Fashion
AliExpress bans Chinese sex doll seller after Reuters investigation
By
Reuters
Published
November 26, 2025
Alibaba‘s AliExpress said it has banned a China-based seller of childlike sex dolls from its marketplace after a Reuters examination of whether the sale of the products complied with European Union and US laws.
Reuters first alerted AliExpress to the listings on November 14, when the company said it would remove them as a precaution but that the dolls did not breach its policies because they were of rigid construction with no sexual function. However, in a subsequent statement to Reuters on November 25, AliExpress said it had “decided to permanently close down this seller because of their dishonesty on this serious matter.”
Reuters identified four listings of dolls resembling minors that were on sale in Europe and the US through AliExpress in the week after Paris prosecutors said both it and online retailer Shein were being investigated for disseminating images or representations of minors of a pornographic nature. In interviews, four lawyers said the images found by Reuters on AliExpress included features commonly associated with child sexualisation, including school uniforms and infantile expressions.
The products were offered by Guava Dolls, whose seller page on the AliExpress marketplace showed it as being based in China’s Shandong province. Guava Dolls did not respond to multiple requests for comment made via email and social media.
“We discovered the seller was dishonest in their communications with us. The seller repeatedly denied ever selling sex toys on any platform,” AliExpress said. AliExpress said the seller had admitted, after being confronted with screenshots sent by Reuters, that it accepted customised orders on other platforms and as a result had been permanently closed down.
AliExpress, Shein, and Temu face heightened regulatory obligations under Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA) because of their designation as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs). A European Commission spokesperson told Reuters it was “carefully monitoring AliExpress’ compliance with the DSA.”
AliExpress told Reuters that in future it would further involve third parties to help monitor its platform. The French investigation was triggered by a consumer watchdog spotting childlike sex dolls on Shein’s marketplace.
AliExpress told Reuters after the probe was announced on November 4 that it had removed similar listings and that sellers who violated its policies would be penalised. Shein said it had sanctioned the sellers of the dolls, implemented a worldwide ban on sex dolls on its site and temporarily suspended its marketplace in France.
Under its rules, AliExpress says content must not be sexually explicit or harmful to minors, and its listing policies ban “any items depicting or suggestive of sex involving minors.” It had initially said that the products were “anime dolls” aimed at fans of Japanese animation rather than sex dolls.
Guava Dolls’ account on X has been posting sexually explicit photos of the dolls since 2023, with links to AliExpress. AliExpress declined to comment on those links.
In some European countries, including France, Germany and Britain, selling or facilitating access to childlike suggestive dolls is deemed illegal, irrespective of their functionality. National consumer protection bodies often classify such items as akin to images of sexual abuse under child protection laws.
The lawyers shown the listings on AliExpress by Reuters said they breached national and EU rules. “The doll’s size, its very clear sexual characteristics and suggestive lingerie make it a sexual object rather than a toy,” said Christine Cerrada, a lawyer and legal adviser for French child protection group L’Enfance au Coeur. The dolls were listed for sale in EU countries including France, Spain and Italy, as well as the US and Britain.
Europe’s DSA requires online consumer marketplaces to undertake due diligence on products being sold on their platforms and to remove or block access if they become aware of illegal content. L’Enfance au Coeur’s Cerrada said the dolls emphasised characteristics that would classify them as inappropriate and likely unlawful under the DSA, which was introduced in 2022 with the aim of preventing illegal and harmful activities online.
EU lawmakers debated whether the DSA “effectively prevents the sale of such illegal products” on November 12 and are due to vote on a resolution to strengthen online safety rules on November 26.
The resolution is expected to call on the Commission and EU member states to step up checks on products entering the bloc, according to the European Parliament’s website.
US regulation of childlike sex dolls is governed by state laws. Congressional and state filings show Arizona, Utah, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Hawaii, Louisiana and Wisconsin are among the states enacting legislation targeting their sale, import, or possession.
© Thomson Reuters 2025 All rights reserved.
By
Bloomberg
Published
January 15, 2026
Xreal Inc., a Chinese pioneer in smart glasses, is suing Viture Inc. for patent infringement in the US, arguing its rival has unfairly capitalized on Xreal’s extensive research and investment in the segment.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in eastern Texas, accuses San Francisco-founded Viture of unlawfully incorporating Xreal’s patented inventions into smart glasses such as the Luma Pro, Luma Ultra, and a high-end pair called The Beast.
Both Xreal and Viture manufacture augmented reality, or AR, glasses that plug into devices like smartphones and laptops, offering viewers a large virtual display for watching movies or handling productivity tasks. Technical specifications like display resolution and field of view- the size of the augmented world you can see at any given time- are often very similar between the two brands.
