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EU Businesses Find a Way Around Quotas
Page 1

South Africa & China to Sign Deal
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EU & US attack Counterfeits 
Page 1

Factory Strike Threats Remain 
Page 1

API Uncovers 8 Companies Involved in Illegal Transshipments
Page 2

Anti-Porn Bill
Page 2

Buyers' Best Sellers
Page 2

Ask Andy
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Ever-Glory Reports 272% Jump
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National Underwear Day
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Nursing Mothers Protest Victoria's Secret
Page 3

Ask Kevin
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Bra With Storage
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Youngone Closes 2 Factories
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La Perla Opens Flagship Store
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Saks to Reintroduce Petite 
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                                    Page 2 
      API Uncovered Eight 
Companies Involved in Illegal
        Transshipments
The Indonesian Textile Association (API) has uncovered eight domestic textile and clothing companies engaged in illegal transshipments.
According to API secretary general Ernovian G Ismy, the association used an independent agency to find evidence of the transshipments, which will now be put to the trade ministry.
Indonesia’s textile makers have expressed discontent over illicit imports of Chinese textile goods.
The Chinese government has reportedly offered its support in cracking down on such activity.


2/13           
  What Will Happen if the
 Antiporn Bill is Passed?
Photographer Ron Hildebrand believes the black-and-white nude portraits displayed in his online gallery are "more sensual than sexual." 
Even so, the Nevada-based artist said he thinks people should take responsibility for the content they publish online, so he posts a brief disclaimer on his home page. Among his cautions: "Please do not enter if you are offended by such imagery." 
That voluntary warning may not be enough if a bill backed by the Bush administration becomes law. Under the Stop Adults' Facilitation of the Exploitation of Youth Act--or Internet Safety Act--introduced in the U.S. Senate, all "commercial" Web site operators who fail to flag each page containing "sexually explicit material" could risk fines, up to 15 years in prison, or both. 
While backers say they are mainly targeting child pornography and trying to keep kids away from mature content, legal experts argue that a broad range of less obvious material could be affected as well, including, for example, a news report that details a sordid sex crime, a computer animation that demonstrates condom use, or even an online lingerie catalog.
"By quite consciously not trying to limit the statute to real, live sex acts, they've swept in just a potentially huge universe of sites," said John Morris, director of the Internet Standards, Technology and Policy Project for the Center for Democracy and Technology. 
The Justice Department-backed proposal would, in fact, beef up penalties for those engaged in that criminal practice, introducing the possibility of life in prison for the most salient offenders. 
Web labeling could allow sexually oriented sites to be picked up by filtering software and relegated to a child-safe blocked list. But the act's language appears sweeping enough to stretch far beyond pornography, public interest groups charged. 
According to federal law and prior court decisions, the term "sexually explicit material" used in the Justice Department and now the Senate proposal covers not only various forms of sexual intercourse and abuse but also "lascivious exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of any person," even if clothed. 
By that logic, "it would appear that the Victoria's Secret Web site may be sexually explicit," said Marv Johnson, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. 
The bill calls for Web site operators to include "marks or notices" developed by the Federal Trade Commission either in the source code of pages bearing "sexually explicit material," or, if that's not technologically feasible, on the pages themselves. It's unclear what those labels would look like or how they would actually work.
The law would exempt sites whose sexually explicit content is already restricted through password protection or other access control mechanisms.
Another piece of the Web labeling rules would require site operators to ensure that any matter that is "initially viewable, 
absent any further actions by the viewer," does not include sexually explicit material. That provision is intended to apply only to a site's "home page," an aide to Arizona Republican John Kyl wrote. But some said such a demand could in practice be nearly impossible to meet. 
"The only way to do that would be for a Web site to have a drastically more controlled interface," such as the log-in prompts used by online publications that withhold linked content until registration or payment occurs, said the CDT's Morris. 
A commercial Web operator who subscribes to a no-frills hosting service likely wouldn't have the ability to do such screening and, facing the possibility of criminal penalties, would have no choice but to remove any content that could be deemed sexually explicit, he added. 
