Articles by AFP
Grammys red carpet: all the drama, all the hotness
Music's brightest stars on Sunday rocked the red carpet at the Grammys, music's biggest night in their sexiest, skin-baring ensembles. While the Oscars are known for embracing a classic brand of Hollywood glamour, the Grammys are daring: some of the most iconic fashion looks have emerged at the storied gala, such as Jennifer Lopez's plunging...
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Swatch Group's results weighed down by China in 2024
Zurich - Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group saw its profits and sales plummet in 2024 due to falling demand in China and a decline in orders for watch components, it announced on Thursday. The Swiss group, which owns Tissot, Longines and Omega among others, reported a net profit that fell short of expectations, down fourfold to 219 million Swiss...
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Switzerland: Watch exports to fall by 2.8 percent in 2024
Zurich - Swiss watch exports contracted by 2.8 percent in 2024 to 25.9 billion Swiss francs (23 billion pounds) due to a drop of more than 25 percent in China, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry announced on Thursday. After reaching a historic high in 2024, exports continued to decline month after month last year, with the watchmaking...
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Chanel unveils light and colourful haute couture collection
French fashion house Chanel unveiled a light and colourful Spring-Summer 2025 haute couture collection on Tuesday in Paris, crafted by its creative studio rather than new artistic director Matthieu Blazy. Celebrities including Kylie Jenner and Pamela Anderson watched the show at the Grand Palais, a vast glass-roofed exhibition space where models...
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Primark launches new line for people with disabilities
Giant budget fashion chain Primark launched on Tuesday a line of clothing created specifically for people with disabilities. Designer Victoria Jenkins adapted the Ireland-based chain's most sold items, including jeans, T-shirts and trench coats, to suit the needs of shoppers with disabilities who want clothes that are "not only functional, but...
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Chiuri delves into past for what could be last Dior fashion show
Paris, Jan 27, 2025 (AFP) - Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri delivered what industry insiders say might be her last collection for Dior on Monday, on the first day of Paris Haute Couture Week. Models with Mohawk-inspired hairstyles, adorned with feathers woven into their braids, walked the runway in retro draped skirts or short crinolines...
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US designer Willy Chavarría debuts in Paris with a militant anti-Trump fashion show
Paris - American designer Willy Chavarria made his Paris debut on Friday with a colourful and politically charged show, incorporating an excerpt from a pro-LGBTQ+ speech by a bishop that angered President Donald Trump, as well as clips from the film "Emilia Pérez", nominated for 13 Oscars. Of Mexican and Irish descent, Chavarria was named...
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MF Brands Group in talks to sell The Kooples
The Swiss-based MF Brands Group, owner of renowned labels such as Lacoste and Aigle, announced on Monday that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with a French industrial group to sell the The Kooples brand. The move is part of a strategy to refocus on activities aligned with its core identity. The proposed transaction involves the...
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2025: A year of challenges for the luxury sector
Paris - A slow-to-recover Chinese market, the risk of new American taxes, and "weary" consumers: the luxury industry faces significant challenges in 2025, following a 2024 already disrupted by slowing consumption. The heady post-Covid years, when luxury groups recorded insolent double-digit growth, seem a distant memory. Major groups like Hermè...
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Former Amazon executive to head UK's competition watchdog
The British government has decided to appoint a former Amazon boss as chair of the competition regulator CMA, an announcement that comes as US President Donald Trump has vowed to defend its tech giants abroad. Doug Gurr, president of Amazon China between 2014 and 2016 and then director of the group in the UK until 2020, "has been appointed...
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