Apparel

Outdoor wear retailer Patagonia is trying to revolutionize the way denim is manufactured, sold and worn with a new collection.

Patagonia's new denim collection is made with environmentally friendly dye, Fair Trade Certified sewing practices, and 100% organic cotton grown without pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers.

New York -- The nation’s premier luxury department store company wants to return to the public arena.

Neiman Marcus Group has filed plans for an initial public offering — for the second time in two years — of $100 million (the sum is a placeholder that doesn’t necessarily reflect the final offering amount.) The company said it would trade under the ticker symbol NMG.

Minneapolis – Target Corp. is offering a limited-time promotion aimed at back-to-school shoppers that provides free shipping for all U.S. online orders. The promotion, which runs through Aug. 15, also includes free returns on all orders, with some restrictions on oversize items.

New York -- An upscale men’s footwear brand has opened its first flagship, on Madison Avenue in Manhattan.

Ibex Construction, New York-based firm specializing in high-end retail and corporate construction, has completed the first flagship boutique for Italian luxury brand Louis Leeman. The new retail space is modeled to resemble a classic Parisian home with a modern update featuring an antique marble fireplace, contemporary couches with lavish velvet cushions and custom interior designs that create an ambiance of sophisticated elegance.

New York -- A big acquisition of a luxury shoe brand helped Coach top analysts’ fourth quarter earnings forecasts even as its sales and income fell.

Coach’s fourth-quarter net income plunged 84.4% to $11.7 million, down from $75.2 in the year-ago period. Excluding one-time charges, Coach said its net income came in at $85 million, or 31 cents per share, beating the analyst consensus by two cents.

Coach said Stuart Weitzman, which it acquired earlier this year, helped to boost its earnings.

Irvine, Calif. -- Billabong International has selected a retail suite from JustEnough’s retail suite of solutions to help transform its planning and replenishment processes across all its brands worldwide.

Rue21 inc. is launching an unconventional philanthropy initiative designed to resonate with the retailer's target market.

Denver – Whatever the cool kids (and their families) are doing this summer, back-to-school shopping does not appear to be on the agenda.

An ongoing shopper behavior study conducted by The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research shows that retailers will continue to see the number of back-to-school shoppers in their stores drop.

In 2014, the data showed 36% of shoppers would not be shopping back-to-school, and this year the study is showing a 7% increase in those not shopping for back-to-school.