SHEIN respond to using accused killer as a model
The fast-fashion giant is once again trending for all the wrong reasons.
Since gaining popularity in the mainstream, SHEIN has been surrounded by both excitement and controversy.
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While it might be the one-stop shop for R59 dresses, cute shoes and other affordable clothing, authorities have raised concerns over toxic substances in their products and questionable work environments.
Now they have gone viral once again, but not because of a fun new product.
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This time, it’s because people have come across a product listing on the site where the model of the shirt looks exactly like Luigi Mangione, an accused killer currently sitting in jail.
As far as most of us know, Mangione is very much unavailable for fashion week bookings.
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Luigi has been locked up in Brooklyn since December as the main suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson.
Photos surfaced on SHEIN’s site showing a man modelling a casual button-down shirt.
The eagle-eyed internet detectives noticed the guy’s face bears an uncanny resemblance to Luigi.
However, the picture looks too real, and it clearly is Mangione!
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No one’s quite sure how Luigi’s lookalike ended up modelling for SHEIN.
Luigi Mangione takes a break from prison to star in SHEIN’s AW25 campaign. pic.twitter.com/oKtLAnFyaO
— Poo Crave (@Poo_Crave) September 3, 2025
Some say it’s a Photoshop fail, others are pointing fingers at generative AI, while the rest are just wondering how this shirt is already almost sold out.
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According to BBC News, SHEIN has launched an investigation, and the image has been removed. Not before it went viral.
The image in question was provided by a third-party vendor and was removed immediately upon discovery. We have stringent standards for all listings on our platform. We are conducting a thorough investigation, strengthening our monitoring processes, and will take appropriate action against the vendor in line with our policies.
It remains unclear as to how the image was created.
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BBC Verify reports using the facial recognition tool Amazon Rekognition, and found a 99.9% similarity score between the fake image and a real picture of Mangione appearing in court.
It is unclear whether it was created using artificial intelligence or a manual photo editing tool.
The image is low resolution, but there are a few signs that it might be AI-generated or manipulated. This includes the lighting and texturing of the image, particularly of the skin, as well the appearance of a blob-like artifact above the right forearm. The right hand also doesn't appear to show typical segmentation of the fingers.
Whether it was AI or some other form of magic, it was clearly in poor taste.
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Image: @PopCrave/X