Uniform News - February 2007

Company Press Releases:

Anvil Holdings Completes Restructuring

New York, NY, January 10, 2007 - New York-based apparel maker Anvil Holdings announced it has completed a successful, financial restructuring of its capital structure, which has eliminated approximately $200 million in debt and preferred stock in exchange for new equity and warrants. The company expects to close on all transactions necessary to consummate this restructuring by February 5, 2007.

Anvil Holdings, through its operating subsidiary Anvil Knitwear, makes and markets active wear, hats, towels and bags, for men, women, and children mainly for the screen printed segment of the industry. The company's brands include Anvil, Cotton Deluxe, chromaZONE, and TowelsPlus, as well as private labels manufactured for other major brands.

Anvil Holdings CEO Anthony Corsano said, “Our new financial structure will allow us to compete more successfully, and will also facilitate our plans for short and long-term growth with new facilities, new brands and new styles. We are very excited about our future.”

Anvil, which employs more than 4,000 people, has headquarters in New York and a distribution center in South Carolina. In addition to the financial restructuring, the company has built a new state of the art textile facility in Honduras. “We are proud of our facilities, and anticipate that they, along with our financial restructuring, will allow us to compete very effectively in the world market,” said Corsano.

”Despite Asian competition, apparel deflation and the domestic industry’s transition to Central America, Anvil has done a spectacular job of maintaining its revenue base over the last decade,” said Mary Gilbert head of fixed income research for Imperial Capital. “The restructuring, which eliminates most of its debt, gives Anvil the financial flexibility to take advantage of growth opportunities. I think Anthony Corsano and his team are critical to this effort.”

Anvil was one of the companies that helped develop the T-shirt’s evolution from underwear to “fashion wear.” Even under its heavily leveraged financial structure, the company remained a continual innovator bringing new color and new style to an evolving market and was “green” long before being environmentally concerned was considered a positive marketing differentiator. Corsano promises further announcements in these areas in the near future.

For more information, visit www.anvilknitwear.com

Tafford Uniforms Releases Spring Catalog

North Wales, PA, January 23, 2006 – Tafford Uniforms, a leading supplier of nursing scrubs, shoes, and medical accessories, today announced the release of its Spring Overstock Clearance catalog. The catalog contains savings of up to 65% off regular retail prices on some of Tafford Uniforms’ most popular prints and styles.

The Overstock Clearance catalog is the first book issued by the new Tafford Uniforms following the recently announced purchase of Tafford Manufacturing’s assets. To welcome customers to the new Tafford Uniforms, the company is offering free shipping on orders of $65 and up, plus an additional 10% discount on internet orders.

“We are excited to have issued our first catalog since purchasing the Tafford assets,” said Gene S. Godick, Tafford Uniforms’ CEO. “We hope our customers enjoy these tremendous savings while our team is hard at work developing our new scrubs line and building our shoes and medical accessories inventory.”

The new catalog contains 32 pages with discounts on Tafford’s most popular items including solid and printed scrub tops and jackets, as well as many styles and colors of scrub pants. Colors, sizes, and styles are limited so customers are encouraged to shop now for the best selection.

Visit www.tafford.com to learn more.

SanMar Unveils Women’s Edition Style Guide

Seattle, WA, January 11, 2007 – SanMar Corp, a leading supplier of imprintable apparel and accessories, is releasing its 2007 “Port Authority® Women’s Edition: Seven Days of Style.” The 20-page style guide features popular Port Authority styles, representing every day of the week, incorporated into four completed outfits.

“Our style guide takes its inspiration from fashion magazines and retail brands, pushing logoed apparel and uniforming options from ‘have to wear’ to ‘want to wear’ outfits,” said Lee Strom, senior marketing manager for SanMar. “Women’s Edition: Seven Days of Style is designed to give distributors a hand in connecting with new markets and imagining new ways of selling Port Authority ladies. It’s a creative means of engaging buyers by visually emphasizing the unique strengths and versatility of each style.”

