Articles by AFP
Alibaba quarterly revenue flat for first time ever in June
4 Aug 2022 - Business
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba reported flat revenue growth on Thursday for the first time ever, as the country grappled with an economic slowdown and Covid-19 resurgences kept consumers jittery. Revenue came in at 205.6 billion yuan (30.7 billion dollars) in the April-June quarter, beating analyst expectations despite being slightly below the...
Despite environmental damage, Gen Z has taken a shine to ultra-fast fashion
29 Jul 2022 - Fashion
So-called "ultra-fast fashion" has won legions of young fans who are able to snap up relatively cheap clothes online, but campaigners say the trend masks darker environmental problems. Britain's Boohoo, China's SHEIN and Hong Kong's Emmiol are the main players in a sector that produces items and collections at breakneck speed and rock-bottom...
Mexico complains to China's SHEIN over Mayan motif
22 Jul 2022 - Business
Mexico has demanded an explanation from Chinese fast-fashion online retailer SHEIN for using a design by Mayan artisans, the government said, in the latest case of alleged cultural appropriation. The Latin American nation regularly denounces what it calls plagiarism by foreign companies of the motifs, embroidery and colors of its Indigenous...
France plans fashion revolution with climate-impact labels
21 Jul 2022 - Business
Is it better for the environment if you buy a brand-new cotton T-shirt or a recycled one? Well, it depends. Recycling has obvious benefits, but the process shortens cotton fibres and so usually has to be mixed with some oil-based material to keep it from falling apart. Such trade-offs make it tricky to figure out the real sustainability rating...
Victoria Beckham joins Paris Fashion Week
20 Jul 2022 - Fashion
Victoria Beckham will join the official line-up of Paris Fashion Week with a live runway show this autumn, the organisers announced on Wednesday. The British designer and former Spice Girl has previously presented in London and New York, though she has not staged a live runway show since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. She will present her...
Chinese officials gather Alibaba execs over data heist
15 Jul 2022 - Retail
Alibaba shares sank on Friday after a report said the tech giant's executives had been called in for meetings with Chinese officials over the theft of a vast police database. A hacker last month put on sale what they claimed was the personal information of hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens -- which, if true, would make it one of the...
War inspired fashion is hit with patriotic Ukrainians
7 Jul 2022 - Fashion
In a large fashion store in central Kyiv, a mother and her young daughter flick through T-shirts depicting a cartoon dog in a flak jacket and sunglasses. "We have several like this," says Tatiana, adding that they may pick up something new. "We love clothes like this so we shop here often." The T-shirts by Kyiv-based label J.Cook depict Patron,...
In the footsteps of JP Gaultier, Olivier Rousteing humorously questions gender
7 Jul 2022 - Fashion
Pointy breasts made famous by Madonna, but also female corsets with penises and moulded busts of pregnant women: the designer Olivier Rousteing questioning gender with his collection for Jean Paul Gaultier. Men in colourful skin-tight jumpsuits or sailor-patterned jumpsuits, perched on strong platform soles, opened the show on Wednesday evening...
First ever 'Africa Fashion' exhibition opens in London
28 Jun 2022 - Culture
Britain's most extensive exhibition of African fashion is set to open in London, showcasing designers past and present, as well as the continent's diverse heritage and cultures. "Africa Fashion", at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum from Saturday, is also the country's first exhibition dedicated to the medium. Project curator Elisabeth Murray...
Menswear regains its muscle at Paris Fashion Week
27 Jun 2022 - Fashion
Menswear proved to be in reinvigorated form as Paris Fashion Week ended on Sunday, with spectacle, innovation and the return of big-name designers to the catwalk. The week concluded with the surprising return of fabled French designer Hedi Slimane, formerly of Dior and Saint Laurent and now with Celine. Two years ago, he had announced he was...