Commodity price falls aren't all bad news
The Wall Street Journal (blog)
There's a grain of good news in the ugly market action of the past couple of months. Commodity prices have been falling. The drop in raw material prices no doubt reflects investor gloom about global economic prospects. But that's only part of the story. More

Senate vote moves currency bill forward
Textile World
By a vote of 79 to 19, the U.S. Senate has voted to invoke cloture on S.1619, the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Act of 2011, which addresses foreign currency undervaluation and aims to provide an equitable marketplace in which U.S. products can compete with foreign goods.More

Bright forecast for spring
California Apparel News
A slideshow featuring trends for the spring of 2012 at LA Majors Market shows that we can expect a lot of bright colors and light, breezy fabrics.More

Consumer confidence hits lowest reading in 10 years
Home Textiles Today
Consumers appear to still be cautious about their spending heading into the fourth quarter. That is according to the September ForecastIQ survey, a service from Prosper Technologies, which projects same store sales growth/decline through November. More

Alain Perez pushes the limits
Specialty Fabrics Review
"There came a point in our business when we realized that if we were really going to make a difference for our clients and our company, we had to control the product from design to fabrication to installation," says Alain Perez, founder and president of Eventstar Structures in Medley, Fla. "Yes, it was a change in our business model, but without a degree of risk, you'll never get anywhere."More

Retailers beware: Be careful about comparison advertising
Furniture Today (blog)
To grab the attention of customers who are not in the mood to part with their dollars, many retailers resort to comparison pricing advertisements. This creates pitfalls that retailers should be aware of. Michaels Stores, a large retail chain, recently ran afoul of New York's deceptive advertising statutes and settled the case for $1.8 million. More

The case against color
The Wall Street Journal
Pale rooms, sucked free of distracting reds, blues and yellows, are having a moment. A few months ago at a trends seminar at the Decoration & Design Building in New York, super-decorator Miles Redd showed slides of creme-colored rooms. Gasp. Even the king of saturated hues was hankering for something more soothing. More

Eco-friendly raw material, fiber production are key to sustainable textile manufacturing
Textile World
When designing and manufacturing a sustainable textile product, raw material production and processing into fiber come first. If the raw material is a natural plant fiber, there may be questions about the amount of water and chemicals needed to ensure a successful harvest of high-quality material. More