Connect with us

Fashion

Ann Summers complains to CMA about impact of Google Safe Search on its visibility

Published

on


Lingerie and sex toy specialist Ann Summers has accused Google of product discrimination saying the tech giant’s pornography-related filters are erasing it from search results.

Ann Summers

It also said shoppers were being “directed to our competitors instead”, citing M&S, Boots and Amazon as examples that weren’t being subject to the same restrictions despite selling similar products, reported The Telegraph.

The retailer has complained to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that Google was “distorting” its market by virtually blacklisting the website with its SafeSearch feature that Google introduced in 2009. It eliminates adult websites from search results as well as blurring explicit photos in image results. It’s an optional feature but comes as a default option from many internet providers.

Ann Summers, which also mentioned issues with search when it filed its accounts recently, said that its website was hidden from search results even for those customers directly looking for the company’s products. 

“This is having a distorting effect on the market,” it wrote in a CMA submission seen by the newspaper. “For users with SafeSearch on, including those who have not explicitly chosen this feature, they cannot find us via Google Search, the biggest search engine.”

“Our lingerie product offering is similar to our competitors, but we are penalised where they are not,” Ann Summers said.

An Ann Summers spokesman said: “For years, Google SafeSearch has imposed restrictions that has reduced the visibility of our website in search engines, which has resulted in a greater volume of customers unable to find our website.

Google has yet to comment.

Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Fashion

Primark links with Pinterest on new spring-trending home ranges

Published

on


Primark is pushing ahead with growth in homewares, teaming up with digital retailer Pinterest on new collections inspired by the platform’s biggest trends for spring.

Having identified three key trends from the search data of Pinterest’s 12 million users, Primark has introduced ranges called Cosy Cottage, Minamaluxe, and Dainty Décor.  

Launching in 100 Primark stores, the pair are also bringing the collaboration to life across more than 70 store windows. The ranges will be available to purchase in stores throughout March.

And to widen Primark’s digital ambitions, the ranges are also available to purchase via Pinterest using Click & Collect to offer customers “an immersive seamless shopping experience”.

To style the new collection before buying, shoppers open Pinterest Collages, an interactive tool to pull together their vision, allowing users to curate mood boards from the Primark range.

The pair are also offering a first-ever Collage masterclass tour, designed to help those “reimagine their dream space”, with in-store dates across the UK that will include flagship stores in London, Belfast, Liverpool, and Glasgow this month.

Heather Clark, head of retail at Pinterest UK, said: “Inspiration has a new home. “We’ve seen searches rise for pastel palettes, an understated luxury aesthetic and darling furnishings and with new ways to shop Primark’s trend-certified home range, it’s now even easier to bring this inspiration to life.”

The retailer’s head of design Sinead McDonagh added: “Pinterest is where so many of us go for home inspiration, but sometimes turning those saved Pins into reality isn’t always easy, especially on a budget.

“That’s why at Primark Home, we’re committed to making trend-led interiors affordable and effortless. Whether you prefer a minimalist vibe or playful patterns, here’s how to bring the latest trends into your space without breaking the bank.”

In January, Primark announced it was expanding the ‘lifestyle’ aspect of its retail offer, opening its first-ever standalone ‘Primark Home’ store in Northern Ireland on 6 March. The Donegall Place, Belfast, store will span span around 8,700 sq ft across one level, with the predominantly fashion retailer saying the “exciting new venture marks a significant milestone for Primark as the brand continues to expand its homeware and lifestyle offering”.

Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Fashion

Paris exhibition honours friendship between Alaïa and Mugler

Published

on


By

ETX Daily Up

Translated by

Nicola Mira

Published



March 4, 2025

Sometimes friendship can inspire and influence. The Azzedine Alaïa Foundation in Paris is exhibiting a few dozen looks showing how the styles of the Franco-Tunisian designer and of Thierry Mugler interacted with each other, despite their profound differences.

Voluptuous waistlines, statement shoulders, looks sometimes inspired by Africa. The Azzedine Alaïa, Thierry Mugler, 1980-1990, deux décennies de connivences artistiques exhibition, open until June 29 in Paris, showcases more than 70 dresses, coats and jumpsuits by the two designers, loaned from Alaïa’s personal collection.

The exhibition’s leitmotif is a chromatic journey that begins with a series of black garments and continues with a sequence of white, red, green and gold looks.

Mugler, who died in 2023, was famous for his feel for glamour and fantastical looks, while Alaïa, who passed away in 2017, was better known for his lower-key style.

Nevertheless, both “greatly admired the 1930s and 1950s, and they referenced Hollywood much more clearly than other designers,” said Olivier Saillard, fashion historian and the exhibition’s curator, speaking to AFP. 

Azzedine Alaia Foundation

In some of the looks, the similarities are so striking that “we don’t really know who designed what,” said Saillard. 

Alaïa and Mugler first met in the late 1970s. Alaïa, who was working for some of the great houses at the time, was asked by Mugler to create the dinner jackets for his Fall/Winter 1979-80 collection.

The collaboration encouraged Alaïa to embark on a solo career, urged by Mugler, who went as far as to accompany Alaïa in New York in 1982 for his first major show, to help him with production and with the language. 

A few years before his death, Mugler said that his friend “had encouraged him to partake of life a bit more, so that his designs would be less fantastical, and more suited to real women,” said Saillard. 

Conversely, “Mugler thought that, following their closeness, [Alaïa’s style] had become curvier. His lines suddenly became much more enveloping and sensual,” he added. 

This is why the Alaïa Foundation “decided to set up the exhibition as a dialogue, to show the two designers’ kindred spirits,” said Saillard.

Copyright © 2025 ETX Daily Up. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Fashion

Cris Conf. appoints new board, names Laura Manelli CEO

Published

on


By

Adnkronos

Translated by

Nicola Mira

Published



March 4, 2025

Owner Cris Conf. S.p.A. has appointed a new board of directors for Italian womenswear retailer Pinko. The five members are Pietro Negra as president, Laura Manelli as CEO, and Flavio Sciuccati, Alberto Colombo and Andrea Orlandi. The board will lead Pinko’s efforts to achieve new milestones and meet new challenges, pursuing its vision for growth and innovation.

Owner Cris Conf. has appointed a new board at Pinko, with Laura Manelli as CEO – pinko.com

In a statement, Cris Conf. said that Manelli has joined Pinko after a successful career in the luxury industry, which began in retail with Armani. She has held executive positions at Versace, Fendi, and Sergio Rossi, before the recent stint as partner and CEO at Aemme Capital Srl, a management consulting firm active in the fashion and luxury sectors.

Sciuccati and Colombo will act as independent directors, as they do not collaborate directly with Pinko and Cris Conf., in line with the group’s policy of transparency and accountability.

“A company of significant size cannot simply be considered personal property, but must be regarded and appreciated as an entity shared with all the stakeholders who participate in and benefit from it,” said Negra, president and founder of Pinko.

“At times of change, and since we strive for growth and innovation, it is essential that the activities of the ownership and stakeholders are geared toward the company’s continuity, putting community interest first. Transparent management and regular communication are essential for gaining the stakeholders’ confidence and overcoming any scepticism, also in financial affairs and in the relationship with suppliers,” he added.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Miami Select.