Fashion
Zadeh kicks founder sentenced to 70 months for sneaker fraud
By
Bloomberg
Published
January 7, 2026
The founder of sneaker reseller Zadeh Kicks was sentenced to almost six years in prison for a fraud conspiracy that led to the infamous collapse of the online platform and $80 million in losses for customers and financial institutions.
Michael Malekzadeh, 42, was sentenced Tuesday in Eugene, Oregon, to 70 months behind bars and ordered to forfeit more than $15 million in assets, federal prosecutors said in a statement. Last year, Malekzadeh pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bank fraud.
The sentencing signaled the end of a case that sent shockwaves through the sneaker reselling market, which reached record highs during the 2020 pandemic. Malekzadeh rode this boom to improbable heights, offering sought-after shoes at competitive prices from his warehouse in Oregon, even before manufacturers released them.
A lawyer for Malekzadeh didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the US Attorney’s Office in Oregon, Malekzadeh “advertised, sold, and collected payments from customers for preorders knowing he could not satisfy all orders placed.” All in all, he owed customers more than $65 million in unfulfilled orders and defrauded financial institutions out of $15 million they’d loaned him, court records show.
Malekzadeh used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle, prosecutors said. Agents seized luxury watches, jewelry and hundreds of handbags during the investigation, court documents show.
As part of their plea agreements, Malekzadeh and his partner, Bethany Mockerman, the company’s chief financial officer, agreed to pay restitution in full to their victims. The judge set a restitution hearing for March 31.
The government said it raised $7.5 million from selling Malekzadeh’s residence in Eugene, his watches and luxury cars manufactured by Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.
In a separate case, Zadeh Kicks, which Malekzadeh founded in 2013, and all of its sneakers were taken over by a court-appointed receiver, who’s been in charge of liquidating its assets.
The case is US v. Malekzadeh, 22-cr-262, US District Court, District of Oregon (Eugene).
Fashion
PPI for RMG manufacturing in Philippines up 0.7% YoY in Nov 2025
In November 2024, it saw a YoY increase of 0.5 per cent.
The Philippine manufacturing producer price index (PPI) posted a slower YoY rise of 0.1 per cent in November 2025 from a 0.5-per cent YoY rise in October.
It also exhibited a slower month-on-month (MoM) rise of 0.2 per cent in the month from a 0.6-per cent rise in October.
The PPI for readymade garments manufacturing rose by 0.7 per cent YoY and decreased by less than 0.05 per cent MoM in November 2025.
The deceleration in November 2025 was primarily due to the 0.1-per cent YoY decline in the PPI for manufacture of transport equipment from a 1-per cent YoY increase in October 2025.
The manufacture of transport equipment contributed 25.8 per cent to the slower annual growth rate of PPI for manufacturing in the month.
The manufacturing PPI also exhibited a slower month-on-month (MoM) increase of 0.2 per cent in the month from a 0.6-per cent rise in October. It posted a 0.6-per cent MoM increase in November 2024.
The PPI for readymade garments manufacturing rose by 0.7 per cent YoY and decreased by less than 0.05 per cent MoM in November 2025, a release from the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
The value of production index (VaPI) for the manufacturing section registered a YoY decrease of 1.4 per cent in November last year from a 1.5-per cent YoY increase in October. In November 2024, it recorded a YoY decline of 4.1 per cent.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Fashion
Drewry WCI jumps 16% on Transpacific & Asia-Europe rate hikes
The index recorded a sharp increase, mainly due to rate hikes on the Transpacific and Asia–Europe trade routes.
Drewry’s World Container Index jumped 16 per cent to $2,257 per FEU in the week ending January 8, 2026, driven by sharp rate hikes on Transpacific and Asia–Europe routes.
Spot rates rose strongly from Shanghai to Europe and the US amid higher FAK charges.
However, rising capacity and soft Asia–US volumes suggest the surge may be short-lived.
Spot rates on the Shanghai–Genoa route increased 13 per cent to $3,885 per 40-foot container, while those on Shanghai–Rotterdam rose 10 per cent to $2,840 per 40-foot container. This upward momentum was driven by higher Freight All Kinds (FAK) rates implemented by carriers.
Spot rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles surged 26 per cent to $3,132 per 40-foot container, while rates from Shanghai to New York climbed 20 per cent to $3,957 per 40-foot container.
Rates from New York to Rotterdam remained steady at $966 per FEU, while Rotterdam to New York increased 2 per cent to $1,685 per FEU. Freight rates on the Rotterdam–Shanghai route rose 3 per cent to $504, while Los Angeles–Shanghai rates increased 1 per cent to $721 per 40-foot container.
Container shipping capacity rose 7–10 per cent month on month on both Asia–North American routes and 5–7 per cent on Asia–North Europe/Mediterranean routes in January. However, anecdotal evidence points to soft volumes from Asia to the US, suggesting these sharp increases appear opportunistic and are unlikely to be sustained.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
Fashion
Saks Global seeks to file for bankruptcy as soon as Sunday, Bloomberg News reports
By
Reuters
Published
January 9, 2026
Luxury retailer Saks Global is planning to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as soon as Sunday, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The owner of New York’s century-old Fifth Avenue flagship store is preparing to file for bankruptcy without a restructuring deal in place, though it aims to craft one in the coming weeks, according to the report.
The company is also in advanced discussions on about $1.25 billion debtor-in-possession financing package with creditors, which would allow it to keep its business running during bankruptcy and pay vendor dues, the report added.
Saks Global did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
© Thomson Reuters 2026 All rights reserved.
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