The Women’s Edition style guide reaffirms SanMar’s commitment to the ladies imprintable apparel marketplace. Selected from the vast pool of companion styles in the Port Authority line, featured silhouettes include woven button-downs, sport shirts, outerwear and accessories.

The 2007 Port Authority Women’s Edition style guide is available starting in early February. It includes a ladies’ sizing guide and an index of featured styles with suggested retail pricing.

To request the 2007 Port Authority Women’s Edition: Seven Days of Style, call 800-426-6399 or visit www.sanmar.com

Elbeco Names Guzman Quality Control Manager; Storhaug Director of Product Development and Merchandising

Reading, PA, January 15, 2007 – Elbeco, Inc. recently announced two staff additions: Max Guzman will head the company’s quality control operations, while David Storhaug has joined Elbeco, as director of product development and merchandising.

Guzman, a 24-year veteran with extensive apparel manufacturing experience, will oversee garment quality for all domestic and overseas assembly operations. In addition to ensuring garments adhere to Elbeco’s stringent quality standards, Guzman will oversee compliance with Elbeco’s code of conduct regulations.

As director of product development and merchandising, Storhaug will manage Elbeco’s product development and design activities including bringing new products to market, coordinating market pricing, evaluating profitability and managing inventory control, among other duties.

Early in his career, Guzman worked in sewing, cutting and pressing operations. More recently, he owned an apparel contracting company that manufactured uniform shirts in Abinto, Puerto Rico. In addition, Guzman worked as a consultant for Chick by Nicky Hilton, and ran I. Appel’s manufacturing operations in Mexico for four years.

“Max comes to Elbeco with extensive knowledge and expertise in manufacturing and overseas operations,” said David Lurio, president, Elbeco. “He is an excellent addition to our team of professionals working to produce the best quality merchandise for our customers.”

Storhaug has over 20 years experience in the apparel industry where he managed private label merchandising for Perry Ellis, brand development activities for Tropical Sportswear International and merchandising for Haggar Clothing Company. He has also held management, buying and merchandising positions with J.C. Penney’s catalog, men’s, women’s and sportswear divisions.

“David joins Elbeco at an auspicious time in our company’s history,” said David Lurio, president. “Over the past 100 years we have refined our ability to manufacture uniforms of exceptional quality. David’s vast experience and innovative leadership will help Elbeco identify product trends, market opportunities and build brand equity.”

This year marks a century of manufacturing excellence for the maker of professional performance uniforms for police, tactical, fire, and emergency medical technicians, as well as for U.S. Postal Service employees. Elbeco continues that tradition by offering uniforms enhanced with advanced technology features that offer greater comfort, value and style for customers worldwide.

To learn more, visit www.elbeco.com

New Western Regional Sales Manager at World Emblem

Miami, January 31, 2007 - Tony Morando has joined World Emblem International’s sales team as their new Western Regional Sales Manager. Morando comes to World Emblem with a background in account

management in the uniform rental industry and a degree from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

His background includes responsibilities for territory management, developing new business, and managing several key accounts. Morando’s territory encompasses California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Canada. Experience prospecting new clients and executing regional business plans while working for Aramark Uniform Services in Boston and San Diego will make Tony Morando an asset to the future of World Emblem International.

World Emblem International, Inc. is one of the world's foremost designers and manufacturers of custom embroidered, screen-printed and sublimated emblems. In addition, World Emblem is a leading manufacturer of custom transfers, direct screen printing, direct embroidery, ID tape, reflective emblems and materials, and houses a full inventory of blanks, corporate stock and hold emblems and garments. Headquartered in Miami, World Emblem's 60,000 square foot facility is one of the largest and best equipped in the country. World Emblem International is a global leader in the identification market, with manufacturing facilities in Florida, Michigan, Georgia, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Companies in the News:

UniFirst Corp.'s 1st-Quarter Net Income Rises, Helped by Higher Laundry Revenue

Wilmington, MA, January 3, 2007 (AP) - UniFirst Corp., which rents, sells and cleans industrial uniforms and protective clothing, said Wednesday fiscal first-quarter net income rose 21 percent helped by higher revenue from the company's laundry business.

