Latest news with #Azoulay
Fast Company
15-05-2025
- Fast Company
Teens are still setting fire to Chromebooks for TikTok clout
Students are still setting fire to their Chromebooks for TikTok—and now they're facing the consequences. Fast Company first reported on the #ChromebookChallenge trend last week, following a series of school evacuations caused by students igniting laptop fires. The fires are started by inserting items such as pencils, paper clips, and pushpins into the charging ports of school-issued Chromebooks. This can cause the battery to overheat, potentially sparking a fire or explosion that releases toxic fumes. The #ChromebookChallenge reportedly began in Connecticut and has since spread rapidly. Newington High School was the first to evacuate students on May 1 after a laptop caught fire and the fire department was called. Since then, two students at Southington High School were arrested in connection with a separate laptop fire on May 7. The teens were charged with reckless burning, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, and second-degree breach of peace. On May 8, a Plainville middle school student was hospitalized for smoke inhalation and is now facing criminal charges for deliberately causing the incident. That same day, Belleville High School in New Jersey was evacuated after a laptop fire started outside a classroom. Responding officers and firefighters found a charred Chromebook just outside the building. A 15-year-old student has since been charged with arson and criminal mischief. The trend has spread westward: As of late last week, Denver Public Schools had received 30 reports of students attempting to ignite their laptops, according to Axios. The Colorado Springs Fire Department has reported at least 16 similar incidents. With no sign of the trend slowing, schools across the country—including in California, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Washington—have issued warnings about the reckless challenge. Parents and guardians are also being urged to talk to their children about fire safety and the dangers of blindly following social media trends. A TikTok spokesperson tells Fast Company that it takes down content that violates the platform's Dangerous Activities and Challenges policy. The company is currently working closely with the National PTA to fund programs in high schools about online safety and civility. In addition, searching for the term 'Chromebook challenge' on TikTok brings up a safety warning: 'Some online challenges can be dangerous, disturbing, or even fabricated,' it reads. 'Learn how to recognize harmful challenges so you can protect your health and well-being.' However, the trend is still circulating under other hashtags, such as #ChromebookDurabilityTest and #FStudent. Many of these videos go viral, garnering thousands of views and comments from fellow students and baffled adults. The clips often feature a sound bite from fitness podcaster Ben Azoulay: 'The F students are inventors,' Azoulay says. 'They're so creative that they couldn't sit in class.'
Fashion Network
06-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Thriving American Vintage fêtes 20th anniversary, plans international expansion
Twenty years 'is both a long and a short time,' quipped Michaël Azoulay, founder in 2005 of Marseilles-based ready-to-wear brand American Vintage, whose casual, colourful style has become a fixture in the French fashion landscape, and elsewhere too. 'We have grown from two to more than 1,000 employees, we have evolved from a single-product company (white T-shirts) to selling complete collections for men, women and children, and our French, monochannel brand has become global and multichannel,' he added, talking about two 'fantastic, rewarding' decades. In 2024, American Vintage generated revenue just shy of €200 million, up approximately 20% over 2023, and this year it is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a party in Paris and other events worldwide. An opportunity to chat with Azoulay about his company's trajectory and expansion plans, notably aimed at export growth. The self-taught American Vintage boss is pleased to have managed - with the help of his staff - to give continuity to the brand's collections, and to appeal to a 'transgenerational, cosmopolitan' clientèle with the brand's evergreen, laid-back wardrobe and broad colour palette. But the journey has been by no means easy. 'We have had to weather critical junctures and difficult years, such as the shift from wholesale to [direct] retail, the impact of Covid-19, the invasion of Ukraine and rising inflation. I have learned a lot, and I would like to think that our company is a great fashion retail university for the employees who are working there, or who have been with us.' China expansion American Vintage is based in Signes, between Marseilles and Toulon. It currently operates 138 monobrand stores, 34 corners, 21 outlet stores, and 19 affiliated stores, and serves nearly 1,500 multibrand retailers. In 2024, the brand opened its first store in China, a joint venture with a local business that has already been followed by several others. This year, new stores are slated to open in nine cities, including Beijing, Wuhan and Chengdu, making it approximately 15 addresses in a year. 'The business is becoming significant, but we don't want to see American Vintage stores crop up all over China like mushrooms. Our aim is to manage our expansion,' said Azoulay. Another two stores have opened in Macau in recent months. In the USA, where a first address was inaugurated in New York in 2021, American Vintage is expanding its footprint with three openings scheduled for 2025 in Palo Alto, Los Angeles (on Abbot Kinney) and Boston. All of them directly operated by the brand. A store in Stanford is also on the cards. Azoulay isn't concerned about the impact of the US administration's policies on his business in the country, describing it as still quite small-scale. In Europe, the pace has slowed down somewhat, but openings are planned in the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and France (one soon in Annecy, for example). Store fleet expansion was not initially a declared objective. 'Retail wasn't a calling, but I've always dreamed of being busy and of travelling. We all have an inborn survival instinct, and I am fuelled by the desire to rise and grow,' said Azoulay, 46, who has been followed around for several months by a film-maker shooting a documentary that will be broadcast on American Vintage's e-shop and social media channels. Filming has also taken place in some of the countries where the products are manufactured, for example Tunisia, Portugal, and Bulgaria. In April, American Vintage dropped a 20th anniversary collection, featuring unisex looks big on logos, patches and oversize silhouettes. A second instalment will be unveiled at the start of the fall/winter season. 'We have worked a lot on branding. American Vintage used to be a no-logo brand, but in recent seasons the name has been prominently displayed on our clothes. This extra visibility has helped boost sales. The concept has been pushed to the max in the anniversary collection, which features 20 or so different labels and tags affirming who we are. We're 20 years old, we can afford it,' said Azoulay. The company is described as profitable, and is still led by a trio of family shareholders consisting of Azoulay, his brother and his sister. 'China and the USA are expensive markets, you can't enter them if the business isn't healthy,' he said. The next projects? In September, the brand will launch a first line of performance sportswear, tapping a growth segment while still 'going for a directional approach.' American Vintage is also planning to build 'a new automated and mechanised logistics warehouse within two to three years,' according to Azoulay, who expects revenue to increase again in 2025.
