The fast-fashion retailer confirmed the image was provided by a third-party vendor and was removed immediately upon discovery.
Fast-fashion retailer Shein has removed a product listing and launched an investigation after an image resembling Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appeared on the company’s website modeling a men’s shirt.
The image showed a figure bearing a striking resemblance to Mangione wearing a short-sleeved floral print button-down shirt. The BBC reported that facial recognition technology showed a 99.9% match between the listing image and known photos of Mangione.
The product, described as a “Men’s New Spring/Summer Short Sleeve Blue Ditsy Floral White Shirt,” was priced at $11.69 and had reportedly sold out in multiple sizes before being removed, according to archived screenshots.
Shein confirmed the image 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,” a Shein spokesperson said.
The listing appears to have surfaced this week and was widely noticed by online users before its removal.
Mangione, 26, is accused of fatally shooting Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel in December. He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and faces murder charges in New York, along with federal charges.
The incident highlights growing concerns about the use of AI-generated content in e-commerce. It’s unclear how long the listing had been active on Shein’s platform before being discovered.
Shein operates on a marketplace model where third-party vendors can list products through the platform. The company has not disclosed details about which vendor was responsible for the listing or what specific actions will be taken.
