controversy news and archive

Collective denounces online sale of Epstein-associated clothing

The Mouv'Enfants collective on Wednesday denounced the sale of clothing associated with Jeffrey Epstein on online platforms, demanding that their sale be banned. Navy half-zip sweatshirts embroidered with the initials JEE (Jeffrey Edward Epstein) were found on Etsy, Vinted, AliExpress and eBay. They are replicas of a garment worn by the sex...

Member

Business|Exclusive

Alpha Modus sues H&M for patent infringement

US company Alpha Modus, specialising in the development of technologies for the retail industry, continues its fierce battle for the protection of its industrial and intellectual property. On this occasion, it has filed a lawsuit against Swedish fashion multinational H&M Group. It comes to light following the lawsuit filed against Spanish...

Member

Business

Inditex clothing reappears in Russia: permissiveness, stock mismanagement or smuggling?

Madrid – The Spanish fashion multinational is set to present the results for the third quarter of its current 2025 fiscal year this Wednesday, December 3. However, a negative news story regarding both image and operational implications has taken centre stage. This concerns the sale of garments from its Zara, Oysho, Pull&Bear, Bershka,...

FeaturedMember

Business

US company Alpha Modus sues Inditex for patent infringement

Madrid – US-based Alpha Modus, a company specialising in the development of technological solutions for retail, has filed a lawsuit against Spanish fashion multinational Inditex for patent infringement. Alpha Modus argues that the owner of chains such as Zara, Massimo Dutti and Bershka has violated its intellectual and industrial property. This...

Retail

French retail sector unites against Shein

Major French trade federations representing sectors from mass market retail to clothing and toys are suing Shein for “unfair competition”. The Asian e-commerce giant, already under government scrutiny, described the move as a “boycott attempt”. Several sector organisations stated in a press release that Shein’s model “relies on non-compliance...

Member

Business

Alibaba denies report accusing it of supporting Chinese army against US

Beijing - Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba on Saturday denied to AFP an article in the Financial Times (FT) that accused it of assisting in Beijing's military operations against the US. Alibaba “provides technical support for the ‘operations’ of the Chinese army against US targets,” stated the report from the British newspaper published on...

Featured

Retail

Shein opens first physical store in Paris, drawing bargain hunters to BHV

Paris - Out of “curiosity” or because “it’s cheaper”, customers began to gather outside the department store on Wednesday. They were waiting for the opening of the Shein store at BHV in Paris at 1pm, despite the controversies surrounding the Asian giant's practices. UPDATE France suspends operations of online platform Shein “My husband doesn’t...

People

Mango founder's death: Son Jonathan Andic named suspect in homicide case

Madrid – A major twist has emerged in the investigation into the death of Isak Andic, founder of the Spanish fashion giant Mango. The Court of Instruction No. 5 in Martorell has formally charged Jonathan Andic, his son and the company’s current vice president, as a suspect in the case. The fatal incident occurred on December 14, 2024, when...

Fashion

US bans Iranian officials from luxury shopping in New York

Washington, September 24, 2025 (AFP) – Iranian officials attending the UN summit this week will be unable to go shopping in New York under a US government order restricting the purchase of a range of products, from wholesale cosmetics to luxury watches. These restrictions were included by the State Department spokesperson in the “maximum...

FeaturedMember

Business

Accused murderer ends up as a Shein model: a reminder of the risks of AI

The image of Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering the chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare, began circulating online a few months ago. He became a strange and unexpected idol, with women queuing at the courthouse door. His definitive leap to virality came when his image was projected in a Boston nightclub. This occurred during a...

Fashion

Swatch ad sparks controversy over racist depiction

Swiss watchmaker Swatch issued an apology this weekend regarding the racist nature of its recent advertisements. The images showed an Asian model pulling the corners of their eyes upwards and backwards. The images were for the Swatch Essentials collection and were met with a wave of indignant comments on social media. According to Reuters, some...

Retail

American Eagle store traffic falls amid backlash over Sydney Sweeney ad

In-store visits for American Eagle are reported to have fallen last week after the brand became embroiled in backlash over a campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. According to data collected by Pass_by, store visits across the US dropped 3.9 percent year-over-year for the week ended August 2. Impact was most prominent in the south, where...