Fashion Companies Turn to DeSL iPad & Android Apps to Help Manage Their Ethical Trading Requirements

DeSL, a global company delivering integrated web-based solutions for the Fashion, Apparel, Textile and Footwear sectors, has seen increasing demand for their solutions which help to address Ethical Trading requirements for fashion industry.

With fashion companies facing increased exposure to a range of social and ethical issues in the supply chain, DeSL's iPad applications have been designed specifically to ensure ethical compliance and enable inspection teams to perform stringent product and quality audits at factory locations.  Today, a number of companies have already embraced the DeSL solution to help manage their Ethical Trading process.  Most recently in January 2013, A. H Schreiber, one of the largest swimwear manufacturers in the United States, selected DeSL solutions to help manage their supplier relationship process.

The DeSL application enables clothing companies and fashion brands to fulfil this due diligence in the most thorough yet simple way, preventing the likelihood of negative publicity as a result of potential negligence in social and ethical management, such as health and safety issues. The solution is built around the concept of close collaboration between vendor and company, sharing required information and processes via the Internet. Many vendors are located remotely from the company they are supplying, in different time zones, so a real-time, web-based solution is the ideal solution.

Colin Marks, CEO, DeSL, commented, "All processes from start to finish are managed by the application using a real-time, web-based solution, backed up by iPad/Android, off line, synchronised apps. Many factory locations do not have good Internet access; using this technology enables work to be completed off-line at the factory, then simply backed up to the system when Internet becomes accessible. Our solution is extremely functionally rich, incorporating inspection requirements management, critical path tracking and performance inspection."

Colin continued, "The beginning of 2013 has already seen a number of Ethical Trading issues hit the headlines. The consequences of poor Ethical Trading processes are enormous; often a company will genuinely think they have all the boxes ticked, when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. We would ask any fashion company that has a desire to strengthen its Ethical Trading process to contact us now to see how we can help."

DeSL is a global company delivering integrated web-based solutions for the Fashion, Apparel, Textile and Footwear sectors. The company has a global customer base covering United Kingdom, United States, Western Europe, China, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Mauritius, Bangladesh and North Africa.  Customers include Calvin Klein, VF Corporation, Men's Wearhouse, Bravissimo, Nautica, GRI Group plus many more.

FASHION HOUSE TO RESTORE AGEING TREVI FOUNTAIN

Italian fashion house Fendi has agreed to finance renovations of Rome's iconic Trevi Fountain after the government admitted it could not afford the repairs.

The 250-year-old fountain which famously featured in movies including Roman Holiday and La Dolce Vita needs a $3 million revamp.

Fendi's creative director Karl Lagerfeld says he did not hesitate to save an iconic piece of Rome.

"It's famous in the world," he said.

"I think its a great idea and a great project. It's a symbol of Rome like the Colosseum or St Peters and I'm happy that we can all help, and I'm happy to photograph the fountain to make a book about that called The Glory Of Water."

The 20-month restoration will clean the fountain, which covers the entire facade of Rome's Palazzo Poli with its allegorical statues of Tritons guiding the shell chariot of the god Oceanus illustrating the theme of the taming of the waters.

The restoration will remove calcium deposits, clean the statues, check the strength of steel supporting them, apply new waterproofing to the large basin, fix leaks, install new pumps and electric works and add new barriers to keep pigeons away.

Only one third of the monument will be covered by scaffolding at any time.

The last restoration was about 25 years ago but officials said new techniques developed since then would make it the most thorough cleaning in the fountain's 251-year history.

"There is no tourist in the world who does not dream of standing before the Trevi Fountain at least once in their life," Rome's mayor Gianni Alemanno said.

Tourists will still be able to toss coins in the basin - a tradition said to ensure that they will return to the Eternal City.

Not surprisingly, the soundtrack from the 1954 American romantic comedy Three Coins In The Fountain was played in the background at the presentation in Rome's city hall.

"Throwing a coin into the fountain is a rite and a right," superintendent for Rome's cultural heritage Umberto Broccoli said.

About a million euros ($1.35 million) worth of coins are thrown into the basin by tourists each year. All the money goes to a charity that helps the city's needy.

Fendi, known for its extravagant furs and chic baguette clutches worn by movie star Sarah Jessica Parker and pop singer Rihanna, is the latest luxury goods company helping Italy keep up its cultural heritage sites in times of austerity.

