Only a few hours before the fashion giant opened a pop‑up shop in the city during the summer, spray-painted messages appeared on the exterior declaring, “Shein destroys” and “worker abuse, modern slavery, environmental damage.”
Yet, the strong backlash to its series of temporary outlets across the country in recent years—such as in several major French cities—did not stop the Chinese-founded fast fashion company from choosing France for its inaugural long-term retail spaces.
Recently, the brand revealed a plan to establish stores in Galeries Lafayette outlets in five cities and additionally in the a well-known Parisian retailer in the capital.
Outside the mayor’s office, plans are underway for the large-scale Shein outlet, which – after destroying dozens of local labels – aims to flood our market even more massively with short-lived goods,” said a fashion industry representative, head of the apparel trade group a French fashion federation.
An author and fashion journalist, explains: “This rapid-production approach is the extreme of wastefulness. It thrives on ephemerality, through intense promotion.”
But, she adds, the French aversion to the trend goes even deeper: “It contrasts with French culture’s tradition of keeping objects, of savoir-faire – the brand carries a stigma that is moral as well.”
Yet in spite of such outspoken antipathy, with a Change.org petition calling for a Shein ban in the country surpassing 270,000 signatures, France has not remained untouched to the brand’s inexorable rise in recent years.
The company’s strategy, based on shipping orders of low-cost apparel directly from manufacturers in China to homes, reportedly brought in $1bn net profit last year, making it not only a figurehead of “ultrafast fashion”, but one of its most lucrative companies. That is despite criticism over its environmental impact and labor conditions, including allegations of forced labour that the company has denied and instances of underage workers that resulted in partnerships being ended.
The brand’s achievement rests with the mind-boggling pace and quantity of its production designs, with 7,200 fresh products added on the site daily. “It marks an completely different approach of consuming – everything is multiplied by a hundred,” observes the journalist. Over a recent twelve-month period, the company introduced 1.5 million items to the US market – approximately 37 times more than Zara and 65 times more than another major brand, as reported by Reuters.
During the period of the Dijon pop-up opening, the national legislature passed legislation aimed at curtailing rapid-turnaround apparel, particularly platforms like the brand and its extremely cheap shopping rival another online retailer. It proposed a range of measures, from eco-taxes to a ban on advertising, limits to influencer collaborations, mandatory disclosure of manufacturing methods, and redirection of taxed revenues towards French sustainable producers.
This legislation was applauded by many as a positive development, but sparked debate for differentiating so-called “traditional” quick fashion (Zara, H&M and similar companies), and “ultra-fast fashion”. In fact, the first category is subject to more lenient rules. For some, this separation appears to render mainstream brands appear more virtuous in contrast; according to other views, it is simply regarded as a way of weakening rivals from China.
Yet The nation has its own history of fast fashion, originating from the a historic district, the capital’s historic garment district in the 2nd and 3rd arrondissements. Starting in the seventies, the quartier, alongside similar commercial zones (such as those in the port city), pioneered a system founded on quick production, small quantities, and short supply circuits, often replenished on demand instead of fixed schedules.
This supported the emergence of popular and budget-friendly domestic brands such as several well-known names, which prospered during the eighties and nineties, domestically and internationally, before outsourcing production and ultimately fading or rebranding. By the late 20th century, the Sentier’s system was surpassed by international labels like major chains, who relocated manufacturing and expanded sourcing and stock – a dynamic depicted in the popular movie series Would I Lie to You?, which is set in the district.
On a cultural level, the fashion reporter draws a parallel between the brand’s acceptance to that of the initial arrival of the Swedish retailer when it arrived on a famous Paris street in 1998: “Many viewed it as tacky. The fashion elite saw it [as] lacking in style or sophistication.” Today, she says, “they have been worked into actual labels, widely embraced” while the newcomer has assumed the outcast status.
Attracting teenagers, H&M radically shifted its reputation with Karl Lagerfeld’s collaboration in 2004, which sold out in just a few hours. From then on, the French style scene began to accept affordable fashion as part of the contemporary Parisian wardrobe.
Additional major retailers aimed for legitimacy by working tightly with renowned industry names. A former magazine editor, former editor-in-chief of a leading fashion publication, worked with Zara as a style advisor, while Suzanne Koller, founder of Self Service magazine and present style director at M le Magazine du Monde, has worked repeatedly with the brand, on fashion direction and styling. A fashion figure Caroline de Maigret participated in an H&M runway show. Another model has been featured in a Zara lookbook and publicly admitted to W magazine that she shops there, for essential items.
Sophie Fontanel, comments: “In the capital, it has become common to combine Zara, secondhand finds, and high-end pieces, all with a certain knowhow. Parisians don’t go to Zara for bold items or counterfeits, but for basics: classic clothing items.” Hardly anyone confesses to actually wearing the label in daily life, however. “You don’t say it,” says Fontanel. “Or you say: ‘You won’t believe it, but it’s Zara.’”
A key difference regarding the new brand is its online presence, which represents a change in habits for more mature shoppers. French-British influencer and writer Camille Charrière, explains: “The French prefer physical retail, with their friends and family, on the weekend. They don’t change outfits radically to go out in the evening, their purchases are less compulsive.”
Some of the attraction of hyper-fast clothing stems from its diverse sizing: for many consumers, it remains the sole company that caters to diverse body types. Larger-size offerings is largely unavailable in the country, especially among premium brands.
Ultra-fast fashion has also introduced novel shopping habits: online shopping, skipping fittings, and buying in quantity. Garments are frequently used just one time, thrown out or listed on resale sites – a drastic shift in how wardrobes are assembled and maintained.
The influencer stresses that there can be a “considered” approach to using fast fashion: “No one should feel guilty for purchasing affordable clothing. I own items from retailers that are several years old which I continue to use. In my view the most important thing is to make an effort to wear my purchases … to commit to wearing it.” {While that doesn
