Articles by AFP
Scottish fashion seeks new talent for homespun crafts
Far from the glamour of fashion weeks in Paris, Milan and London, a nondescript cashmere mill on Scotland's western coast that supplies luxury labels hopes local training programmes can attract new talent. "It's a dying trade," 61-year-old Maria Wade said of her job as a "greasy mender" at Alex Begg, a semi-rural mill that has been based in Ayr...
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UK King opens London Fashion Week despite brother's arrest
London Fashion Week launched on Thursday with a rare visit from King Charles III only hours after his brother Andrew's sensational arrest -- his presence overshadowing an event traditionally focused on revealing new talent. The king surprised crowds when his car pulled up outside the opening show -- on a day when headlines were dominated by the...
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Walmart results expected to highlight big plans for AI
Fresh off of achieving a $1 trillion market value, Walmart will report earnings Thursday as markets look for signs the retail giant can accelerate growth with the aid of artificial intelligence. The results cover the crucial fourth quarter comprising the holiday shopping season and will be the first with Chief Executive John Furner, who ascended...
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London Fashion Week opens with tribute to one of its greats
London Fashion Week, better known for nurturing new talent than for its big-name shows, kicks off on Thursday with a tribute to one of its stalwarts Paul Costelloe. The Irish-American designer, who died aged 80 last November, was a regular fixture on the opening day of the British capital's fashion week since the inception of the show in 1984....
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How Pauline Dujancourt prepares for London Fashion Week
Just days before her third runway show, French designer Pauline Dujancourt was riding a wave of excitement and nerves. The 31?year?old admitted she had begun having strange, nightmarish dreams ahead of her big moment at London Fashion Week on Sunday. The British capital will once again host its Autumn/Winter fashion week from Thursday to Monday,...
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Argentine textile employment, a collateral victim of the opening to imports
Buenos Aires - At a clothing factory in Buenos Aires, dozens of workers watch with concern as the garments Imported sewing machines are gaining ground against idle sewing machines, a postcard from the crisis in the Argentine textile industry in the face of open-market policies commercial of the government of Javier Milei. At Confecciones Seman,...
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EU investigates Shein over sale of childlike sex dolls
Brussels - The EU on Tuesday opened an investigation into the online retail giant Shein over the sale of childlike sex dolls and what it called the platform's "addictive design". Shein came under greater scrutiny in November after French authorities condemned the giant for featuring sex dolls resembling children. The probe is the European...
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In 'an uncertain world', luxury groups wary of 2026
Paris (France) - Following a "turbulent" 2025 and in "an uncertain world", caution is the watchword for 2026 in the luxury sector, where major French groups have published mixed results. "The past year was 'turbulent economically and geopolitically (...) and 2026 will not be very simple either, but one thing at a time'," stated Bernard Arnault,...
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L'Oréal net profit drops 4.4 percent in 2025 due to currency effects and French tax
The French cosmetics giant L'Oréal announced on Thursday a 4.4 percent decrease in its net profit to 6.13 billion euros (7.27 billion dollars). This was penalised by currency effects and the exceptional surcharge imposed on large companies to restore French public finances. “This increasingly less exceptional tax on large companies (...) costs...
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Hermès reports 1.72 percent net profit decrease due to exceptional surtax
French luxury group Hermès announced on Thursday, February 12, 2026, a 1.72 percent decrease in its net profit for 2025, which fell to 4.5 billion euros (5.35 billion dollars). This decline was attributed to an exceptional surtax imposed on large companies by the French government to restore public finances. Excluding this exceptional...
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