Bijoux Cebu is back and promises to be even better! Now in its third edition, Asia’s destination for green jewelry will have more exhibitors and a myriad of new innovations that will allow you to source and build your collections from the best that the Philippines has to offer.

As the world is poised to recover from the worst economic turmoil in decades, the demand for good value, excellently designed and environmentally conscious accessories is expected to increase exponentially.

Of course, the fact that this is the only show in the world that is held in an internationally renowned 5-star resort where you can get out of bed, have a quick dip in the powder white sand beach then walk to the exhibits in 5 minutes is a plus. So save the dates and get ready for what is indeed a trade show like no other.

Organized by FAME FOUNDATION PHILIPPINES INC.  

 As the global economy is expected to recover in 2010 after the worst downturn in decades, the exporters of costume jewellery in Cebu, Philippines pooled their resources and expertise to create an extensive marketing plan which will be used to better target both existing and emerging markets, as well as to identify ways to remain competitive in an increasingly aggressive business climate.

OBJECTIVES

•          Provide a planning framework for the short, medium & long term considering the extremely difficult market conditions taking into account the competitive landscape and consumer trends.

•          Institutionalize the SEMP Planning process into the regular functions of the organization

•          Convey the importance of the SEMP to the general membership so each company can develop their own marketing plans

BENEFITS OF THE SEMP

•          Provides a comprehensive framework and analysis that will enable exporters to meet the crisis in a more proactive manner and not just with a piece-meal, band-aid approach

•          Discover opportunities the exporters have not seen before

•          Will allow exporters to get ready for the next upswing by helping them

o        Formulate new strategies

o        Maximize limited resources

o        Reposition their sector

o        Develop inspiration for synergy within the sector, or across sectors

o        Develop an  actionable implementation plan (roadmap)

•          The SEMP is a means of communication and inspiration for the sector as it aligns stakeholders toward a common goal and sets a realistic sector export agenda

•          The  SEMP is a plan, ready to be implemented, which provides:

o        Valuable trade data and market/sector trends

o        Updated value chain analysis of the sector

o        Export market analysis and opportunities

o        Market (entry) strategy

o        Sector export action plan and financial plan

Unlike other SEMPs, this one does not utilize an annex and all of the pertinent data and charts are included in the main body so as to facilitate the presentation and justify immediate analyses and conclusions.

FAME Foundation Philippines, Inc. renewed the WGSN Subscription last April 2009 with the support from Export Development Council (EDC) and Export Development Fund (EDF) through Philexport National.

Worth Global Style Network (WGSN) is the world's leading research, trend analysis and news services whose mission is to inform, aid and inspire every company in fast moving fashion and retail industries.

WGSN is able to identify, analyse, and report on trends faster and more accurately that any other information provider. WGSN is unique in that it captures the movement of trends through the entire product development cycle. This allows the clients to develop a better understanding of trends as they evolve.

The clients, which now includes 2,200 of the world's leading fashion and retail companies, get vital information earlier giving them an advantage over their competitors.They benefit because their staff are able to make better decisions earlier, thereby leading to greater efficiency, higher sales, and ultimately higher profitability.

• Over 250 journalist, photographers, trends spotters, trends forecasters, and designers located in the world's fashion capitals.
• Provides a database of over 1,000,000 pages of essential up to the minute information prepared by industry professionals for industry professionals.
• Update several times daily to the order of approximately 3,500 pages a week.
• Trends forecasting of key colours, textiles, styles, consumer attitudes and consumer behaviours up to 16 months in advance, as well as constant updates to review any changes in fashion trends immediately as they happen.
• Over 16,000 trends relevant graphics design, updated every week, copyright free for our clients to use.
• Monthly/seasonal trend analysis of what is happening in world's capitals, including approximately 6,000 store window and street style every month.
• Daily news stories, comprehensive final reports featuring hundreds of photos and detailed analyses of at least 120 of the most directional trade shows from around the world encompassing apparel, textile, leather, toys, licensing, footwear and interiors.
• Daily news and regular in-depth feature reports from around the world.

Benefits to Client are...

• An accurate analysis of your customer and their marketplace, giving you greater understanding of their needs and allowing you to provide better service, which will lead to larger orders and greater revenue.
• Accurate analysis of your potential customers and their competitors, leading to greater understanding, allowing you to prepare better sales presentations prior to initial meetings, maximising your opportunities of attracting new customers;
• Cost saving on attendance of international trade fairs around the world
• Reduces the commercial risk of missing a trend, helps prevent lost sales due to customers going to other suppliers who show them more trend relevant ranges;
• Increase margins by allowing you to offer ranges with key design or trend input, rather than merely executing clients requests;
• WGSN creates a new standard for information required by all companies to maintain competitiveness;
• Desktop access to information creates a staff with greater awareness and knowledge of global trends. Enlightened staff members are thus more capable of identifying sales opportunities as well as being more productive due to the ease of doing research and attending to client's needs;
• Allows you to understand their customers needs better, since most of the world leading retailers and brands are using WGSN for their design and product development inspiration.
• Allows you to shorten time to market by providing immediate market intelligence/knowledge, allowing manufacturers to develop a proactive relationship with their existing clients,

International Clients                    

            Abercrombie & Fitch                                              Honda R&D

           Adidas - Salomon AG                                            Hugo Boss AG

           Arcadia Group                                                        J. Craw

           Banana Republic                                                   JC Penney Co

           BBC Worldwide LDT: GMBD                                Kenneth Cole Productions  

           BCBG                                                                        Kmart Corporation

           Benetton Group SpA                                              Kookal

           Burberry Ltd                                                             Laura Ashley Ltd

           Calvin Klein                                                              Mango

           Club Monaco                                                            Marks & Spencer Group

           Converse                                                                  Nautica

           Debenham Plc                                                        Procter & Gamble

           Disney Consumer Products                                Sears Roebuck

           Dolce & Gabbana                                                  Selfridges

           Donna Karan International                                  Target Corporation

           Escada AG                                                              Tommy Hilfiger

           Gap Inc.                                                                   Zara

           Guess Inc

This said website is open to companies who would like to do their research in the center with a minimal fee. 

