The world's largest fashion retailer, Shein, has issued a statement regarding the use of alleged killer, Luigi Mangione's face on their website. The viral product featured an AI image of a man resembling Mangione posing as a model in a short‑sleeved floral shirt priced under $12.
The image quickly caught fire across social media platforms. Users and observers noted eerie similarities to courtroom photos of Mangione. Facial‑recognition tools reportedly indicated a 99.9% match between the model in the shirt listing and Mangione's public appearance.
Generative AI expert Henry Ajder weighed in, identifying "oddities in the lighting, texture, and anatomical features," including awkward texturing above the forearm and unnatural finger segmentation, as tell‑tale signs of AI tampering.
In a swift response, Shein, founded in China and headquartered in Singapore, issued the following statement:
"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."
That phrase "third‑party vendor" points to Manfinity, an external supplier noted for using AI‑generated models in product promotions. Though the shirt listing's exact duration online remains unclear, archived pages show it nearly sold out before the image was pulled. Once public outrage bubbled up, the listing rapidly became a trending topic, driving spikes in searches like "Luigi Mangione Shein."
Given Shein's fast‑fashion model, characterized by massive, daily uploads, it's unlikely that the Chinese-founded company had realized that Mangione's face was on their site, but questions around oversight and vetting of third‑party content on the site have been raised.
This incident marks another instance of Mangione's status as a cultural figure. After his arrest in December 2024 for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Mangione became the center of a national controversy on the morality of the killing and criticism of the American healthcare system. Supporters have held rallies outside his court appearances, and others celebrated his fashion and the apparent style of his ankle visibility in court, nicknamed the "Mangione ankles" trend.
Other retailers have had to distance themselves from sellers using the 27-year-old's likeness. Amazon, for instance, reportedly removed Mangione‑related merchandise from its site following similar fan‑driven demand. The fundraising platform GoFundMe also had to pull listings generating money for his legal defense.
Bestselling author James Patterson, collaborating with journalist Vicky Ward, is writing a book about the case, calling it "a tragic fall from the American Dream," and Dave Franco has reportedly expressed interest in portraying Mangione in any future film adaptation.
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