Articles by AFP
In New York, Iris van Herpen invites public to try their hand at haute couture
New York - Around a table, two women chat quietly while pleating a silver fabric that a third attaches to the train of a mermaid gown. Gradually, a sculptural tangle forms, resembling frozen sea foam, lava flows and climbing ferns. The garment was born from the imagination of Dutch designer Iris van Herpen. She is known for her haute couture...
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New EU package fee: online retailers face levy on non-EU imports
Brussels - The European Union will from November 1 slap a two-euro (2.25 dollars) handling fee on packages from outside the 27-nation bloc in a bid to curb the influx from China. The new levy -- coming just weeks before the Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas season shopping rushes -- will be on top of the EU's three-euro fee on small...
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Hermès posts 5.5 percent Q3 sales growth driven by Europe and Americas
French luxury group Hermès reported a 5.5 percent increase in third-quarter revenue on Thursday, supported by Europe, the Americas and Japan. The company also confirmed its full-year forecast “despite the deteriorating macroeconomic and geopolitical environment”. Known for its silk scarves and leather handbags, the brand saw sales reach...
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Looted stores in France: Fashion retailers suffer sharp drop in revenue
Paris - Fashion stores recorded an average revenue drop of 14 percent across France on Saturday, the day of the protests, the Alliance du Commerce reported on Monday. This decline was particularly pronounced in city centres. Indeed, city-centre boutiques and shopping centres, which were particularly affected by the damage during the October 17...
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Resale platforms pledge to help French authorities track goods looted in protests
Paris - Consumer-to-consumer resale platforms such as Vinted, Leboncoin and Ebay, on which “a significant number of stolen items have been identified”, have pledged to collaborate with national authorities to “identify and report” this content, the government announced on Tuesday. Following the looting of stores during the protests on October...
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Western brands under pressure as 'pre-owned' luxury booms in China
With China's economy still struggling to recover from the pandemic, even global fashion icons are beginning to feel the pinch as consumers turn instead to the second-hand market or buy upstart new homegrown brands. Chinese were once massive buyers of luxury Western brands, accounting for around a third of worldwide spending and earning firms...
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Cosmetics company sues Shein for unfair competition
Marseille - A French company, part of the Japanese cosmetics group Shiseido, demanded over 2.6 million euros from e-commerce giant Shein in court on Tuesday. The claim is for marketing beauty products without being an authorised reseller. The Marseille Economic Activities Tribunal has deferred its decision until January 26. This follows a...
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Kering boss de Meo wields axe at McQueen in fashion shake-up
Paris - Kering chief executive Luca de Meo is accelerating his shake-up of the struggling fashion conglomerate with the ousting of Alexander McQueen's chief designer, just days after a purge at Saint Laurent. Paris-based Kering announced Thursday that McQueen creative director Sean McGirr was leaving his job at the loss-making British label...
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French luxury giant to fund redevelopment of two Paris streets: city hall
Paris - French luxury giant Louis Vuitton, part of the LVMH conglomerate of France's richest person Bernard Arnault, is to fund the redevelopment of two streets in central Paris around its future Champs-Elysees superstore, the Paris city hall announced Wednesday. LVMH had proposed to the city hall that it would fund and carry out a two million...
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SS27 womenswear trends: the key looks from New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks
Paris - The new season's fashion whirlwind, which passed through New York, Milan, Paris and, to a lesser extent, London, has concluded. It established several distinct trends in womenswear for the upcoming warmer seasons. Modular fashion Instead of complete, and inherently more expensive, 'total looks', designers this season have overwhelmingly...
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