With Thistles and Tartan, Dior Pays Tribute to Scotland in Cruise Collection 

A model presents a creation for Dior during the 2025 Dior Croisiere (Cruise) fashion show on June 3, 2024 at Drummond Castle, in Crieff, in Scotland. (AFP)
A model presents a creation for Dior during the 2025 Dior Croisiere (Cruise) fashion show on June 3, 2024 at Drummond Castle, in Crieff, in Scotland. (AFP)
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With Thistles and Tartan, Dior Pays Tribute to Scotland in Cruise Collection 

A model presents a creation for Dior during the 2025 Dior Croisiere (Cruise) fashion show on June 3, 2024 at Drummond Castle, in Crieff, in Scotland. (AFP)
A model presents a creation for Dior during the 2025 Dior Croisiere (Cruise) fashion show on June 3, 2024 at Drummond Castle, in Crieff, in Scotland. (AFP)

French fashion house Christian Dior paid homage to Scotland at a catwalk show in a Perthshire castle, with tartan designs and thistle motifs adorning its cruise 2025 collection.

Celebrities, including Hollywood actors Jennifer Lawrence and Anya Taylor-Joy, gathered in the picturesque gardens of Drummond Castle in central Scotland for the show on Monday, where designer Maria Grazia Chiuri peppered kilts for the womenswear line with some punk nods.

Models wore an array of tartan asymmetric dresses, cropped and belted jackets, shorts and corsets, as well as argyle knits, capes and lace or velvet frocks varying in length and volume.

Some of her designs bore fringes, embroidered thistle motifs or the map of Scotland. Others were festooned with pictures of founding designer Christian Dior's 1955 fashion presentation at the nearby Gleneagles Hotel.

Voluminous layered bodice dresses appeared to be a nod to Tudor styles, while some short frocks seemed armor-like.

Chiuri cited a book about Mary, Queen of Scots and her embroidery work as an inspiration. A white shirt tucked under a white corset were embroidered with various words in red, including "fierce", "hysterical", "emotional" and "bossy."

Chiuri, who often works with female collaborators for shows, teamed up with Scottish designer Samantha McCoach, of the brand Le Kilt, for some creations.

The looks were accessorized with chunky black boots, long black gloves and chokers with pearls.

“Scotland is an important reference in the fashion world and I wanted to interpret it in a different way," Chiuri told fashion magazine Vogue ahead of the show.

"For my generation, it’s so associated with punk, but there is another way to go into it, and that’s through the textiles."

Cruise, or resort, collections - produced by stylists in addition to twice-yearly seasonal collections - are often held in different cities or countries.



Paris Appeals Court Rejects Government's Request for Suspension of Shein's Marketplace

(FILES) This photograph shows the logo of Asian e-commerce giant Shein in its stall at the Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville (BHV) department store in Paris on November 4, 2025. (Photo by Julie SEBADELHA / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph shows the logo of Asian e-commerce giant Shein in its stall at the Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville (BHV) department store in Paris on November 4, 2025. (Photo by Julie SEBADELHA / AFP)
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Paris Appeals Court Rejects Government's Request for Suspension of Shein's Marketplace

(FILES) This photograph shows the logo of Asian e-commerce giant Shein in its stall at the Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville (BHV) department store in Paris on November 4, 2025. (Photo by Julie SEBADELHA / AFP)
(FILES) This photograph shows the logo of Asian e-commerce giant Shein in its stall at the Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville (BHV) department store in Paris on November 4, 2025. (Photo by Julie SEBADELHA / AFP)

A Paris Court of Appeal on Thursday rejected the French government's request to suspend Chinese online platform Shein's marketplace, defeating an appeal by the state after a Paris court ruled against the government in December.

Shein has ⁠been embroiled in ⁠a scandal since France's consumer watchdog DGCCRF found sex dolls resembling children and banned weapons for sale ⁠on its marketplace last year, prompting the government to attempt to suspend the platform.

In December, a Paris court had rejected the government's request to suspend the Shein site in France as a ⁠whole ⁠for three months, saying it would be "disproportionate", prompting the government to appeal the ruling.

Shein banned all sex dolls and suspended the adult products category from its marketplace globally on November 3 after the consumer watchdog's findings.


Zara Taps British Designer John Galliano for Partnership

Signage hangs at a Zara store in Granada on March 15, 2025. (AFP)
Signage hangs at a Zara store in Granada on March 15, 2025. (AFP)
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Zara Taps British Designer John Galliano for Partnership

Signage hangs at a Zara store in Granada on March 15, 2025. (AFP)
Signage hangs at a Zara store in Granada on March 15, 2025. (AFP)

Spanish fashion retailer Zara said Tuesday it has entered into a two-year "artistic partnership" with controversial British designer John Galliano.

The 65-year-old couturier will reconfigure pieces drawn from Zara's past collections into new designs, the company said in a statement.

"Guided by a haute couture process and approach, the collections will be unveiled each season throughout the duration of the partnership, starting in September 2026," it added without giving further details.

Zara is owned by Inditex, the world's leading low-cost fashion retailer which posted a record annual profit in 2025 for the third year running.

"To deliver fashion through that enormous platform -- that, of course, that's thrilling. And to be able to work with the kind of resources they have as well, that's equally thrilling," Galliano told fashion magazine Vogue.

Galliano, who previously headed artistry at Givenchy and Christian Dior, has dressed countless celebrities during his tenure, including Kim Kardashian, Kary Perry and Zendaya for red-carpet events.

Known for his flamboyant personality and daring designs, Galliano's career suffered a dramatic setback in 2011 following a drunken rant in a Paris bar where he hurled antisemitic and racist insults at the other patrons.

He was subsequently dismissed from Dior, underwent rehab in Switzerland and apologized for his behavior during a visit to the Central Synagogue in London.

Gibraltar-born Galliano returned to the fashion world in 2014 when he joined French label Maison Margiela as its creative director, a position he held until 2024.

With fast-growing budget fashion retailer Shein taking share at the cheaper end of the market, Zara has moved to attract more discerning shoppers and offered more expensive clothing in recent years.


Fashion Commission Hosts Discussion on Saudi Fashion Global Expansion

Fashion Commission Hosts Discussion on Saudi Fashion Global Expansion
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Fashion Commission Hosts Discussion on Saudi Fashion Global Expansion

Fashion Commission Hosts Discussion on Saudi Fashion Global Expansion

The Fashion Commission organized a virtual open meeting to discuss the international expansion of Saudi fashion brands as part of its ongoing efforts to support the national fashion ecosystem and boost the presence of Saudi brands in global markets.

The meeting aimed to highlight pathways for international expansion, explore opportunities for designers and entrepreneurs in the fashion sector, and review key challenges that brands may face during growth and expansion, SPA reported.

The session is part of a series of open meetings organized by the Fashion Commission to enhance dialogue with the fashion community in Saudi Arabia, sharing knowledge and expertise that contribute to the sector’s development and enable Saudi brands to transition from local growth stages to a global presence.