Articles by AFP
Luxury Western goods line Russian stores, three years into sanctions
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Despite a barrage of Western sanctions and swathes of brands quitting Russia after the Kremlin launched its Ukraine offensive, Moscow's most well-off shoppers are still spoilt for choice when it comes to luxury Western goods. In the Russian capital's exclusive shopping quarters, department stores and high-end Russian outlets are doing a roaring...
Strikes and blockades at Amazon sites in the US and Germany
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New York - On Thursday, a strike at several US and German sites of the American online retail giant Amazon began just a few days before the end-of-year holidays, to specifically demand wage increases. The industrial action began at 11:00 GMT in the US on Thursday due to Amazon management's refusal to negotiate with the Amazon Labor Union (ALU),...
True blue tradition: how Japan's coveted jeans are made
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Kojima-ajino, Japan - Call it an antidote to fast fashion: Japanese jeans hand-dyed with natural indigo and weaved on a clackety vintage loom, then sold at a premium to global denim connoisseurs. Unlike their mass-produced cousins, the tough garments crafted at the small Momotaro Jeans factory in southwest Japan are designed to be worn for...
Floor-length and horns: Namibia's Herero dress endures
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Windhoek, Dec 18, 2024 (AFP) - From his humble Windhoek workshop, Namibia's leading fashion designer is keeping alive the love for the Herero people's traditional dress with horned headgear, a full-length skirt and a link to German colonisers accused of genocide. McBright Kavari's sewing room is piled high with seemingly ordinary fabric that he...
China's Alibaba says to sell department store arm for 1.3 billion dollars loss
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China's Alibaba said Tuesday that it had agreed to sell department store chain Intime at a $1.3 billion loss, as the tech giant trims down its operations with competition intensifying in the country's cutthroat e-commerce market. Alibaba said in a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that Intime would be sold to "a consortium of purchasers...
UK retailers feed off public affection for festive ads
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They come with big budgets, are wrapped in sentimentality and boost company revenues -- Britain's latest instalment of eagerly awaited Christmas television advertisements has a nation tuned in. Known for talking about the weather 12 months a year, Britons will begin sharing thoughts on the latest festive commercials as soon as they hit screens,...
Amazon launches AI models to challenge rivals
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Amazon on Tuesday unveiled a suite of artificial intelligence models in its boldest move yet to compete with tech giant rivals in the fast-growing generative AI sector. The launch of its own line of foundation models marks Amazon's latest push to strengthen its position against forerunners Microsoft, Google, Meta and OpenAI, the creator of...
Chinese plus-size influencer spreads body positivity through fashion
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Surrounded by racks of colourful dresses and blazers in China's manufacturing hub of Guangzhou, plus-size clothing brand owner and influencer Amanda Yao is on a mission to promote body positivity. She is part of a small but growing number of women in China challenging restrictive beauty standards, including thinness, pale skin and childlike...
'Black Friday' deals target inflation-weary US consumers
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The annual Black Friday shopping day has always been about finding the best deals, but this year retailers are preparing for a US consumer more zealously fixated than ever on getting value for their money. Inflation has stabilized after dramatic price spikes during the Covid pandemic years, but consumers are still feeling the pinch -- meaning...
French luxury mogul Arnault defiant at ex-spy chief trial
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Paris - France's richest man, LVMH chief Bernard Arnault, testified Thursday in the influence-peddling trial of the former head of France's domestic intelligence agency, denying any knowledge of an alleged scheme to protect the luxury group. Bernard Squarcini, the former head of the DCRI security service (since renamed the DGSI), is one of 10...