Their US legal battle comes ahead of what is expected to be a pivotal moment for the segment, with Apple Inc. expected to make its category debut as soon as this year, Bloomberg has reported.
Xreal holds over 800 patent and patent applications worldwide, including dozens in the US and Europe, it said in a statement Thursday announcing the lawsuit. “By comparison, Viture owns approximately or fewer than 70 patent and patent applications globally, with none in the United States or Europe,” it added.
“The lawsuit is not merely about enforcing a single patent,” Xreal said in the statement. “It is about stopping a pattern of intellectual property infringement that undermines the integrity of innovation and endangers continued technological development in this industry.”
Xreal holds more global market share than Viture in the AR eyewear category, according to research firm IDC. But both companies lag far behind Meta Platforms Inc., which has come the closest to mainstream success with its Ray-Ban line of smart glasses.
At the CES technology trade show earlier this month, Xreal unveiled a new entry-level pair of glasses and a co-branded set of glasses developed with Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc. It also announced that it’s extending a partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s Google.
Xreal said in the statement that these and other collaborators are “owed confidence that their co-developed products will not also be threatened by infringers attempting to benefit from infringement or undermined by unauthorized usage of IP.”
Published
January 15, 2026
Designer Soshi Otsuki won himself a huge ovation at the key gala show of Pitti Uomo on Thursday after presenting a brilliant collection that celebrated classic western tailoring, even as it subverted its codes.
A tour de force of draping, cutting, and silhouette, this fall 2026 collection from his brand Soshiotsuki was definitely a major fashion statement.
In a moment of volume in menswear, Otsuki opened the action with a perfectly judged trio of to-die-for double-breasted suits with peak lapels in crepe and fine wool in various shades of grey- cement, mud, or dove.
He cut his jackets to end well below the hip and his trousers were something else. Made with a half-dozen front pleats, they were elephantine but never outrageous. Otsuki is such a great natural tailor, the exaggeration merely added to the elegance.
Soshi is no slouch when it comes to leather either. From his copper-hued leather rock god suit to his cocoon style leather bomber jacket. And, just when you thought he was playing a little too safe, he sent out some fab jeans, so degraded they almost looked moth-eaten. Tokyo street style meets sartorial Italian.
Playing on couture techniques, the designer also whipped up several bias-cut green corduroy blazers and suits marrying Japanese eccentricity and British aplomb.
The show was the latest Italian/Japanese marriage at this edition of Pitti that began with a Sebiro Sanpo tailoring association Japanese suit march inside the Fortezza da Basso, the giant fortress where the salon is staged. Remarkably, Otsuki has never actually studied suiting formally, but he somehow understands it instinctively.
The soundtrack, culled from composer Joe Hisaishi’s soundtrack to Takeshi Kitano’s 2000 gangster movie Brother, featured a beautifully yearning saxophone solo. It would have felt just right for one of Douglas Sirk’s 1950s melodramas starring Rock Hudson. One almost expected Rock to take the final passage.
Presented inside the beautiful Refetterio Santa Maria della Novella, a looming Gothic refectory at the back of the legendary Renaissance Basilica, this was a bravura display.
Altogether, a bases loaded, home run, smash hit collection. One could say it felt like a star is born moment in menswear, except that Soshi Otsuki was already acclaimed. He is the latest winner of the LVMH Prize.
Talk about backing up winning an award with a great fashion statement.
Copyright © 2026 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
Published
January 15, 2026
Luxury skincare brand Genaura has promoted Nicola Young to managing director, moving up from chief marketing officer following the brand’s product launch to market in September.
Young’s promotion is underscored by “an impressive career”, which has included senior positions at Carlton Screen Advertising, marketing director at Jazz FM and Magic 105.4FM, and group director of Marketing at radio conglomerate Global Player.
Most notably, her beauty industry involvement included director of Media UK at Estée Lauder Co.
Young said the launch of Genaura “has the potential to revolutionise the beauty and wellness sector… my experience in this field has helped drive the marketing vision so far, and I look forward to progressing even further”.
She added: “Looking to… the growth of Genaura, I am excited to scale and innovate whilst remaining authentic to the scientific background of the product, planning global recognition of this revolutionary ingredient exclusive to Genaura.”
Available in the UK currently, the business has “aspirations for 2026 and beyond… extending skincare products within the range.”
Genaura claims to be a “world first in skincare”, with its Genaura Levagen + Smart Face serum “boasting a powerhouse formula alongside patented technology… creating an ‘age-proofing’ approach to the skin and supporting the skin’s natural barrier function”.
Copyright © 2026 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
Xreal files patent suit against rival smart glasses maker Viture
Princess Kate crowned England’s Great with fiery Lioness spirit
Soshiotsuki wows with international debut at Pitti Uomo 109
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