‘A paroxysm of disposability’: France’s distaste for Shein’s ultra-fast fashion | Shein

A Shein was found in French in French on the outer wall of the words “Shein kills” and “Shein kills” and “exploitation, slavery, pollution” a few hours before opening a pop -up shop this summer.

Nevertheless, a violent reaction to the temporary release series in France, including Toulouse, Montpellier and Marseille, has not determined the Chinese fast fashion brand from choosing the country for the first permanent physical stores.

This week, he announced the plan to open shops in Galeies Lafayette stores in five cities and in the BHV store in the capital.

Yann Rivoallan, the president of the fashion retailers’ body Fédération Fédération, said, “In front of the Paris Town Hall, after destroying dozens of French brands – they create the new Shein Megastore, which aims to fill our market to a greater extent with disposable products,” he said.

Le Monde’s Magazine M’s writer and fashion reporter Sophie Abriat says: “Ultra fast model is a disposable paroxism. It was built with aggressive marketing with efemeralite.”

However, he adds that France’s discontent for the trend is deepened: “The objects of the French culture have a moral stamp differently than the tradition of holding the savoir-faire.”

Nevertheless, in spite of such clearly oral antipathy, a change to ban Shein in France. He exceeded 270,000 signatures with the petition of Org, and the country was not immune to the brutal rise of the brand in the last five years.

The model is reported to have made a net profit of $ 1 billion last year, based on transportation orders from Chinese factories directly from Chinese factories to homes and made it one of the most lucrative companies, not only the “Ultrafast Fashion” figure. This is despite the criticism of environmental impact and working practices, including the cases of child labor that led to the termination of supplier agreements that the company rejected.

His success is based on the unimaginable speed and volume that can produce designs with 7,200 new items listed on the site every day. “It points to a completely new way of consuming – everything is multiplied by face, Ab said Abriat. According to Reuters, the company introduced 1.5 million products to the US market between the end of 2022 and the end of 2023 – roughly 37 times more than Zara and 65 times more than H&M.

At the opening of Dijon Pop-up, the French Senate approved the legislation aimed at restricting platforms such as Ultra Fast Fashion, especially Shein and Ultra low-cost shopping rival Temu. EKO proposed a series of measures from tax from tax to advertising, restrictions on impressive collaborations, disclosure of production practices and directing taxable revenues to French sustainable producers.

The bill was praised by many people as a step in the right direction, but raised the eyebrows to distinguish between “classic” fast fashion (Zara, H&M between others) and “ultra fast fashion .. Indeed, the old group faces less strict restrictions. For some, this distinction seems to make high street labels look more virtuous with comparison, despite similar supply chains; For others, it is simply considered a way of reducing Chinese competition.

Nevertheless, France has a fast fashion history, which is rooted from Sentier, the historical clothing region of Paris in the 2nd and third Arrrondissements. Since the 1970s, Quartier has developed a model based on such wholesale regions (including Marseille), based on fast return, small amounts and short supply circuits, and was often filled with seasonal calendars.

This fueled the rise of the high street labels, such as Naf Naf, Kookaï and Jennyfer, which developed in the 1980s and 1990s both in France and abroad, before the external resources and eventually disappeared or after re -positioning. Until the end of the 20th century, Sentier’s system was left behind by international labels such as H&M and Zara, which deceased production and scales the source and stock – the French film Saga La Vérité si Je Mens. (Can I lie to you?), Located in the region.

At the cultural level, when Abriat came to Rue de Rivoli in Paris in 1998, Shein compares Shein’s reception with the first days of H&M: “This was considered rude. [as] deprived of taste or culture. “Today, shein Pariah,” they worked on real labels, completely accepted, “he says.

H&M, who attracted young people, radically shifted in 2004 with the cooperation of Karl Lagerfeld in a few hours. From then on, France’s fashion organization began to accept high street parts as part of the contemporary Paris wardrobe.

Other Fast Moda Megabrands sought reliability by working closely with famous industry names. Former Editor -in -Chief of Vogue Paris, Emmanuelle Alt worked as a creative consultant with Zara, while the current fashion editor of Self Service Magazine and Me Magazine Du Monde cooperated in a comprehensive way to the fashion aspect and style. Model and Ambassador of Chanel Caroline de Maigret walked on a H&M runway show. And the French model Ayeline Valade appeared in a Zara Lookbook and said to W Magazine at least shopping there for basic information.

The author, influencer and fashion editor Sophie Fontanel, L’Obs, says: “Here, in Paris, with a certain information, zara, vintage and luxury became widespread. Parisians do not go to Zara for the foundations, but for the foundations, but for the foundations: shirts, jeans, timeless zap. However, very few agree to wear the brand in daily life. “You don’t say that, Font says Fontanenel. “Or you say: ‘You won’t believe it, but Zara.’ ‘

An important difference with Shein is the online presence that represents a cultural change for older generation shopping. “The French still do not radically change clothes to go out at the weekend or night or night, less challenging their purchases.”

Some of the attractiveness of ultra -fast fashion lies in size inclusive: for many consumers, it continues to be the only brand that appeals to various body species. The plus -dimensional market is still not available in France, especially between medium and high -level labels.

Ultra quickly introduced new ways of consuming: online shopping, jumping fittings and bulk order. Clothes are usually worn once, thrown or re -sold on second -hand platforms – creating speed, durability and a wardrobe.

Charrière emphasizes that it may be a “slow” way to wear fast fashion: “I shouldn’t torture myself about wearing fast fashion. I still have Zara dresses that I still wear five years ago. The most important thing for me is to force myself to use what I buy.” Although this does not change the supply chain it has reached, Charrière means something: Shain Shein customers often look at the privilege of providing more expensive alternatives.

Shein seized this tension. In April, the slogans such as adır not a right, not a privilege ”between advertising boards and ads in April are plastered. Christophe Caster, former Minister of Interior and former Minister of Interior of Shein Emmanuel Macron and former Minister of Interior and former Emmanuel Macron, is currently accused of punishing those who do low -income shopping.

In response to the reports of labor harassment reports, Shein said that “these isolated cases are working without getting tired to ensure that they are completely removed from our supply chain”.

In the Institute Français de la mode, the consultant and professor Elise Goldfarb and the Uyghur in fast fashion supply chains shed light on the reality of another segment of the French society for an active voice to condemn the use of forced running. “Fast fashion talks about a segment of the population that it feels ugly to teach about ecology during a major crisis they pay, or he says.

Taxation and arrangement can be a useful first step, but they leave the excessive production problem as unclear. The real question is how the industry can be reshaped around the durability and repair, which can be transferred from one generation to another, kept, repaired and once at the center of the French approach.

Stéphane Popescu, the founding partner of an ethical consultancy consultant, said, ız Like a flood of information without connection. ” Says. “I see the mountains of ultra -fast fashion clothes in vintage stores, and it seems that the emotional value of things as if there was no time to build memories around items.”