Deep inside a sprawling glass-and-cement edifice the size of an airplane hangar in the Spanish town of Arteixo, 10 designers swarm around a model dressed in cropped gray trousers and a double-breasted navy blazer. Sweaters, shirts and suits are spread out on the white-tile floor, while seamstresses in white labcoats stitch prototypes nearby. "It's classic, but it's new at the same time," says a woman from China. "I'm not sure about the bold patterns," counters a British woman, dressed in white sneakers and a flowing skirt. Others nod their assent or express doubt.

It can be hard to ignore the lure of Forever 21, where fall jackets go for $18 and a halter dress can be had for $9. But U.S. Labor Department investigators contend that those deals are costly for people like Pedro Montiel, who said he makes $4.50 an hour putting the labels and other finishing touches on blouses for one of the retailer's suppliers.

The EU is frontrunner in the world's robotic race, but by 2019 China will have taken over, according to the latest forecast from the International Federation of Robots. More than 1.4 million new industrial robots will be installed in factories around the world by 2019.

The number of senior executives actively engaging in modern slavery issues has doubled among companies leading on the issue, according to a survey of businesses by the Ethical Trading Initiative and Hult International Business School. There were twice as many CEOs and other senior executives in their sample engaging in the issue since the Modern Slavery Act came into force last October.