US Customs. For instance in category
338, 78,059 dozen men ' s knit shirts were accounted for
last month although this is significantly down from the
2.6 million dozen received in June.
Additionally, several categories threatened with safeguard
investigations are showing signs of weakening performance.
Categories 341 (women ' s non-knit blouses) and 342 (cotton
skirts) for example, are slightly down from July.
Seoul, South Korea, September 1, 2005 - By popular demand, Korean Air’s
new Ferre-designed uniforms are being launched a month early.
Internationally known designer Gianfranco Ferre was recruited to design the
new uniforms and dispatched designers from headquarters to oversee production
quality at every step. The airline’s use, for the first time, of a pant-suit
uniform for women crew has caught the eye of passengers.
On Thursday, they will be introduced for the cabin and
cockpit crew on three major European sectors -- Frankfurt
, London and Paris -- with the remaining crew donning the
new uniforms as of Oct. 1. In the first half of next year,
the uniforms of ground crew and maintenance staff will
also be replaced.
The new outfits, which for female crew include a number
of accessories including hair bands, have brought the per-employee
expenditure on uniforms to around US $1,000, more than
twice the current cost. Insiders say production cost could
reach $4 million.
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