[FALSE] Does a photo show the Chinese character for ‘demolition’ on a model’s outfit during Paris Fashion Week?

Screenshot of the Facebook post.

The Claim and Our Verdict

• The claim: A photo was shared Nov. 16, 2021, on Facebook, along with a claim that it showed the Chinese character for “demolition” on a model’s outfit during Paris Fashion Week.
• Fact-checking:
  • The photo was altered to include the Chinese character for “demolition” on an outfit shown by the London-based label KTZ during the spring 2015 collection.
  • According to a news article published by Vogue, the designer of KTZ’s spring 2015 collection is Marjan Pejoski, a fashion designer who lives and works in the United Kingdom. The collection was inspired by ancient Greece and neoclassicism, not related to Chinese elements. Bvien, the designer purported in the claim, is fictitious.
  • The original photo was taken at London Fashion Week in September 2014. In addition, further keyword search on the collection does not produce any results related to Paris Fashion Week.
• Our ruling: Therefore, we rate the claim as FALSE.

News Brief

A photo was shared Nov. 16, 2021, on Facebook, along with a claim that it shows the Chinese character for “demolition” on a model’s outfit during Paris Fashion Week. A screenshot, shared on the post, claimed the outfit was designed by Bvien, who was inspired during a trip to China.

As of the issuance of this report, the post had been shared 56 times, and had received 21 comments and 570 likes or reactions.

Fact-checking

A reverse image search found an unaltered photo on the official website of Vogue, an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine. As shown on the website, tops of the outfits from KTZ’s spring 2015 collection do not contain the Chinese character for “demolition.” Therefore, the photo presented with the claim was altered.

Screenshot of Vogue’s official website.

A press release published in 2014 by Vogue states that Marjan Pejoski, a designer who lives and works in the United Kingdom, designed the KTZ spring 2015 collection. He was inspired by ancient Greece and neoclassicism. The design concept is not associated with Chinese elements as purported in the claim. According to the official biography of KTZ and an article by Fashion Windows, a fashion website, Pejoski has been serving as the Creative Director for KTZ since 2003. A further keyword search on the purported designer Bvien produced no relevant results. Therefore, the name is probably fictitious.

Keywords search found a photo published on Getty Images, a supplier of stock images, and a YouTube video published by British Fashion Council. Both of them show the original photo was taken at the KTZ show during London Fashion Week in September 2014. In addition, a Google keyword search indicates the collection has not shown during Paris Fashion Week.

Screenshot of a photo published on Getty Images.