Previous attempts by the Justice Department and Congress to block access to adult-oriented Internet content have been stymied by First Amendment challenges. The U.S. Supreme Court indicated in 2004 that the Child Online Protection Act, which restricts the use of sexually explicit material deemed "harmful to minors" on commercial Web sites, may be overbroad and sent it back to a federal court for further review. 
The justices also suggested that Internet filtering software may prove to be a more effective way of protecting children. The Internet Safety Act appears to be an attempt to cater to that idea. 
Part of the problem with the new bill is that it proposes regulating speech in a way that could transcend the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the landmark case of Miller v. California, First Amendment experts said. 
That 1973 ruling established a three-part test for determining whether sexually oriented content enjoys full First Amendment protection. Among the factors courts must consider are whether an "average person" would find that the entire work "appeals to the prurient interest" and whether it "lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value." 
Assistant Attorney General William Moschella wrote in a letter to congressional leaders that the system is designed to "prevent people from inadvertently stumbling across pornographic images on the Internet." 
The Senate bill also would exempt situations in which the sexually explicit material composes a "small and insignificant part of the whole," though civil liberties advocates questioned how such a determination would be made. 
The aide to Sen. Kyl said he thought it was "very unlikely that federal prosecutors would devote time to pursuing operators of unlabeled Web sites with a patently non-pornographic purpose." 
Whatever the government's intentions may be, the bill's definition of sexually explicit material is "not sharply bounded," said Jonathan Weinberg, a law professor at Wayne State University. All marked pages would be "instantly inaccessible to a huge portion of the American public," such as those with filtering features enabled on their browsers, subscribers to "family-friendly" Internet access services and Web surfers at schools and libraries, Weinberg said. 
By restricting the requirements to commercial sites, the law may not apply to nonprofit organizations like Planned Parenthood, which routinely disclose information about sex. But some said that exemption is far from certain. 
"Suppose a sex education Web site sells T-shirts, (and) solicits donations and membership dues through its Web site," the ACLU's Johnson said. "A court could conclude that the site is operated primarily for commercial purposes, even though the organization was not selling access to sexually explicit material." 
"Even if their purpose in showing sexual intercourse on the Internet is innocent and non-pornographic, many parents still would not want their minor children to be viewing it," the aide said. 
The proposed rules drew reservations from some major Web companies that host a wide variety of content. 
eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said the online auctioneer hadn't yet reviewed the bill in detail, but that "in general, we are concerned about well-meaning legislation that places inappropriate, unreasonable or ineffective burdens on eBay, its sellers and other Internet marketplaces." 
Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako noted the existence of "several voluntary rating and labeling systems" and deemed them a "preferable solution." Google also works closely with a number of groups on online safety and provides an optional filtering tool called SafeSearch, said spokesman Steve Langdon. The search giant planned to look closely at the bill for "both how effective it might be for helping protect children online and its consistency with the First Amendment," he said. 
Others shrugged off the civil liberties community's outcry, rejecting the notion that they'd be covered by the labeling requirements. 
Among the unconcerned set was the men's magazine Maxim, well known for an online presence featuring photographs of scantily clad women, candid sex-advice forums and lists of "living legends of sex" and "masturbation euphemisms." 
A spokesman for Dennis Publishing, parent company of the publication, declined to comment on the details of the legislative proposal, except to say, "None of Maxim Online's properties are even remotely sexually explicit, so we don't expect this to have an effect on us at all." 
It's precisely such varying interpretations of the rules that could create a chilling effect, civil liberties advocates said. 
"Because the line is blurry, if there is any question about applicability, lawyers are likely to advise their clients to comply with the law," said the ACLU's Johnson. 
Hildebrand, the Nevada photographer, said he wouldn't be opposed to a voluntary labeling system but rejects the idea of "imposed censorship." 
"For one thing, it makes for lazy parenting," he said, "and for another, drawing clear and concise lines between acceptable and unacceptable in any given situation is nearly impossible." 