Fashion Network
06-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Thriving American Vintage fêtes 20th anniversary, plans international expansion
Twenty years 'is both a long and a short time,' quipped Michaël Azoulay, founder in 2005 of Marseilles-based ready-to-wear brand American Vintage, whose casual, colourful style has become a fixture in the French fashion landscape, and elsewhere too. 'We have grown from two to more than 1,000 employees, we have evolved from a single-product company (white T-shirts) to selling complete collections for men, women and children, and our French, monochannel brand has become global and multichannel,' he added, talking about two 'fantastic, rewarding' decades. In 2024, American Vintage generated revenue just shy of €200 million, up approximately 20% over 2023, and this year it is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a party in Paris and other events worldwide. An opportunity to chat with Azoulay about his company's trajectory and expansion plans, notably aimed at export growth. The self-taught American Vintage boss is pleased to have managed - with the help of his staff - to give continuity to the brand's collections, and to appeal to a 'transgenerational, cosmopolitan' clientèle with the brand's evergreen, laid-back wardrobe and broad colour palette. But the journey has been by no means easy. 'We have had to weather critical junctures and difficult years, such as the shift from wholesale to [direct] retail, the impact of Covid-19, the invasion of Ukraine and rising inflation. I have learned a lot, and I would like to think that our company is a great fashion retail university for the employees who are working there, or who have been with us.' China expansion American Vintage is based in Signes, between Marseilles and Toulon. It currently operates 138 monobrand stores, 34 corners, 21 outlet stores, and 19 affiliated stores, and serves nearly 1,500 multibrand retailers. In 2024, the brand opened its first store in China, a joint venture with a local business that has already been followed by several others. This year, new stores are slated to open in nine cities, including Beijing, Wuhan and Chengdu, making it approximately 15 addresses in a year. 'The business is becoming significant, but we don't want to see American Vintage stores crop up all over China like mushrooms. Our aim is to manage our expansion,' said Azoulay. Another two stores have opened in Macau in recent months. In the USA, where a first address was inaugurated in New York in 2021, American Vintage is expanding its footprint with three openings scheduled for 2025 in Palo Alto, Los Angeles (on Abbot Kinney) and Boston. All of them directly operated by the brand. A store in Stanford is also on the cards. Azoulay isn't concerned about the impact of the US administration's policies on his business in the country, describing it as still quite small-scale. In Europe, the pace has slowed down somewhat, but openings are planned in the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and France (one soon in Annecy, for example). Store fleet expansion was not initially a declared objective. 'Retail wasn't a calling, but I've always dreamed of being busy and of travelling. We all have an inborn survival instinct, and I am fuelled by the desire to rise and grow,' said Azoulay, 46, who has been followed around for several months by a film-maker shooting a documentary that will be broadcast on American Vintage's e-shop and social media channels. Filming has also taken place in some of the countries where the products are manufactured, for example Tunisia, Portugal, and Bulgaria. In April, American Vintage dropped a 20th anniversary collection, featuring unisex looks big on logos, patches and oversize silhouettes. A second instalment will be unveiled at the start of the fall/winter season. 'We have worked a lot on branding. American Vintage used to be a no-logo brand, but in recent seasons the name has been prominently displayed on our clothes. This extra visibility has helped boost sales. The concept has been pushed to the max in the anniversary collection, which features 20 or so different labels and tags affirming who we are. We're 20 years old, we can afford it,' said Azoulay. The company is described as profitable, and is still led by a trio of family shareholders consisting of Azoulay, his brother and his sister. 'China and the USA are expensive markets, you can't enter them if the business isn't healthy,' he said. The next projects? In September, the brand will launch a first line of performance sportswear, tapping a growth segment while still 'going for a directional approach.' American Vintage is also planning to build 'a new automated and mechanised logistics warehouse within two to three years,' according to Azoulay, who expects revenue to increase again in 2025.
