M&S has been labelled “irresponsible” by the UK’s advertising watchdog for using an “unhealthily thin” model to promote clothes on its app.
Upholding a complaint, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled the model “appeared unhealthily thin”, concluding that the ad was “irresponsible.”
It said: “The pose of the model and the choice of clothing meant the ad gave the impression that the model was unhealthily thin”.
It therefore violated the CAP code, which states“marketing communications must be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society.”
The ASA received four complaints about various M&S images but upheld only one and banned its use in the retail giant’s app.
M&S said its inclusive womenswear clothing represented a full spectrum of sizes, ranging from eight to 24, adding that it took concerns about the depiction of body image in its ads “very seriously”.
It has since amended the ads and removed the specific images.
In a separate complaint about the use of another “unhealthy model” in an ad, the ASA has cleared online fashion giant ASOS of any wrong-doing.
An in-app ad for a dress, seen on 1 April and featuring a model wearing a dress with spaghetti straps and a low V-shaped neckline, received complaints that the image of the model was deemed “unhealthily thin” and challenging whether the ad was irresponsible.
But under the CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 1.3 (Responsible advertising), the ASA did not find the image was in breach of the rules.
ASOS said it “recognised [its] responsibility to both consumers and society and did not consider the ad to be irresponsible or in breach of the CAP Code”.
It said all models booked by ASOS “were measured according to specific industry standard guidelines during casting. [We] collaborate with reputable model agencies worldwide to ensure that all models were healthy and regularly reviewed a model’s measurements to maintain those standards”.
Hugo Boss recently unveiled an ambitious expansion of its growth plan and on Tuesday the German fashion giant said it has secured a revolving credit facility to “ensure the successful execution” of the ‘Claim 5 Touchdown’ growth plan.
Hugo Boss
The €600 million loan (which replaces another loan of the same amount) “was considerably oversubscribed and aims at providing the company with additional financial flexibility”. It’s also linked to the fulfilment of clearly defined sustainability criteria.
“This successful transaction highlights the strong trust our lenders place in our company and its long-term potential,” said CFO/COO Yves Müller.
The loan has a term of five years and includes two options to extend the term by one more year in each case, plus an option to increase the credit amount by up to €300 million.
The company unveiled its strategy in early December, saying its next phase aims to “realign, simplify, and strengthen the business”.
In the short term it’s sacrificing sales and profits as it said that currency-adjusted group sales and profits will both decline next year. But the refreshed strategy aims to “sharpen focus, discipline, and execution across the business”.
It now clearly has the long-term financing to put its plan into operation with the option of even more money on the table if required.
McQueen is aiming to attract attention to its SS26 pre-collection launch with a special installation in its store in the heart of fashion’s capital city, Paris.
McQueen
To celebrate the launch, the label has collaborated with well-known photographer Dafydd Jones, on the installation that features some of his most definitive works, curated by McQueen’s creative director Seán McGirr.
The Rue Saint-Honoré store installation includes 26 of Jones’s original works on public display. The curated selection sits alongside the McQueen pre-collection, “for which these photographs form a core inspiration”.
The installation has just launched and will be in the store until 29 January.
So who is Dafydd Jones? The British photographer is celebrated for his “sharp, satirical depictions of social life, particularly in the 1980s. His career began with prize-winning images of Oxford’s ‘Bright Young Things’, leading to decades of work published in major titles”.
And as well as being in the McQueen store for a limited period, his photos are held in collections including the National Portrait Gallery and the V&A in London.
Francesco Murano, My Style Bags and Acbc were among the winners of the ninth edition of the Young Businesses awards by Italian luxury industry association Altagamma.
The 2025 edition’s winners
Two emerging labels were recognised in the Fashion category. The first was Francesco Murano, founded in 2020 by the eponymous designer, an award winner with CNMI, Altaroma and LVMH. Francesco Murano has been a regular at Milan Fashion Week since February. The second was My Style Bags, a brand founded in 2008 in Milan by Giuseppe Bellora, Lorenza Bellora and Stefano Donadel Campbell, specialised in travel bags and accessories made with fine fabrics.
The award for the Innovation category went to green solutions specialist Acbc, founded in 2017 and now a partner of over 150 international names, including Corneliani, Gucci Watch, Kering Eyewear, Max Mara, Missoni and Versace. Acbc helps them develop green strategies and design sustainable products and environmentally friendly collections.
The other prize-winners were Slalom for object design, Pola Grande Gioielli for jewellery, Portrait Milano for the hotel business, Lávika for wellness and beauty, Ice Yachts for the nautical design and automotive category, and Molino Pasini for food.
The awards, introduced by Altagamma in 2015 in collaboration with Borsa Italiana, Elite-Gruppo Euronext and SDA Bocconi, recognise emerging brands within Italy’s luxury sectors. The winning companies join Altagamma for a year, and will be able to take part in exclusive training and networking sessions, focusing on business strategy and consultancy.
“In the last nine years, Altagamma has created and pursued with dedication this project set up with Franca Sozzani, aimed at spotlighting the stars of the future, the emerging companies that will be the new protagonists of Italian luxury,” said Stefania Lazzaroni, managing director of Altagamma. “These brands have all it takes to become paradigms of Italian excellence in seven different sectors. Since 2015, 64 companies have been recognised by the awards. Many have become established, some have joined Altagamma, and they have all been part of our community for some time,” concluded Lazzaroni.