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Sources: Shein Aims for London IPO by Mid-year

FILE PHOTO: A company logo for fashion brand Shein is seen on a pile of gift bags on its Christmas bus as part of a nationwide promotional tour in Liverpool, Britain, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A company logo for fashion brand Shein is seen on a pile of gift bags on its Christmas bus as part of a nationwide promotional tour in Liverpool, Britain, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
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Sources: Shein Aims for London IPO by Mid-year

FILE PHOTO: A company logo for fashion brand Shein is seen on a pile of gift bags on its Christmas bus as part of a nationwide promotional tour in Liverpool, Britain, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A company logo for fashion brand Shein is seen on a pile of gift bags on its Christmas bus as part of a nationwide promotional tour in Liverpool, Britain, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

Online fast-fashion retailer Shein is aiming to list in London in the first half of the year, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter, assuming it gains regulatory approvals for the initial public offering.
The IPO could be completed as early as Easter, which is April 20, one of the people said.
A visit to China by Britain's finance minister Rachel Reeves starting on Saturday, during which she will meet with vice premier He Lifeng to discuss economic and financial cooperation, could help progress the regulatory approvals Shein needs, the source added.
A second person with knowledge of the matter said Shein, founded in China in 2012, is working towards listing in the first half of this year, but the definitive timeline is still in flux.
The London listing push comes after the company ended its attempt at a US IPO after pushback from lawmakers concerned about risks connected to China and alleged labor malpractices, Reuters reported.
The head of Britain's Financial Conduct Authority, which is in charge of assessing and approving flotations like Shein's IPO, is accompanying Reeves on the trip to Beijing and Shanghai and will meet with regulatory partners there.
Shein declined to comment, the FCA said it does not comment on potential listing applications, and Britain's finance ministry did not reply to Reuters' questions.
Even though it moved its headquarters from Nanjing to Singapore in 2022, Shein also requires permission from the China Securities Regulatory Commission, making it subject to offshore listing rules, as most of its 5,800 contract manufacturers are in China.
New rules passed by the CSRC in 2023 allow it to vet and potentially block offshore listings.
The CSRC did not immediately reply to questions about Britain's visit and Shein's IPO.
Shein is walking a political tightrope as it tries to show it has measures in place to limit the risk of human rights violations in its supply chain while avoiding any direct claims about China's Xinjiang province - a top cotton-producing region where the United States and NGOs have accused the government of forced labor and other abuses against Uyghur people.
Beijing denies any abuses, and Chinese authorities have hit back at clothing brands that say they don't use Xinjiang cotton.
Shein's general counsel for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Yinan Zhu, on Tuesday declined to directly answer when asked by a British parliamentary committee whether the retailer's clothes contain cotton from China or Xinjiang, or whether it tells suppliers not to source from the province.
Zhu asked instead to provide the committee with written answers, and said Shein complies with relevant laws in all jurisdictions.

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Fashion

French Designer Threads a Path in London Fashion Week

This photo taken on February 6, 2026 shows French fashion designer Pauline Dujancourt posing for a photograph in her studio in south London. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)
This photo taken on February 6, 2026 shows French fashion designer Pauline Dujancourt posing for a photograph in her studio in south London. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)
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French Designer Threads a Path in London Fashion Week

This photo taken on February 6, 2026 shows French fashion designer Pauline Dujancourt posing for a photograph in her studio in south London. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)
This photo taken on February 6, 2026 shows French fashion designer Pauline Dujancourt posing for a photograph in her studio in south London. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)

Just days before her third runway show, French designer Pauline Dujancourt was riding a wave of excitement and nerves.

The 31-year-old admitted she had begun having strange, nightmarish dreams ahead of her big moment at London Fashion Week on Sunday.

The British capital will once again host its Autumn/Winter fashion week from Thursday to Monday, after New York's bonanza and before the catwalk carousel moves to Milan and Paris.

London, known for its raw creative energy and rising talents, is where Dujancourt launched her label in April 2022 after training at the renowned arts and design school Ecole Duperre in Paris, and fashion hub Central Saint Martins in London.

She and her team began work in November on her autumn-winter 2026/27 collection to be unveiled before some 450 guests -- journalists, buyers and VIP clients.

For designers, everything comes down to those few precious minutes on the catwalk. It's no wonder nervousness mixes with the creative buzz.

"I go through every emotion," Dujancourt told AFP with a smile. "Some days I'm super excited, full of ideas, and others I'm like: why did I pick this color, this fabric?"

The questions and worries snowball: "Will everyone be on time? Will there be last-minute hitches on the day?"

In recent weeks, she has been running her daily schedule with military precision.
Dujancourt works year-round with four assistant designers, but the team swells to around 50 people ahead of the show.

And she works with a community of knitters in Lima, Peru, with handknitting -- "something that my grandmother taught me as a child" -- being a hallmark of her garments.

"She was so skillful and so humble about it. And no one really realized how much work it takes and how much technique it takes," she said.

Known for her sensual, airy knitwear, Dujancourt was a finalist for the LVMH Prize, won Elle UK's young talent award, and is supported by the British Fashion Council.

Her clients span the globe from Japan to the United States, France and the UK, with regular requests for wedding dresses.

Her new collection pays tribute to women persecuted during historical witch hunts.

"I really want to celebrate the fact that there are so many women around the world who are working so humbly on domestic skills ... like sewing, hand knitting," she said.

Two weeks before the show, young seamstresses were crocheting floral motifs in mohair and Japanese metallic thread at a south London studio overlooking the Thames river and Big Ben.