Profit for the quarter ended Nov. 25 totaled $13.7 million, or 71 cents per share, compared with net income of $11.4 million, or 59 cents per share during the same period last year.

Revenue gained 12 percent to $222.4 million, from $199.3 million last year, aided by a 10.5 percent growth in revenue from its core laundry business.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected net income of 65 cents per share on revenue of $217.3 million.

UniFirst shares rose Friday morning $1.93 or 5 percent to $40.34 on the New York Stock Exchange. In the last 52 weeks, the company's stock price has ranged from $39.72 to $40.89.

VF Tries to Join Major Leagues

Greensboro, January 12, 2007, (News-Record, as reported by Donald Patterson) - VF Corp. wants to buy Majestic Athletic, the Pennsylvania company that makes uniforms and other attire for all 30 Major League Baseball teams.

"Yes, we are negotiating with Majestic," said Paul Mason, a VF spokesman. "However, our negotiations are not complete and we have made no public announcement. We will not talk about Majestic."

Neither would officials at Majestic, a 750-employee, privately-owned company in Bangor, Penn., that has a five-year licensing agreement with MLB.

However, analysts and others in the sports apparel industry expect the deal to be worth more than $100 million.

"The logical buyers have always been VF and Reebok," said John Horan, publisher of Sporting Goods Intelligence, which does analysis of the athletics-product industry. "VF is anxious to get into the more upscale license business. Probably, the NFL is what they have their eye on."

Analysts say VF, the Greensboro-based apparel giant, has a long-standing interest in acquiring a licensing agreement to provide on-field apparel for a major sports league.

"I know they have kicked the tires on others," said Jim D’Aquila, managing director of the Mercanti Group in Minneapolis, Minn. "This is an area they have studied for many years. In typical VF style, they are not going to buy one and not think about doing others."

This would be VF’s first venture into making on-field athletics attire.

However, the company, through its VF Imagewear division, already makes clothing for fans through agreements with MLB, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, various colleges, NASCAR’s leading teams and drivers, and Harley-Davidson.

In addition to making uniforms for MLB, Majestic manufactures fan T-shirts and sweat shirts for 10 NBA teams, including the Charlotte Bobcats; for nearly 30 minor league baseball teams, including the Greensboro Grasshoppers; and for more than a dozen colleges, including UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State.

Majestic is the second company VF is currently pursuing. Last month, the company announced that it wants to buy Eagle Creek, a California company that makes travel gear. That deal has not yet closed.

Plant Crafts New Air Force Uniforms

Selma, January 21, 2007 (Montgomery Advertiser, as reported by Lisa Horn) - The hissing hydraulics, buzzing fluorescent lights and hundreds of busy workers could make up the scene in any factory, but a closer look reveals that this Selma business has only one customer.

Piles of camouflage fabric cover the floors and tables at American Apparel where employees sew buttonholes and attach pockets to uniforms for America's military men and women.

It's a job that Estella Wilson takes seriously. Her son, Army Sgt. 1st Class Andre Moye, is currently deployed to Iraq.

"It makes you want to do better on that garment," Wilson said. "It makes you want to strive harder. You don't want your child going around with something that's not right."

American Apparel started off as a one product company more than 20 years ago making shirts for the Army and Air Force battle dress uniforms. The company now makes the utility, or all-purpose, uniforms for both services as well as the Marine Corps.

Later this year, the company will deliver one of the military's newest uniforms -- the airman battle uniform -- under an $80 million contract, said chief operating officer Jim Hodo.

The airman battle uniforms, which replace the battle dress uniforms, should start coming off the assembly line this fall. They will go to deploying units first and should be widespread by June 2008. They might be seen on airmen stationed at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base by early next year.

