Last week I met with a group of intimate apparel professionals to discuss the improvements needed in the industry. Andrew Sia, Publisher of Intimate Apparel Journal, headed the discussion along with his wife Mimi. As a founder of Ace Style group, a vertically-integrated women’s intimates manufacturing business covering garments, fabrics, trims, printing, retailing, wholesale, and franchising, Andrew’s established background and experience has allowed him to recognize the disconnect between all levels of the industry and in-turn create a solution. From recent graduate students, to buyers, to factory workers, it obvious that a common thread and understanding of standard practices is absent. In other words, there is no standard go-to resource that one could be educated on the technical, marketing, manufacturing and design techniques. This creates a problem in our industry. Everyone at the meeting unanimously agreed that the Intimate Apparel Journal (IAJ) is the vehicle that will solve this issue. IAJ will ultimately create a common dialogue within the industry and in turn connect the American, European and Asian markets.  At the luncheon Julia Poteat, assistant professor at Parsons The New School for Design, spoke of the possible use for IAJ in her student’s curriculum. As a new instructor at FIT teaching at the Center for Professional Studies in June, Andrew Sia believes the journal is a great resource for all students studying in the industry. I spoke of how IAJ would greatly help buyers and store owners understand why samples can not be produced over night or why certain fabrics can not be used for specific purposes. Not everyone in the industry understands these simple concepts, which is why a dialogue must be started. Every article in the journal may not always speak directly to a specific area, but it will serve as a learning tool for students, and an industry resource for professionals to keep up with trends and reports. I look forward to seeing the success of the journal along with world-wide discussion it will create in the industry