Forever 21 Incurs Subpoenas Over Alleged Violations of Labor Laws

By Jenna Sauers  |  October 26, 2012 | 5:00pm
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Forever 21 is in trouble for alleged labor violations. You don’t say. The fast-fashion chain has failed to cooperate with a Department of Labor investigation into the labor practices of its Los Angeles-based suppliers and manufacturers, even ignoring subpoenas. The agency, which is seeking information about alleged violations of minimum wage and overtime laws, has petitioned the court to compel Forever 21 to turn over the records in question. “Since 2008, our investigators have identified dozens of manufacturers producing goods for Forever 21 under sweatshoplike conditions,” said a spokesman for the labor department, who said the company’s actions demonstrated “a clear disregard for the law.” [WWD]

A 1939 photograph of Frida Kahlo is on the November cover of Vogue Mexico. The cover is pegged to the opening of an exhibition called “Appearances Can Be Deceiving: The Dresses of Frida Kahlo” at the artist’s museum in Mexico City. [ArtInfo]

Today water is wet, sky is blue, and Marion Cotillard is in a Dior handbag ad. [WWD]

Steven Klein shot Lady Gaga for Harper’s Bazaar Spain climbing out of a giant mouth filled with inky liquid. Obviously. [ONTD]

Cara Delevingne is topless in the Chanel resort campaign. [Grazia]

Toni Garrn has mod eye makeup on the cover of the latest Numéro Japan. [FGR]

Oh hey you guys — Uniqlo finally launched its long-awaited U.S. ecommerce site. That’s before its competitor H&M. There are a few glitches of course, and Fashionista points out that when you get an error page, the site offers users a haiku that reads: “For some strange reason / our server can’t understand / what it is you want.” [Fashionista]

So Gap (left) knocked off that Claire Vivier tote bag (right). Nice. [Racked]

Need some late-in-the-game Halloween inspiration? Look no further than Barneys’ Simon Doonan. Doonan shares a selection of his favorite costumes since 1978, including the Queen of England, Betty Rubble, and this “Versailles” look from 1985. [The Cut]

  • Karl Lagerfeld and Kanye West had lunch together at the Mercer hotel. According to an onlooker, “They were in a deep conversation, then later appeared to be getting devices out to discuss design ideas.” [P6]
  • Rob Kardashian got himself a sock endorsement deal. “Socks are something I’ve always been passionate about,” he says, gamely. “Ralph Lauren started with ties and I want to emulate that.” The socks cost $30 per. [WWD]
  • Revenues at the luxury conglomerate PPR rose 6.6% year-on-year during the quarter just ended, to $3.2 billion. François-Henri Pinault says that the group’s luxury division, which includes Gucci, Stella McCartney, and Alexander McQueen, saw revenues clime 24.3%, to $1.9 billion. [WWD]
  • Oh happy day! Duro Olowu is doing a collaboration with J.C. Penney. It’ll be in stores in March and retail for $10-$100. [Fashionista]
  • Lord & Taylor announced that, for the first time ever, it will open its Manhattan flagship store on Thanksgiving Day. Sorry, retail drones. You don’t get a holiday. The store claims that no worker will be forced to work the day — and volunteers will get the enticement of holiday pay — but store associates hardly seem thrilled by the news. [WWD]
  • Irina Shayk says she has a hard time watching herself as the host of Russia’s Next Top Model. “I am very critical to myself. When I watch, I am like, ‘Oh my God, what am I talking about? I should not say that.'” She continued, “It’s very hard to see myself on TV judging someone else because I am a person who judges myself every time and [tries] to be better.” [P6]
  • This coming January, Kenzo and Maison Kitsuné are to be the guest designers at Pitti Uomo and Pitti W, the Florence trade shows. [WWD]
  • Eyewear giant Luxottica reported its net profits rose year-on-year by 30.6%, to $173.2 million, during the quarter just ended. [WWD]
  • Procter & Gamble, meanwhile, saw sales at its beauty division fall year-on-year by 7% during the quarter. P&G owns, among other brands, CoverGirl, Olay, and Pantene. [WWD]

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