For nearly two decades, all three services wore a forest green camouflage. When the Marine Corps decided to revamp the look of its utility uniform five years ago, "all the other services got the bug," Hodo said.

"The Air Force created its pattern with the inspiration from the Vietnam-era tiger stripe," Wenz said.

The second and most significant change, Hodo said, is the number of pockets on the uniform. An Air Force-distinct map pocket has been added as well. With 100 different sizes, the fit will be friendly to both men and women for the first time.

Making uniforms that might be worn to war isn't easy, Linda Nalley said. Her son is in the Air Force.

The seamstress, who recently transferred from the Army to the Air Force uniform section, said, "When I was working Army combat, I thought that somebody was going to get hurt in one of them. It kind of goes both ways."

Wilson agreed. "When you think about it," Wilson said, "the closest thing to them over there is this garment."

International News:

Formal But Fab Look for easyJet Staff

United Kingdom , December 29, 2006 (Bedford Today) – Passengers can expect a toned-down look on one of Luton 's budget airlines in 2007.

The subtle use of easyJet's trademark orange in its new uniforms is a far cry from its eye-catching hangar at Luton Airport, which will continue to sport the company's colors, despite a row over the new look.

Now easyJet has unveiled the winner of a competition that enabled cabin crew to design a brand new uniform.

Andrew Harrison, the airline's chief executive, said: "I am delighted the crew has had their full input into this fantastic selection of designs.

"It has been an exciting process, with hundreds of entries and it has been great for the crew to decide what they want to wear to work. The design is a reflection of how the crew truly feels about working for easyJet – formal and fabulous."

Formal and Fabulous is the name given to the winning entry.

The new-look uniform's splash of color is a complete contrast to easyJet's renovation of a hangar at Luton Airport .

The bright orange look provoked controversy earlier this year, with Luton Borough Council's development control committee unhappy about the redecoration.

A council spokeswoman said: "As the roof and the external struts are all painted and are the most prominent part of the building, the committee reluctantly concluded that to refuse permission for the cladding would make little difference to the overall impact of the building when viewed from different parts of the surrounding area.

"They therefore approved planning permission for the retention of the cladding, but instructed the development control manager to write to easyJet expressing their disappointment at the company's insistence on going for an all-orange building rather than one with at least some contrasting colors on it."

ARS Develops Enzyme-polished, Machine-washable Wool

December 28, 2006 (Fibre 2 Fashion) - The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is looking for a business partner to license a new product that can be applied to wool fabrics and wool-rich blends to make them much more flame-resistant.

Adding flame and extreme heat resistance is of particular interest to the Department of Defense (DOD), which is seeking ways to have uniforms that are comfortable, washable and that will not melt and form hard beads that can drip into open wounds, exacerbating injuries the way polyester fabrics do.

Wool already has some natural resistance to burning, but the Department of Defense would like to have even more flame retardancy in their uniforms.

Other potential uses include uniforms for people who are exposed to extremely fire-hazardous situations, woolen underwear and sleepwear. Current technologies to add heat resistance employ metals or chemicals that are considered environmentally unfriendly.

Scotland , January 7, 2007 (Scotland.com) – Scotland ’s prison service is to spend up to £500,000 on new uniforms for its 4,000 staff because their current dress is out of date and militaristic.

The new designs are expected to come into use by the end of this year, following discussion with staff focus groups at which officers and staff said their current uniform was too much like old-fashioned armed forces tunics.

The change of uniform comes two years after Scotland 's police forces radically changed their clothing.

They ditched their ties, jumpers and crease-proof trousers in favour of what was dubbed an American-style garb featuring trendy combat trousers, tight-fitting black T-shirts and zip-up fleeces.

Critics of the new designs have accused police of adopting a "stormtrooper" look and of alienating themselves from the public.

