Want to Serve on a New Trade Advisory Committee to Africa?

A call for applications has been made for a team of advisors to facilitate the goals and objectives of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and to maintain ongoing discussions with African trade and agricultural ministries and private sector organizations on issues of mutual concern, including regional and international trade concerns and World Trade Organization issues.

The group is being convened in order to ensure that U.S. trade policy and trade negotiation objectives adequately reflect U.S. commercial and economic interests. To this end, the President is seeking information and advice from representative elements of the private sector and the non-Federal governmental sector with respect to:

(A) Negotiating objectives and bargaining positions before entering into a trade agreement under Title I of the Trade Act of 1974 and section 2103 of the Bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority Act of 2002;

(B) The operation of any trade agreement once entered into, including preparation for dispute settlement panel proceedings to which the United States is a party; and

(C) Other matters arising in connection with the development, implementation, and administration of the trade policy of the United States.

Such committees shall, insofar as is practicable, be representative of all industry, labor, agricultural, service, investment, defense, and other interests, respectively, including small business interests, and shall be organized by the United States Trade Representative and the Secretaries of Commerce, Defense, Labor, Agriculture, the Treasury, or other executive departments, as appropriate.

The members of such committees shall be appointed by the United States Trade Representative in consultation with such Secretaries.

Members serve for a 4 year term without compensation and are responsible for all expenses incurred to attend the meetings.

There is a long list of requirements for being considered an eligible nomination so I recommend you read them here to confirm your ability to be nominated.

Have someone in mind to nominate?  Would you like to nominate yourself?

Submit nominations to Julia Friedman, Attorney-Advisor for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, at iape@ustr.eop.gov. For alternatives to email submission, please contact Julia Friedman at (202) 395-6120.

Have questions or comments? 

Learn more at www.fashioncompliance.com 

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Email us at clark.deanna@gmail.com

Introducing the Freestyle Fashion Conference! Sept. 27th NYC

Gain the education most valuable to you and make meaningful connections.  I'll see you there!

DISCOUNT CODE: FASHCOMPLIANCE for 15% off

 The Freestyle Fashion Conference offers attendees a unique learning experience, while providing an environment that lends towards building meaningful connections. The program is comprised of a series of focused classes related to the business of Fashion. All sessions are taught by experts with very specific domain expertise. This is a great opportunity for brands, retailers, creatives, and business development professionals working in Fashion, Retail, or Technology!

Whether you are a fashion startup manufacturing in the U.S. or importing some or all of your merchandise from abroad, this program is for you!

List of featured classes: 


- Kickstart Your Brand, w/ Kickstarter


- Work Smarter by Leveraging Technology w/ Netcurate 

- Accelerate Your Growth w/ NY Fashion Tech Lab


- Digital Marketing Hacks w/ Search Decoder


- Building a Badass Brand w/ Worstofall Design & Madoff Productions


- Fashion Tech Investment Research w/ FashInvest


- Pop Up Retail Strategy w/ Lion'esque Group


- Email Marketing - Building Relationships that Sell w/ Fashmark

- 
Wearable Tech & The Future of Commerce w/ Third Wave Fashion

- 
How to Build a Successful, Data-Driven Commerce Brand w/ Tycoon


- Positioning Your Startup For Funding w/ Comcast Ventures


- Next Level Sh*t: Native Advertising w/ Wandering 

FOR TICKETS:

September 27, 2014 - NYC


Discount Code:  15% off w/ "FASHCOMPLIANCE"


http://freestyleconference.com

Imperfection is the New Perfection - Fall/Winter 2015/16 Color Trends

I recently attended the most beautiful trend presentation for Fall/Winter 2015/16 presented by the Italian group, Lineapelle. The crux of the presentation revolved around light, and specifically asked us to consider, “what influence does light play in our lives?” and “what's it's role in the modern world?”

Against the premise that "color is light," and that we are seeing a shift towards transparencies and whitening, Lineapelle’s color trends were as follows.

Trend #1, called "DETOX," includes softer and lighter pastels.

Trend #2, entitled "TONING," is about seeing life through saturated colors.  

Trend #3, called "EX BLACK," moves away from strictly black to one that incorporates a heavy addition of black in to colors to it give an effect of being almost black.  

Trend #4, called "DECANTER," is made up of deep and warm purples.

Some of the notable observations of what is trending included that

1) There's a crossover between food and fashion.

2) There's a new attitude of what beauty means, and with it is a move towards authenticity and "normality" including the embracing of our (women's) curves as well as a "selfie” aesthetic.

3) We’re seeing natural fibers, including tweeds, together with precise tailoring to create a contemporary feeling and nostalgia at same time.

4) We are seeing a push to take back control of what we are doing and going "hyperlocal" with an emphasis on starting with quality materials. 

5) Textiles will be light, airy and curvy.

6) There’s a strive for simplicity and minimalism but with character, and smooth clean finishes.

7) There's a visionary aspect of the season that includes intelligent fibers and products, and wearable technology.

8) Imperfection is the new perfection.

9) We’re seeing strong leather e.g., grained leather in camel and oak colors, and steel influences.

10) Oxidization, cracked finishes and polishes or glosses are emerging as trends.

11) Gold’s prominence is taking a back seat and we’re seeing it in smaller details now, more as embellishments.

12) Upholstery looks, and very ornate and rich patterns are trending.

13) Reflected geometries.

14) Fashion is interested in automobile design - smooth designs.

15) Maxi length in coats and dresses.

16) An oversizing of minimal.

 Hope you enjoyed reading this trend information!

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Have questions or comments? 

Learn more at www.fashioncompliance.com or

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Email us at clark.deanna@gmail.com