Jan 10, 2008 11:59 pm US/Eastern
Clothing Retailers To Climatologists: Help!
Unpredictable Weather Doing Number On Entire Industry
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Liz Claiborne Outlet store (file)
CBS
You might not think about extreme cold right now, but you're likely paying for it. The warm weather we've experienced is sending the clothing industry into a tizzy And as CBS 2 HD found out you could end up holding the bag.
Been trying to wear that new Christmas coat but the weather just won't cooperate? In a business of constant change from hemlines to fabrics and styles, the one thing that designers always counted on was the change of seasons. But not anymore.
"It's very problematic," said Freddie Stollmack with Weatherproof Garment Company, talking about the unpredictable weather.
Why? Stollmack says buyers are shy to load up on heavy winter coats, not knowing if the weather will cooperate. And with billions in annual losses, the apparel industry is looking for a secret weapon to fight back.
Enter the climatologist.
"We saw near-record temperatures for October," said Columbia University climatologist Radley Horton.
He may be more comfortable with crunching degrees that commenting on runway fashions, but increasingly, retailers like Liz Claiborne are looking for his help in predicting what we will wear.
"Winter has gotten a little bit shorter so spring is happening a little bit earlier, fall a little bit later so that impacts the length of the winter cold season which is an important issue for a lot of groups, including some clothing retailers," Horton said.
With clothing sales headed into a deep freeze, manufacturers wanted some protection. Weatherproof took out a $10 million policy for November and December against unusually warm weather, a first in the clothing business.
"That constitutes 80 percent of our business," said Stollmack, "so it's a tremendous hit if not sold. It is just one way to make sure consumers aren't left holding the bag all that unsold merchandise."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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