Patricio Campillo Makes New York Fashion Week Debut, Championing Mexican Tradition

The Manhattan skyline is seen at sunset from Louis Armstrong Stadium during the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on September 2, 2024. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
The Manhattan skyline is seen at sunset from Louis Armstrong Stadium during the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on September 2, 2024. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
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Patricio Campillo Makes New York Fashion Week Debut, Championing Mexican Tradition

The Manhattan skyline is seen at sunset from Louis Armstrong Stadium during the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on September 2, 2024. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
The Manhattan skyline is seen at sunset from Louis Armstrong Stadium during the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on September 2, 2024. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

New York Fashion Week kicks off on Friday, with designers showcasing their spring/summer collections - both legacy brands like Tommy Hilfiger, and new kids on the block, such as Mexican designer Patricio Campillo.

Campillo will be making his NYFW debut on Saturday at the Public Hotel with a men's line that he says was inspired by Mexican volcanoes and how they can "modify a space."

"The brand's patterns are based on a suit that my grandfather gave my dad when my dad turned 18, and this suit was given to me a few years ago," said Campillo in an interview, according to Reuters.

Negotiating his career as a self-taught designer had been difficult without the benefit of another Mexican designer who had previously broken through, he said, adding that he hoped his success could help those coming up.

"Mexico is a place full of talent, full of people willing to work and I believe that nobody grows alone," said Campillo.

Campillo has already attracted plaudits and celebrity customers, and fashion and beauty writer Asia Milia Ware at New York Magazine's The Cut predicted he will walk away with even more attention following his NYFW appearance.

"The right eyes can land you into a retailer, which is a big goal for a lot of these designers," she said. "Or the right eyes from an editor can land you press, whether that's landing you on a cover, landing you a feature which can really just be dynamic and really life-changing for these designers. So, it's a big moment."
This season there are roughly 60 designers on the official calendar, plus many more off-calendar.
Ware said the most anticipated shows were Alaia and Off-White. "They normally show in Paris, but this year they're showing in New York, and they're like the two hottest tickets to get in the city this season," she said.
Bold reds and power shoulders would be central themes of collections, she predicted.



Seoul Authorities Find Toxic Substances in Shein and Temu Products

This photo taken on July 26, 2018 shows founder of e-commerce company Temu, also known as Pinduoduo, Colin Huang delivering a speech during the launch of the company's initial public offering in Shanghai. (Photo by CNS / AFP) / China OUT
This photo taken on July 26, 2018 shows founder of e-commerce company Temu, also known as Pinduoduo, Colin Huang delivering a speech during the launch of the company's initial public offering in Shanghai. (Photo by CNS / AFP) / China OUT
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Seoul Authorities Find Toxic Substances in Shein and Temu Products

This photo taken on July 26, 2018 shows founder of e-commerce company Temu, also known as Pinduoduo, Colin Huang delivering a speech during the launch of the company's initial public offering in Shanghai. (Photo by CNS / AFP) / China OUT
This photo taken on July 26, 2018 shows founder of e-commerce company Temu, also known as Pinduoduo, Colin Huang delivering a speech during the launch of the company's initial public offering in Shanghai. (Photo by CNS / AFP) / China OUT

Women's accessories sold by some of the world's most popular online shopping firms contained toxic substances sometimes hundreds of times above acceptable levels, authorities in Seoul said Wednesday.

Chinese giants including Shein, Temu and AliExpress have skyrocketed in popularity around the world in recent years, offering a vast selection of trendy clothes and accessories at stunningly low prices.

The explosive growth has led to increased scrutiny of their business practices and safety standards, including in the European Union and South Korea, where Seoul officials have been conducting weekly inspections of items sold by online platforms.

In the most recent inspection, 144 products from Shein, AliExpress and Temu were tested, and multiple products from all companies failed to meet legal standards.

Shoes from Shein were found to contain significantly high levels of phthalates -- chemicals used to make plastics more flexible -- with one pair 229 times above the legal limit.

"Phthalate-based plasticizers affect reproductive functions such as sperm count reduction, and can cause infertility and even premature birth," an official from Seoul's environmental health team told AFP.

One such chemical "is classified as a human carcinogen by the International Cancer Institute, so special care should be taken to avoid long-term contact with the human body", they added.

Formaldehyde, a chemical commonly used in home building products, was detected in Shein's caps at double the allowable threshold.

Two bottles of nail polish from Shein were found to have dioxane -- a possible human carcinogen that can cause liver poisoning -- at levels more than 3.6 times the allowed limit and methanol concentrations 1.4 times above the acceptable level.

Shein told AFP that they "work closely with international third-party testing agencies... to regularly carry out risk-based sampling tests to ensure that products provided by suppliers meet Shein's product safety standards".

"Our suppliers are required to comply with the controls and standards we have put in place as well as the product safety laws and regulations in the countries we operate in," the company added.

Seoul authorities found sandals from Temu contained lead in the insoles at levels more than 11 times the permissible limit.

Temu did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

Seoul officials have asked for the products to be removed from sale, according to a government statement.

"Products that exceed the legal limit are products that directly contact the body, such as leather sandals and hats, so citizens should pay special attention," said Kim Tae-hee, an official in the capital.

"The Seoul Metropolitan Government will continue to conduct safety tests periodically and disclose the results."

In April, the European Union added Shein to its list of digital firms that are big enough to come under stricter safety rules -- including measures to protect customers from unsafe products, especially those that could be harmful to minors.

Shein and Temu have followed Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba in challenging Amazon, especially by making inroads in the US market.