Uniqlo stores in China hit by craze of women playing dress-up in children’s outfits and damaging clothes
- Uniqlo staff said customers damaged clothing by stretching or staining it with lipstick and make-up
- Fashion followers say they love the colourful designs, but online critics say the practice is unethical
A sweeping Chinese trend of grown women squeezing into childrenswear to show off their waistlines has been attacked by people online, who call the craze “unethical”.
Online posts showing teenagers and women in their 20s posing in changing rooms of Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo in barely-there T-shirts have become wildly popular online recently.
The fashion trend is called “BM style”, which stands for Brandy Melville, a popular but controversial Italian women’s clothing shop that stocks only extra small and small sizes.
While some women buy children’s clothing to fit their petite frames, most online posts include photos of young adult women squeezing into the too-small T-shirts so they can appear cute and skinny with slim waists.
Fashion bloggers said they preferred the childrenswear’s colourful designs and cheaper price over the less interesting adult pieces.
