Earnshaw's

Licensed T-shirt manufacturer Mighty Fine of Los Angeles recently launched a new website, www.WeLoveFine.com, for consumers to directly shop its product lines. According to the company, the MiniFine children's collections were added to the site last week.

Browsers will find graphic tees featuring Hello Kitty, Marvel, Peanuts characters and more. The site also features a "do it yourself" area for shoppers to customize their own shirts. Site subscribers receive 15-percent off their purchases, and the company is offering a free tote bag with every order. Visit www.mightyfineinc.com.

Melissa Nash, the founder of Vancouver, Wash.-based Knuckleheads Clothing, has founded a new charity called Little Threads Foundation to provide clothing, shoes, blankets and plush products to children who are placed in foster care, helping to alleviate the financial burden for foster families.

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) recently re-launched its website, www.Global-standard.org, which includes an online database of all companies it has certified. In 2009, approximately 1,500 companies with a total of 2,811 facilities in 55 countries around the world were certified to the organic apparel and textile standard--nearly a 40-percent increase over the number certified in 2008.

International trade show Playtime will hold its first New York event July 31-Aug. 2 at Soho's 82 Mercer, according to event director Sebastien de Hutten. The U.S. version follows Playtime Paris, which launched in 2006, and Playtime Tokyo, which bowed last year.

JC Penney will debut the Supergirl by Nastia lifestyle brand in July through a three-year exclusive partnership with gymnast Nastia Liukin and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, which owns the property. The line will target girls 8 to 12 with knit dresses, tunics, burnout and foil T-shirts, tie-dye hoodies, pants and leggings as well as dance and fleece activewear.

In a first for the company, United Colors of Benetton will offer its youth sizes for both the Benetton and Sisley brands outside of its corporate stores. Nordstrom will begin offering the brands in store and online for fall. General merchandise manager Curtis Shalo said the deal with Nordstrom will give the brand increased visibility in the United States. "Since we do not truly market or advertise our stores in the U.S.

The National Retail Federation of Washington D.C. has announced that Matt Shay, previously the president and CEO of the International Franchise Association, has been selected as its next president and CEO following the retirement of current CEO Tracy Mullin, who has served in that role for 17 years. Shay will be formally elected at the NRF board meeting on June 22.

Seasons UV Solutions of Toronto, best known for its SunSmart line of children's UV swim and playwear, is taking action to grow its U.S. presence. "We are bigger and better," said president Joanne Speight, noting the company has purchased a new 250,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in mainland China, established showrooms in Hong Kong, purchased a new head office and warehouse in Milton, Ontario, and entered into a joint venture with Concord, Mass.-based Real Kids Shades.

Need-to-know industry appointments and promotions.

~ Michael Berreth has been promoted to vice president of marketing at Cookie Jar Entertainment and will now lead global marketing campaigns and promotional programs. Berreth has handled brands and marketing campaigns for the company, including the 2009 worldwide relaunch of Strawberry Shortcake, and previously worked in management at Disney, Universal Studios, Nestl and Kelloggs. Visit www.thecookiejarcompany.com.

Citing at least 14 deaths associated with sling-style infant carriers in the last 20 years, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is advising parents and caregivers to be cautious when using infant slings for babies younger than four months of age.

The statement, which was released on Friday, said slings can pose suffocation hazards to babies by blocking their airways or placing them in a position that curls the chin to the chest, restricting oxygen supply.