The basic design of the dark blue prison officers' uniforms in Scottish prisons is modelled on military uniforms from the immediate post-1945 era. The 1970s and 1980s saw jumpers added, again based on the armed forces.

The design contract has been awarded to Berkshire-based company de Baer, which has previously won contracts to design uniforms for Eurostar, Gala Casinos and Thistle hotels.

The contract will involve designing uniforms for all staff in the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), including fitness trainers and many officials.

The designers have been told that the uniform must make staff look professional and authoritative.

Derek Turner, assistant Scottish secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, said: "This has been an issue for a number of years now among staff. Many, although it must be said not all, feel that it is too militaristic.

"There are a number of things we are looking for in the new uniform. It has to be hard-wearing and easy to care for, safe in extreme conditions so that it won't melt to your skin in a fire, for example. And contain enough pockets to carry the items officers need."

For top Scottish fashion designers, black is the new black in prison uniform design.

Belinda Dickson, owner of Belinda Robertson Cashmere, came up with a possible design which was drawn up by Laura Sims, one of the company's up-and-coming designers.

The all-black design involves polo-neck cashmere jumpers with loose-fitting trousers.

Dickson said: "I admit that we had some fun with this, but this design manages to be smart and carry authority without being intimidating. And black works well for this kind of uniform. We're keeping it simple and taking away the unnecessary details.

"We have done away with the buttons, which were overbearing and confrontational.

"The conventional uniform is very uncomfortable and as soon as anyone gets home they want to take it off. This is comfortable and moves with you."

She added: "The cashmere gives a softer image. Cashmere on its own might not be hard-wearing enough for a prison, but if we had a cashmere and merino mix, it would be much more suitable."

Top fashion designer Jonathan Saunders said: "If I were looking at designing a uniform for the prison service, I think it would have to be as simple as possible, with the minimum of fussy details or additions.

"If one is trying to design a uniform in order to minimize conflict or confrontation, at least as far as you can with a uniform, then color and design are important.

"You would want to make it as similar as possible to clothes worn by inmates, so as to minimise the 'them and us' mentality, and probably then use a different color so you can tell who the staff are.

"In terms of being taken seriously, wearing black really works."

US Quotas on Vietnam May be Replaced by New Procedures

January 5, 2007 (Emerging Textiles) - Although US quotas are removed, importing Vietnamese apparel could remain complex and hazardous. The US administration began preparing its monitoring system to rapidly impose anti-dumping duties on imports from Vietnam , if necessary. In order to avoid such sanctions, Hanoi intends regulating export quantities and prices under new procedures that are considered ineffective and burdensome by Vietnamese exporters.

There will be no embargoes on imports from Vietnam , but exporters will be subject to burdensome procedures in the post-quota period with a US threat of anti-dumping duties possibly disturbing apparel trade between the two countries.

Although Vietnamese exporters underestimated the delay for eliminating quotas, Washington has found legal solutions to avoid any embargo in the past and coming weeks.

As a result of Vietnam 's official entry to the WTO, US limits are being removed on January, 11.

The liberalization only covers products that are shipped from Vietnam after this date, nevertheless.

Large quantities of apparel were actually sent to the United States in the past two months, after exporters were assured of their country's admission to the WTO.

The US Commerce Department therefore issued 2007 annual limits for covering the period from 1 to 11 January. This allowed borrowing additional 2006 quotas from the following year.

Thanks to this legal solution, Washington and Hanoi were able to reach an agreement automatically granting visas for the end of 2006 and the start of 2007.

Paradoxically, difficulties may arise after quotas' elimination, as the US administration is implementing a monitoring system in order to possibly impose anti-dumping duties on apparel from Vietnam .

This is the result of a deal made between the US Commerce Department and Senators who wanted to protect domestic textile and apparel industries from a new surge in imports from Vietnam.

Although quotas were still in place, shipments from Vietnam rose more than 22% in the January-October period to US$2.8 billion.