Luxury shoemaker and leather goods company Tod's is sponsoring a major restoration of the Colosseum.

Mr Alemanno said the city appreciated all the help it could get to keep up the capital's vast cultural heritage.

He called the Fendi family the "new patrons" of the arts, likening them to the Medici family of Renaissance Tuscany.

"This is not to shirk our duties over to the private sector but the state needs a new patronage to help Italian culture," he said.

In exchange, Fendi will get only a small sign about the size of a coffee table book telling tourists that it was the sole sponsor. The sign will stay up for four years after the project is completed.

Fashion firm funds Trevi clean-up

The Fendi fashion house is paying for a 2.18 million euro (£1.86 million) restoration of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, famed as a setting where dreamers leave their coins.

The 20-month project on one of the city's most famous features was unveiled at a press conference featuring Fendi designers Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi, who said the project combined a love of Rome's past with a need to preserve its future.

Rome's fountains, Lagerfeld said, "are there to glorify water, which is the most important thing in life".

It is the latest example of Italian fashion companies coming to the aid of Italy's chronically underfunded cultural heritage. The founder of the Tod's footwear company has offered to pay for the £22 million restoration of the Colosseum, and Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said he hoped these two donations were just the start.

"Without similar initiatives, we won't be able to save the cultural memory of our country," he said.

Fendi is also to restore another fountain complex in Rome, the Quattro Fontane.

Bella Fashion Announces The Arrival of New Butterfly Mini Pins and Hair Clips

Bella Fashion's new arrivals of butterfly hair clips with streamers, as well as brand new mini butterfly pins, channel timeless style and will fly into the hands of fashionistas.

Hayward, CA (PRWEB) January 24, 2013
Bella Fashion announces the arrival of new butterfly themed accessories, including the new Butterfly Hair Clip with Crystal Streamers and versatile mini butterfly pins. Butterflies are symbols of love, good luck, and transformation, and are among the most beautiful of creatures, so it comes as no surprise that women have always made them a favorite accessory pick. From Middle Ages ladies to modern celebrities, women have worn stunning butterfly themed accessories, and Bella Fashion's new arrivals make the style accessible for the luxurious lepidopteran lover in all of us.

It's said that Audrey Hepburn wore a gorgeous gifted butterfly brooch in the 1950's, a decade characterized by classic styles that have never lost their charm. The timeless and enduring sophistication of butterfly ornaments is still available in 2013, with Bella Fashion's new products. The butterfly hair clips with glittering crystals along the butterfly's wings and dangling streamers of crystal trails are perfect for that feminine, glamorous look. The new products are available in different styles, with crystals in pink, blue, purple, and red, starting at only $5.63.

Butterflies also have a history of being a style pick of royalty. Princess Grace Kelly wore a beautiful butterfly pin in the 1960s, and modern stars have taken a leaf from her book: Blake Lively has been spotted in a turquoise and gold butterfly pendant with a similar four-figure price tag. Butterfly accessories combine a free-spirit with sophistication, but this high-end vibe doesn't have to come with prices that leave butterflies in the stomach at the checkout, thanks to these new products. Bella Fashion now offers brand new butterfly pins at a minuscule fraction of these designer price tags. For example, the beautiful gold rimmed mini butterfly pin is available at only $1.00 wholesale or $1.50 retail, with bright white crystals. Other color options available include dark nickel plating with ruby red crystals, and even a few silver rimmed pins with blue stones.

The new arrivals have just been added to the wholesale and retail websites and are on sale for anywhere between 20% to 50% off, and offer an element of nature's beauty that will never go out of style: purchasing now will ensure that favorites on this winged wish list are in stock.

Bella Fashion Jewelry is a leading provider of fashion jewelry and fashion accessories to help customers stay up to date with the latest fashion trends at affordable prices. Bella Fashion Jewelry has been in the business of fashion jewelry and accessories for over 21 years, and has just launched its new wholesale subsidiary, Hair Barrettes Wholesale. Bella Fashion Jewelry, owned and operated out of Hayward, California, now operates at three levels: at retail site, bellafashionjewelry.com, no minimum order amount is set, and pricing is at everyday discounted retail pricing. Free shipping is offered for orders of $30 or more. At bellafashionwholesale.com, 1st and 2nd tier of wholesale pricing are offered, minimum order amount is set at $30, and shoppers are allowed to buy 1 each of each style or color with free shipping for orders of $60 or more. At its newly launched wholesale site, hairbarretteswholesale.com, minimum order amount is set at $45. Products at hairbarretteswholesale.com are dozen packed with some come in six packs, and pricing is at 3rd tier wholesale pricing which starts some products at as low as $3.50 a dozen.