3/12          
    Electric Lingerie's New 
       Costume Catalog
Electric Lingerie, a leading manufacturer of lingerie, club wear, fetish apparel and costumes, has announced they are now shipping items from the brand new Costumes catalog. The new line, which was previewed at the National Halloween and Costume Show in March, is one of the most highly anticipated releases for the upcoming Halloween season. Having exhibited pieces from the line in various fashion shows and magazines throughout the spring, Electric has really created a buzz around their super-sexy designs.
“We are very pleased with customer’s reactions… we tailored the line based on feedback from our top customers, and I really think we hit the mark. We worked hard to provide an extensive range of high quality, fashionable costumes, and it paid off. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of Electric Lingerie around this Halloween season,” said Brian Wagner, Electric’s Director of Operations.
Electric’s National Sales Manager, Bryan Gamza states, “The costumes have been doing spectacular! While our competitors are moving more towards mainstream costume designs, retailers are turning to us, the ‘sexy specialists’, for something different. We have some really creative styles and the fabrication allows for maximum versatility with regards to sizing. We’re also offering many of the items in both one and two pieces, giving storeowners some additional options. Also, the pricing is unmatched… especially when you consider that our pieces come packaged with most of the accessories and are presented in a gorgeous, easy-open/close, themed clamshell box.”
“The staple costumes - schoolgirls, nurses, French maids, and police women – have been doing great… most of our customers are going to keep them in stock all year long. The word is also out about our more creative designs, like the “Prom Queen” and the “Backseat Driver”… These are ‘all-American fantasies’, much like the nurse or the schoolgirl, and we expect them to be among our top sellers,” Gamza added. 
“We’ve had a great year at Electric, and it’s getting even better,” said Wagner. “The anticipation for our next release, THE BLUELINE MEN’S COLLECTION, has been unbelievable. Customers at the recent International Lingerie Show were lining up just for a look at the catalog draft! The new catalog will be available shortly and the line will ship around mid-summer. We are very excited for the future… with our expansion into these new markets, we are one step closer to being THE one-stop-shop for everything sexy.” 

************************************************  
 Buyers' Best Sellers  
Attention All Buyers, Boutique
  and Online Store Owners 
McPete Sez wants to know what is your hottest selling garment. What is selling out because McPete Sez readers want to know. Please send an email to info@mcpetesez.com and include your name, your store's name, city and state along with a phone number and email, stating your best seller, and who the manufacturer is. 
If you would rather keep your best selling item a secret..... please just tell us who the manufacturer is.  
If your email is chosen, you will be contacted and your email will be posted in McPete Sez, along with your store information.     
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WOMEN'S REVENGE
"Cash, check or charge?" I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase.
As she fumbled for her wallet I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.
"So, do you always carry your TV remote?" I asked.
"No," she replied, " but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally."


14/24    
Federated To Sell Lord & Taylor
Retailer Federated has confirmed rumors it plans to sell its Lord & Taylor 
division to NRDC Equity Partners.
The company said it has signed a deal to sell the New York-based business for US$1.20bn in cash. 
Federated's board has approved the transaction, which is expected to close in the third quarter, pending regulatory approvals. 
The sale includes 48 Lord & Taylor stores in New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia, as well as a distribution centre in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Terry J Lundgren, Federated's chairman, president and CEO said, "While Lord & Taylor does not fit with Federated's strategic focus on building the 
nationwide Macy's and Bloomingdale's brands, it is a well-known niche 
specialty retailer with a great name, many outstanding locations and an 
experienced management team."
Federated will continue to operate all Lord & Taylor stores and facilities 
until NRDC assumes ownership. Federated accounts for Lord & Taylor as a 
discontinued operation. 
NRDC Equity Partners is a partnership between principals of Apollo Real Estate Advisors and principals of National Realty & Development.

                     "Ask Andy"
Andy Weinstock has been in the fabric and textile business all his life, but professionally since 1969. 
"I love what I do, selling fabrics around the globe. I've met lots of interesting, creative, dynamic folks; some have become dear friends. I love to help new businesses find the things they need to become successful. It works for everyone." 
You can ask Andy questions about Fabrics at
               Andy@mcpetesez.com 

The "Ask Andy" Column is an opinion Column and may not necessarily  reflect the views of  McPete Sez

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I'm trying to locate Pretty Form, a foundation garment manufacturer in the UK. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Katie katie@whatkatiedid.com

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