Spanish clothing giant Inditex has been forced to stop the sale of certain shirts in its Russian branches over government fears that they could be made from “dangerously” unbreathable material.
Inditex, which owns both Zara and Pull&Bear, was warned by Russian consumer watchdog Roskachestvo in June 2016 that the shirts posed a “threat” to consumers, the RBC news site reported.
"The fabric [which the shirts were made of] hardly let any air through at all,” Roskachestvo experts ruled. “Three shirts did not meet Customs Union requirements as to the breathability of the material, making them unsafe.”
The stores withdrew the shirts from sale after a meeting with Russia's Industry and Trade Ministry on Wednesday, “until the situation has been fully clarified.”
Inditex operated 485 stores in Russia as of January 2016. Worldwide, their brands also include Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho and Zara Home.
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