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192-3138 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

BEFORE THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

COMMISSIONERS: Lina M. Khan, Chair 

Noah Joshua Phillips 

Rebecca Kelly Slaughter 

Christine S. Wilson 

In the Matter of 

FASHION NOVA, LLC, DOCKET NO. 

a limited liability company. 

COMPLAINT 

The Federal Trade Commission, having reason to believe that Fashion Nova, LLC, a 

limited liability company (“Respondent”), has violated the provisions of the Federal Trade 

Commission Act, and it appearing to the Commission that this proceeding is in the public 

interest, alleges: 

1. Fashion Nova, LLC is a California limited liability company with its principal office or 

place of business at 2801 E. 46th Street, Vernon, California 90058. 

2. Respondent has advertised, labeled, offered for sale, sold, and distributed Fashion Nova 

brand apparel. 

3. The acts and practices of Respondent alleged in this complaint have been in or affecting 

commerce, as “commerce” is defined in Section 4 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. 

Course of Conduct 

4. Respondent has sold its Fashion Nova brand apparel primarily online through the 

fashionnova.com website. 

5. Respondent specializes in “fast fashion” apparel designed and manufactured quickly and 

inexpensively to allow the mainstream consumer to buy the latest fashion trends. Most Fashion 

Nova merchandise sells for under $49.99. Respondent has added as many as 1,000 or more new 

clothing designs per week. 

6. Each product page on the Fashion Nova website provides consumers with the opportunity 

to review the product and rate it on a five-star scale. At the bottom of each product page is a 

section entitled “REVIEWS.” Next to that is a button labeled “WRITE A REVIEW.” 

Consumers who click on the button are encouraged to give the product a star rating from one to 

five, write a review, and “POST” it. If there are no customer reviews for a particular product, 
consumers are encouraged to “BE THE FIRST TO WRITE A REVIEW.” Fashion Nova also 

sent its customers emails soliciting product reviews of the customers’ recent purchases. 

7. Each product page with existing reviews displayed the product’s average star rating and a 

summary graph of the number of reviews with each star rating, followed by individual 

consumers’ reviews and ratings. 

8. Fashion Nova installed a third-party online product review management interface. The 

interface allows users to choose to have certain reviews automatically post based upon their star 

ratings and hold lower-starred reviews for client approval prior to posting. 

9. From as early as late 2015 through mid-November 2019, Fashion Nova chose to have 

four- and five-star reviews automatically post to the website, but did not approve or publish 

hundreds of thousands lower-starred, more negative reviews. 

Count I 

Deceptive Review Practices 

10. In connection with the advertising, promotion, offering for sale, or sale of Fashion Nova 

brand apparel, Respondent has, through the means described in Paragraphs 6 and 7, represented, 

directly or indirectly, expressly or by implication, that the product reviews on the Fashion Nova 

website accurately reflect the views of all purchasers who submitted reviews of Fashion Nova 

products to the website. 

11. In fact, the product reviews on the Fashion Nova website did not accurately reflect the 

views of all purchasers who submitted reviews of the products because in numerous instances the 

Respondent suppressed product reviews with ratings lower than four stars. Therefore, the 

representation set forth in Paragraph 10 is false or misleading. 

Violations of Section 5 

12. The acts and practices of Respondent as alleged in this complaint constitute unfair or 

deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal 

Trade Commission Act. 

THEREFORE, the Federal Trade Commission this _______ day of _______, 20__, has issued 

this Complaint against Respondents. 

By the Commission. 

April J. Tabor 

Secretary 

SEAL: 

ISSUED: 

2