Workers were hunched over their desks pouring over designs, with the looks still "in pieces".

Then comes the moment when everything is assembled. "It's the magical stage, when the clothes start to come alive," she said, her blue eyes lighting up her face framed by long dark hair.

Less than a week before the show, fittings begin with an in-house model, followed by the castings to find the right models.

On the eve of the show come final fittings, hair and make-up tests. And finally, on Sunday morning, the full rehearsal.

Show day always brings surprises. At Dujancourt's last catwalk in September, several models arrived extremely late, held up by another show.

"They turned up still wearing the other show's make-up. We had to dress them and redo everything ... I nearly died," she recalled.

What is her worst nightmare? A model tripping or garments ripping in front of the cameras.

"I once dreamt I'd forgotten to get dressed before coming out to greet the audience -- that would be a bit embarrassing," she joked.

Around 25 outfits will strut the catwalk on Sunday, a moment that "goes by in a flash".
Afterwards comes the crash.

"We barely see it happening ... because we are backstage in the madness and the chaos of it," she said.

But then it's finished "and there's a bit of baby blues afterwards," as she comes down off the adrenaline rush.

Dujancourt heads to Paris after London Fashion Week to meet buyers, before work begins again for her next show, in September.

Fashion

Fashion Commission, Saudi Retail Academy to Develop National Talent 

Fashion Commission, Saudi Retail Academy to Develop National Talent 
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Fashion Commission, Saudi Retail Academy to Develop National Talent 

Fashion Commission, Saudi Retail Academy to Develop National Talent 

The Saudi Fashion Commission signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Retail Academy to develop national capabilities and boosting specialized skills in the fashion and retail sectors, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Monday.

The MoU aims to support local talent and the creation of sustainable employment opportunities in this vital industry. It stems from the two sides’ keenness to cooperate in the fields of training and professional development.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony of the academy’s first cohort.

The Fashion Commission focuses on developing local talent, transferring global expertise, and advancing the fashion sector in the Kingdom, while the Saudi Retail Academy is a non-profit institute and a specialized entity in training and development in the retail field and in building professional competencies and skills related to retail and sales.

The MoU aims to establish a framework for cooperation to design and implement specialized training programs that boost the readiness of national cadres and qualify them according to the highest professional standards, with a focus on developing skills in sales, customer experience, and store management to meet labor market requirement and the needs of the growing fashion sector.

Fashion Commission chief executive Burak Cakmak said that developing human capital is a fundamental pillar for the long-term growth of the Kingdom’s fashion sector.

The partnership reflects the commitment to strengthening the capabilities that form the foundation of a competitive and sustainable industry through investment in specialized skills within retail and customer experience, enabling brands to grow and supporting the sector’s confident evolution, he added.

Saudi Retail Academy chief executive Hend Al-Dhaban stressed that the partnership embodies a shared vision to empower national talent and elevate professionalism in the retail sector.

The agreement will help channel training expertise to meet the specialized needs of the fashion sector and equip young men and women with the practical skills required to succeed in the labor market, thereby boosting service quality and supporting localization targets and economic growth, she explained.

This cooperation is part of the Fashion Commission’s ongoing efforts to develop the fashion value chain through building strategic partnerships with specialized training and education entities, expanding professional opportunities for national talent, and linking education and training outputs with labor-market needs.

Through their partnership, the commission and the academy will help in building an integrated ecosystem that connects education, vocational qualification, and employment, bolstering the competitiveness of the fashion and retail sectors and supporting the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 in empowering national cadres, localizing jobs, and improving quality of life.

Fashion

Saudi 100 Brands Debuts Landmark Fashion Presentation at Saudi Cup 2026

The experience introduced global audiences to Saudi Arabia’s dynamic and growing fashion ecosystem - SPA
The experience introduced global audiences to Saudi Arabia’s dynamic and growing fashion ecosystem - SPA
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Saudi 100 Brands Debuts Landmark Fashion Presentation at Saudi Cup 2026

The experience introduced global audiences to Saudi Arabia’s dynamic and growing fashion ecosystem - SPA
The experience introduced global audiences to Saudi Arabia’s dynamic and growing fashion ecosystem - SPA

The Fashion Commission launched its Saudi 100 Brands showcase at the Saudi Cup 2026, marking a historic milestone for the world-renowned equestrian event at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh.
The collections celebrate Saudi heritage by blending traditional and contemporary design. Jewelry and accessory brands also exhibited throughout, providing Saudi designers with a platform to reach a broader global audience. These showcases emphasize the fusion of heritage and modern design, offering a new perspective on the Kingdom's creative identity.
The Saudi 100 Brands program, a flagship initiative of the Fashion Commission, supports emerging designers by providing tools, expertise, and platforms to grow their global presence. This collaboration with the Saudi Cup underscores the importance of celebrating cultural heritage while advancing design innovation.

Each piece in the exhibition incorporates heritage motifs, textiles, and storytelling, reimagined through innovative design to appeal to modern and international audiences.

The exhibition aims to celebrate national identity, highlight local creative talent, and present the evolving direction of Saudi fashion, SPA reported.

Visitors explored the intersection of craftsmanship and cultural expression, discovering how designers honor tradition while advancing fashion design.

The experience also introduced global audiences to Saudi Arabia’s dynamic and growing fashion ecosystem.

This participation reflects the Fashion Commission’s vision to develop a thriving fashion sector rooted in cultural heritage and global ambition. By combining cultural narratives with innovative design, the commission enables Saudi fashion to contribute to global creative industries, nurture talent, and position Saudi brands for sustained success.