Fashion Network
06-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Thriving American Vintage fêtes 20th anniversary, plans international expansion
Twenty years 'is both a long and a short time,' quipped Michaël Azoulay, founder in 2005 of Marseilles-based ready-to-wear brand American Vintage, whose casual, colourful style has become a fixture in the French fashion landscape, and elsewhere too. 'We have grown from two to more than 1,000 employees, we have evolved from a single-product company (white T-shirts) to selling complete collections for men, women and children, and our French, monochannel brand has become global and multichannel,' he added, talking about two 'fantastic, rewarding' decades. In 2024, American Vintage generated revenue just shy of €200 million, up approximately 20% over 2023, and this year it is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a party in Paris and other events worldwide. An opportunity to chat with Azoulay about his company's trajectory and expansion plans, notably aimed at export growth. The self-taught American Vintage boss is pleased to have managed - with the help of his staff - to give continuity to the brand's collections, and to appeal to a 'transgenerational, cosmopolitan' clientèle with the brand's evergreen, laid-back wardrobe and broad colour palette. But the journey has been by no means easy. 'We have had to weather critical junctures and difficult years, such as the shift from wholesale to [direct] retail, the impact of Covid-19, the invasion of Ukraine and rising inflation. I have learned a lot, and I would like to think that our company is a great fashion retail university for the employees who are working there, or who have been with us.' China expansion American Vintage is based in Signes, between Marseilles and Toulon. It currently operates 138 monobrand stores, 34 corners, 21 outlet stores, and 19 affiliated stores, and serves nearly 1,500 multibrand retailers. In 2024, the brand opened its first store in China, a joint venture with a local business that has already been followed by several others. This year, new stores are slated to open in nine cities, including Beijing, Wuhan and Chengdu, making it approximately 15 addresses in a year. 'The business is becoming significant, but we don't want to see American Vintage stores crop up all over China like mushrooms. Our aim is to manage our expansion,' said Azoulay. Another two stores have opened in Macau in recent months. In the USA, where a first address was inaugurated in New York in 2021, American Vintage is expanding its footprint with three openings scheduled for 2025 in Palo Alto, Los Angeles (on Abbot Kinney) and Boston. All of them directly operated by the brand. A store in Stanford is also on the cards. Azoulay isn't concerned about the impact of the US administration's policies on his business in the country, describing it as still quite small-scale. In Europe, the pace has slowed down somewhat, but openings are planned in the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and France (one soon in Annecy, for example). Store fleet expansion was not initially a declared objective. 'Retail wasn't a calling, but I've always dreamed of being busy and of travelling. We all have an inborn survival instinct, and I am fuelled by the desire to rise and grow,' said Azoulay, 46, who has been followed around for several months by a film-maker shooting a documentary that will be broadcast on American Vintage's e-shop and social media channels. Filming has also taken place in some of the countries where the products are manufactured, for example Tunisia, Portugal, and Bulgaria. In April, American Vintage dropped a 20th anniversary collection, featuring unisex looks big on logos, patches and oversize silhouettes. A second instalment will be unveiled at the start of the fall/winter season. 'We have worked a lot on branding. American Vintage used to be a no-logo brand, but in recent seasons the name has been prominently displayed on our clothes. This extra visibility has helped boost sales. The concept has been pushed to the max in the anniversary collection, which features 20 or so different labels and tags affirming who we are. We're 20 years old, we can afford it,' said Azoulay. The company is described as profitable, and is still led by a trio of family shareholders consisting of Azoulay, his brother and his sister. 'China and the USA are expensive markets, you can't enter them if the business isn't healthy,' he said. The next projects? In September, the brand will launch a first line of performance sportswear, tapping a growth segment while still 'going for a directional approach.' American Vintage is also planning to build 'a new automated and mechanised logistics warehouse within two to three years,' according to Azoulay, who expects revenue to increase again in 2025.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nicaragua leaves UNESCO after exiled newspaper wins award
Nicaragua has withdrawn from the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization after UNESCO acknowledged the exiled La Prensa newspaper as part of the organization's press freedom awards. UNESCO director-general Audrey Azoulay said on Sunday that she "regrets" the country's decision, adding that it would "deprive the people of Nicaragua of the benefits of cooperation, particularly in the fields of education and culture." The organization is "fully within its mandate" of defending freedom of expression and freedom of the press, Azoulay said. UNESCO Statement following Nicaragua's decision to withdraw from the more: @laprensa #WorldPressFreedomDay — UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 (@UNESCO) May 4, 2025 La Prensa's staff have been forced to publish from abroad after Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega tightened his grip on power. In 2021, police stormed the newspaper's offices, arresting its general manager Juan Lorenzo Holmann. Holmann was deported to the US in 2023. Nicaraguan authorities accused La Prensa for promoting "military and political interventions" by the US in Nicaragua. The 2025 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize was awarded to La Prensa on the recommendation of an international jury of media professionals. The prize was established by UNESCO members in 1997. Nicaragua's withdrawal is a blow to the organization, that's also been criticized by US President Donald Trump, who withdrew the US from UNESCO in his first term due to what it said was an anti-Israel bias. The US rejoined UNESCO in 2023 under the Biden administration. Edited by: Zac Crellin