Fashion Editor Calls Out Michelle Obama For Acting Like An 'Indulged Starlet'

A renowned fashion editor was not impressed with Michelle Obama's behavior leading up to the Inaugural Ball.

The first lady reportedly asked between 15 and 30 designers to submit looks before going with this red Jason Wu number, which was kept secret.

"Mrs. Obama isn’t an indulged starlet primping for the Oscars, nor should she behave like one,"  writes Bridget Foley,  executive editor of Women's Wear Daily . " Women everywhere have big events for which they select a single dress in advance of the moment."

Michelle Obama's behavior is high-maintenance compared with that of first ladies' past, such as Laura Bush, Foley wrote.

Foley speculates that Mrs. Obama liked the attention.

" But let’s say Mrs. Obama enjoyed the public guessing game; she must, or it wouldn’t have happened," Foley writes. "The rampant speculation should have been handled differently."

The First Lady's dress selection process was unkind to the fashion world, Foley said.

"At the very least, with five minutes of attention she could have cut the list to a couple of finalists," Foley writes.  "As it was, Mrs. Obama’s fashion team needlessly disappointed and possibly misled many hard-working people, some of whom hoped vainly for a much-needed commercial boost."

New Fashion-Forward Website Sassenfras Offers Weekly Newsletters and $500 Shopbop Giveaway

The upscale fashion-forward website Sassenfras is launching its new weekly e-newsletter filled with Daily Style Edits, "Beg, Borrow or Steal" style features, style articles, designer profiles, styling tips and more. People who register to receive the newsletter will be entered to win a $500 Shopbop giveaway. Sassenfras provides men and women with a roundup of the hottest fashion trends highlighted in its Daily Style Edits and saves time by allowing readers to purchase the items directly on the website through Lyst.com. The Sassenfras giveaway begins on January 25 and ends on February 22.

Fashion enthusiasts on the go can register to receive Sassenfras' weekly e-mails with highlights that include Daily Style Edits that contain items that can all be purchased on Shopbop. An upcoming edit will include spring and summer floral prints with jackets, dresses and pants from designers that include 3.1 Phillip Lim, Rag & Bone and Zimmerman. Additional style edits that will be provided, will cover white and sheers, pastels, black and white and more.

The Sassenfras newsletter also includes a "Beg, Borrow, or Steal" feature of the week, that provides details on the most covetable style finds like the Burberry Prorsum Gladstone Metallic Leather Bag and the Alexander McQueen Black Hummingbird Embroidered Satin Knuckle Clutch and many others. Sassenfras' e-newsletter will include featured articles on fashion, from edgy, ergonomic high heels to how to edit your wardrobe in 30 minutes or less. Some of the other topics included in the newsletter include designer profiles and styling tips from the pros.

"We make it easy to find the fashions that speak to your personal style, without wasting time sifting through everything online or in retail stores. We also expose our readers to new designers and trends, and provide them with useful tips they can implement right away," says Sassenfras Founder Maz Durbin. Durbin is a fashion expert, entrepreneur, graphic designer and creative visionary with a background in retail, business management, graphic design and textile housewares design. She has used her keen eye for style, sharp business sense, and pure love of fashion to build Sassenfras.

Kim Kardashian vs. Charlize Theron in Stella McCartney

This Stella McCartney stunner is caught in the middle of a fashion face-off of epic proportions, thanks to Kim Kardashian and Charlize Theron, who bring us a Today Show appearance vs. a BAFTA Awards red carpet.

A nude, pointy pump vs. a nude sandal. The queen of reality TV vs. the queen of Snow White and the Huntsman. The only similarity between the two is an almost identical shade of red lipstick.

We love the way the peplum cut works on both Kim and Charlize, plus the pale yellow lace looks lovely with each lady's skin tone.. Could it be that one dress is a win for two very different women?