PARTY NEWS
The Fake Fancy Dress Crackdown The public has been warned about the danger of counterfeit costumes in the run-up to Halloween following a number of high-profile arrests and trading standards raids which have taken place throughout the UK over recent months. Most recently, officers from a specialist unit swooped on four addresses in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester – often hailed as the counterfeit capital of the UK. During the raid, the specialist police unit, which works across the country to protect UK industries from intellectual property crime, recovered hundreds of fake fancy dress costumes which could pose a public safety risk due to a lack of proper (or any!) testing. Three people were arrested during the operation, which also involved fancy dress manufacturers
What's Popular On Pintrest? According to social media barometer Pinterest, these are the most searched-for, pinned and saved Halloween costumes and themes for 2017 so far (end Sept). The team behind the online company have crunched the data and – thanks to its almost 180 million monthly users – these are the top ten most coveted costumes this year. 1. Pennywise the Clown from the Steven King movie IT, 2. Characters from the Netflix show Stranger Things, 3. Belle from Beauty and the Beast, 4. Giraffes – 'pins' are up by 1200% on 2016!, 5. Wonder Woman – more than 230,000 WW costume ideas have been pinned, 6. Game of Thrones characters, from Jon Snow to the Khaleesi herself, 7. Baywatch costumes – searches are up by 240% this year, 8. Hippie – generic 60s and 70s styles are popular choices, 9. Unicorn – with searches up 130% since May these are a safe bet, 10. Mermaids – a popular choice for the fashionforward in 2017.
Rubie’s Masquerade, after the company contacted the authorities and sparked the investigation. “Counterfeit fancy dress clothing is not subjected to the same rigorous testing as genuine items and therefore poses a public safety risk to consumers,” said a police spokesman. “The risks involve suffocation, poisoning from untested dyes and colourings and strangulation due to the lack of appropriate fastenings.” Back in August, Amir Liaquat – owner of Walthamstow's Fancy Dress Mart – was fined £6,000 after
he pleaded guilty to offences under the Trademarks Act for supplying costumes and accessories. Trading Standards investigations found Amir with counterfeit superhero costumes in September of last year. He was also selling the fake costumes on Amazon. Cardiff-based Andreas Lazarou was also found in possession of more than 1,500 illegal items including unsafe children's costumes back in October 2016. The charges stemmed from a tipoff that his shop, Ialpha World, was selling counterfeit children’s fancy dress outfits. Andreas claimed that he 'did not know what he was getting himself into' and that the offences were a result of complete naivety after
Balloon Bans Continue To Take Effect The recent spate of bans and active campaigns against balloon releases continues, with South Tyneside and County Cork in Ireland the latest two councils to propose outlawing the activity. South Tyneside Council is the latest of 32 local authorities throughout England to ban the releasing of balloons, which is often done as in memoriam or as part of a celebration. “Balloons and balloon fragments can pose a serious risk to wildlife, particularly marine animals,” said a spokesman for South Tyneside Council. “It is for this reason
that we discourage people from releasing balloons, especially along the coastline.” People could also soon be faced with a fine if they launch balloons into the air in County Cork, where the council’s Environment Directorate has backed a request from a councillor to draw up bylaws to ban balloon releases. Independent councillor Marcia D’Alton, who proposed the bylaws, denied being a partypooper, saying there were good reasons for imposing a ban and citing the hazards posed to wildlife and the environment.
New Names At Karnival Costumes Now in its third year of business, Karnival Costumes is currently one of the fastest growing companies in the fancy dress and Halloween market. It uniquely offers a direct manufacturer-to-customer service, allowing the customer to maximise margins. The latest addition to the team is Stuart Goodman, who has joined as head of sales for EMEA, America and Australia. Stuart is well-known within the trade and has over 20 years of experience in the party market. “I'm excited to be joining Karnival Costumes,” said Stuart. “It's a great, creative, international team and we're all committed to providing the best possible service to our customers. I can't wait to get started!”
Above: Trading standards raids have been seizing counterfeit goods in a number of raids.
Amscan Is Summer-Ready Party product supplier Amscan has recently launched its latest catalogue, the 2018 Spring and Summer Book, containing the latest ranges for key occasions throughout the spring and summer months. New additions for Valentine’s Day include glitter decorations, centrepieces and over 30 stunning Anagram foil balloons by Anagram, while the St. Patrick’s Day collection has been expanded to feature new costume accessories to help get customers into the Irish spirit. Looking ahead to the summer months Amscan also has a great new variety of Graduation themed partyware and balloons to create a first class celebration and a range of new summer balloons featuring on-trend designs such as flamingos and pineapples. The catalogue is available to view online at www.amscan.co.uk.
New Home For Charity Fancy Dress Shop A fancy dress store which sells costumes to raise money for children with physical and mental disabilities has found a new home following an urgent appeal for new premises. Surrey-based Suite 109, which raises monies for the Peterson's Fund for Children charity, was previously based in Chertsey but has now moved to Walton. Charity founder Charlene Peterson stocks a range of costumes, suitable for dancers, theatre groups, schools and those who love vintage fashion. "We are so excited to be in our new, beautiful space,” said Charlene. “We have more than 5,000 items [including] dancewear and fancy dress..... wigs, masks, Halloween and Christmas items and so much more." Money raised by every item sold by Suite 109 goes to support Peterson’s Fund for Children, which provides funding for therapy and equipment for children with severe disabilities.
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he purchased the goods online, believing they were legitimate. For industry opinions on how the counterfeiting trade affects the party market, please turn to p51.
Above: There are more than 5,000 items available instore at Suite 109.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE
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