Growth rates were very high for certain sensitive categories after US importers and retailers shifted sourcing from China to Vietnam .

Behind such a rise, the US textile industry also suspects a surge in illegal transshipments of Chinese products.

The US administration pledged rapidly imposing anti-dumping duties, if necessary.

Since anti-dumping investigations usually require between 6 and 12 months, a permanent monitoring of US imports from Vietnam will allow saving time.

At the start of December, the US administration asked for comments about its planned monitoring program.

In their comments that were sent in the last days of 2006, US textile producers and apparel importers disagree over the way such a program should be established.

Vietnam 's government also criticized a monitoring system that was never negotiated with Washington and could be in contradiction with WTO rules, it warned.

In order to investigate possible dumping, the US administration intends on developing "production templates".

This should help in calculating production costs by comparing with similar industries in other countries. The US textile industry suggested selecting Central American countries for such a comparison.

Data will be easily collected as a result, but Central American costs are notoriously higher than Vietnamese costs, importers said. This would inevitably lead to dumping duties.

While the US administration is preparing its monitoring system, the Vietnamese government tries also imposing a procedure to regulate exports and eliminate any threat of anti-dumping duties.

The Vietnamese administration wants supervising export volumes and prices in order to avoid any brutal surge in shipments at very low prices.

Export certificates (E/C) would still be needed for sensitive categories in order to monitor exported quantities.

Minimum export prices would be set and products sold below such prices would not be granted export certificates, in addition.

Since Hanoi also intends limiting illegal transshipments, certificates of origin would also be required when foreign semi-finished products are used for producing apparel.

Vietnamese exporters already criticized such a system, considering it ineffective and burdensome.

Out-of-the-Box Thinking for Retailers

Self-service: the New ‘Essential Convenience’

January 23, 2007 (Self-Service World) - Waiting in line can be frustrating no matter where we are. But the most frustrating wait for Americans: cooling our heels at local department or division of motor vehicles (DMV) offices, closely followed by waiting to make purchases at retail outlets.

A survey conducted for NCR Corp. by Opinion Research Corp. also found that 39 percent of consumers are willing to use timesaving self-service alternatives to help reduce their wait times.

Although the DMV was number one on their "wait we hate the most" list, respondents in the "NCR Queue Review" survey dislike waiting for service in many other areas affecting daily life. Ranking third, fourth and fifth on the list were registering at clinics or hospitals; checking in for airline flights at airports; and ordering at fast-food restaurants or deli counters.

The top reasons for consumers’ frustration with waiting for service or waiting in line were: the lack of employees able to assist them (44 percent), a concern for being late (39 percent), not knowing how much longer they’d have to wait (33 percent) and the time it takes for each person ahead of them to finish (19 percent).

The survey found that consumers figure they are spending more than two days per year waiting in line for service — time they believe could be better spent with friends or family or other forms of leisure. Nearly half (49 percent) of the respondents estimate they waste between 30 minutes to two hours each week waiting for service. Younger consumers seem especially cognizant of their lost time, with one-sixth (16 percent) of those aged 18-24 saying that in a typical week they waste two hours or more standing in line or waiting for service.

Consumers are seeking and embracing alternatives, such as self-checkout and other self-service technologies, to reduce their wait and help them get out the door faster. Thirty-nine percent of the survey respondents said they would be extremely or very interested in using a self-service kiosk or other self-service device if one was available to help them complete the activity at hand more quickly.

The availability of self-service can influence where a consumer goes for goods or services, with 43 percent of respondents saying they have chosen one provider of goods or services over another because it offered self-service. The survey found that minorities are even more inclined toward self-service technologies, with 55 percent of African-American and 57 percent of Hispanic survey respondents saying they have chosen one provider of goods or services over another because it offered the option of self-service.

"Self-service is emerging as the new ‘essential convenience,’ like the Internet or the cell phone," Webster said. "More and more, we find it hard to imagine how we ever lived without it!"