Articles by AFP
Pierre Cardin museum brings designer's futurist style to Venice
Hundreds of style-setting creations from the late designer Pierre Cardin will fill his Venice palazzo later this month in a new museum celebrating the cutting-edge vision of fashion's futurist. A costume ball Thursday evening at Cardin's Venetian home of nearly 40 years, the Palazzo Bragadin, will help kick off the museum opening, scheduled for...
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China urges France to 'halt' fast-fashion law, warns of countermeasures
Beijing urged France on Thursday to abandon its recently implemented law on ultra-fast fashion, lambasting the new measure targeting major Asian e-commerce platforms including Shein and Temu as "clearly discriminatory". The law, which came into effect on Tuesday, imposes fees on certain items that will eventually reach almost 20 euros per...
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France takes aim at ultra-fast fashion with new levy
France will from Tuesday impose a fee on ultra-fast fashion items that will eventually reach almost 20 euros per garment, as the government targets major Asian e-commerce platforms including Shein. The levy follows legislation passed by the French parliament in June to regulate so-called "ultra-fast fashion" companies, known for selling large...
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Decathlon wants to acquire 50 percent of Sport 2000 France
Paris - Decathlon wants to acquire 50 percent of Sport 2000 France, the two rival companies announced on Monday. This merger could shake up the sporting goods market, which was already disrupted by Intersport's acquisition of dozens of Go Sport stores in 2023. As the French market leader, Decathlon has signed a letter of intent with Céraclès...
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Shein to make market debut in Hong Kong in September
Hong Kong - Shein will debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange on September 1, the fast-fashion retailer said on Monday, in a long-awaited listing that would value the group at close to US$27 billion. The online retailer plans to offer 280 million shares at a price between HK$47.60 and HK$49.50, raising up to HK$13.86 billion (US$1.7 billion), it...
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Shein: heavily criticised, yet millions of customers remain
Paris - Having become the symbol of ultra-fast fashion in recent years, Shein is preparing for its stock market debut in Hong Kong in September. The company has found itself targeted by multiple European and French initiatives aimed at regulating its operations. Investigations, sanctions and controversies have not, however, prevented the Asian...
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Pope's 'couturier of the sacred' fueled by faith
Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italy - Far from the solemn pomp of the Vatican, nestled under the arcades of the mountain town of Santarcangelo di Romagna, a tailor clad all in black leaned over his sketch. With a few strokes of his pencil, Filippo Sorcinelli brought to life a flowing liturgical robe -- fitting for the man whose artistry and faith...
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Online clothing retailer Boohoo fined 2.33 million euros
Paris - British online clothing chain Boohoo has been fined 2.33 million euros. The fine follows an investigation that revealed “deceptive commercial practices”, the French fraud authority announced on Thursday. The fine was for “deceptive commercial practices and non-compliance on product labelling”. It was proposed to the company with the...
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Lacoste faces tax bill of nearly ten million euros, according to L'Informé
Paris - Lacoste has recently been hit with a tax bill of 9.9 million euros, according to a report by media outlet L'Informé published on Wednesday. “According to our information, Lacoste recently signed a cheque for 9.9 million euros to Bercy to settle a dispute that began four years ago,” writes L'Informé. “Investigators found that the holding...
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EU accuses Temu of hindering raid in Ireland
The European Union on Friday accused Temu of failing to hand over information during an inspection as part of a probe into the Chinese-owned online retailer. The EU's powerful antitrust sheriff said it carried out surprise raids between December 2 and 5, 2025, seeking evidence in an investigation looking at whether Temu received "potentially...
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