Should you have inquiries regarding the WGSN website, please do not hesitate to call Gil D. Ovillo at telephone numbers (032) 2550851 / 2550861 or email us at info@cebufame.com.ph. To learn more about the website, please visit www.wgsn.com for more details.

Product Lifecycle Phase;

Pre- Production: Material Selection

Certified sources – materials that are independently certified as originating from sustainable managed resources, from recycled materials or conforming to a national or international eco label.

Compostable - can be decomposed by microbes such as bacteria and fungi to release nutrients and organic matter.

Locally sourced materials - materials originating from close proximity to the point of manufacturing or production,

Low embodied energy materials - materials that require relatively little energy to extract and manufacture.

Non toxic / Non-hazardous - not likely to cause loss of life or health to people or degradation of living ecosystems.

Recyclable materials components of products that can be used in a new product.

Durable/extremely durable – through strong materials that do not break or wear and survive the life of the product or well beyond.

Precious materials - precious materials can serve to ensure the sociocultural longevity of a product or building. The following design samples include at least one of these material strategies that are sometimes combined with other eco-design strategies.

Written by Ching M. Alano

Philippine Star, January 26, 2010 issue

Lifestyle, Health and Family

Hear ye, all parents! Do your kids wear jewelry? Do you know what kind of jewelry they’re wearing? Now, read this: According to Health Canada, so reports CBC News, cheap children’s jewelry made in China has been found to contain cadmium, a heavy metal that is more toxic than lead.

In an e-mail sent to us, Richard Gutierrez of Ban Toxics! (www.bantoxics.org) writes: “FYI, there are more concerns regarding toys coming from China, particularly the use of cadmium in place of lead. Cadmium is a rare metallic element found in small deposits on almost every continent. It has a number of uses, perhaps most famously as a pigment in paint. Cadmium is also toxic, and will bioaccumulate, concentrating in the body without being expressed like other toxins are.”

An Associated Press report says that children’s jewelry, among other things, is sold at Yiwu’s wholesale market. Googling Yiwu, you’ll discover that Yiwu is located in the central Zhejiang province, some 300 kms. away from Shanghai. It’s famous for its bustling free markets. Why, it’s the “largest market of petty commodity wholesales in the world where various foreign buyers (probably including our own) go to place orders”!

Interviews with more than a dozen manufacturers and sellers, reports AP, confirmed that cadmium was a common component in seemingly harmless kids’ metal trinkets.

This cheap jewelry made in China and sold at major North American chains like Wal-Mart and Claire’s has been found to be made almost entirely of cadmium. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued an advisory warning consumers about this lethal metal.

According to the AP investigation, of the 103 pieces of low-priced children’s jewelry tested for cadmium, the toxic metal made up at least 10 per cent of the metal ingredients in 12 of the items and an alarming 90 per cent in some.

These cheap charm bracelets and pendants sold in the US may look charming but beware! To repeat, cadmium is more toxic than lead. And tests show that some of these cheap jewelry items shed cadmium easily, raising parental concerns about children’s exposure to the metal.

Health experts warn that lead and cadmium are toxic metals that can have harmful effects on children’s behavior and the development of children even at very low levels.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR), we can all be exposed to cadmium through:

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR), we can all be exposed to cadmium through:

• Eating foods containing cadmium — low levels are found in all foods; the highest in shellfish, liver, and kidney meats.

• Drinking contaminated water.

Eating food or drinking water with very high levels can severely irritate the stomach, leading to vomiting and diarrhea.

• Smoking cigarettes or breathing cigarette smoke.

• Breathing contaminated workplace air. Breathing high levels of cadmium can severely damage the lungs.

• Living near industrial facilities which release cadmium into the air.

TSDR experts warn that “long-term exposure to lower levels of cadmium in air, food, or water leads to a buildup of cadmium in the kidneys and possible kidney disease. Other long-term effects are lung damage and fragile bones.”

And now, this big question: Can cadmium cause cancer?

Answer: According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), cadmium and cadmium compounds are known human carcinogens.

How does cadmium affect children? Just as badly as it affects adults (kidneys, lungs, bones), and perhaps even worse. Animal studies show that younger animals absorb more cadmium than adults. The young are more prone to bone loss and decreased bone strength than adults.

So how can families reduce their risk of exposure to cadmium?

Here are some life-saving tips from the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry:

• At home, store substances that contain cadmium safely, and keep nickel-cadmium batteries out of reach of young children.

• Cadmium is a component of tobacco smoke. Avoid smoking in enclosed spaces like inside the home or car in order to limit exposure to children and other family members.

• If you work with cadmium, use all safety precautions to avoid carrying cadmium-containing dusthome from work on your clothing, skin, hair, or tools.

• A balanced diet can reduce the amount of cadmium taken into the body from food and drink.

In Canada, Health Canada advises parents not to allow children to suck or chew on any jewelry. If consumers suspect jewelry might contain lead or cadmium, they can safely dispose of it in their regular household waste.

Surely, our children’s safety is not something to be treated as kid stuff.

* * *

We’d love to hear from you. E-mail us at ching_alano@yahoo.com.

View previous articles of this column.