🔗 Share this article

Only a few moments before Shein unveiled a flash boutique in the city during the summer, spray-painted messages appeared on the exterior declaring, “Shein harms” and “exploitation, forced labour, slavery, pollution.”

Yet, the fierce resistance to its series of temporary outlets across France in the past few years—including in several major French cities—has not deterred the Chinese-founded quick-turnaround fashion brand from selecting the nation for its first long-term retail spaces.

Recently, it announced a plan to open shops in a prominent department store outlets in multiple urban centers and additionally in the BHV store in the capital.

“In front of the Paris City Hall, they are creating the large-scale Shein outlet, which – following the decline of dozens of local labels – seeks to inundate the French market on a larger scale with disposable products,” stated Yann Rivoallan, president of the apparel trade group Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Féminin.

Sophie Abriat, explains: “This rapid-production approach is the extreme of wastefulness. It is built with ephemerality, through intense promotion.”

However, she continues, France’s distaste for the trend runs much deeper: “It differs from French culture’s tradition of preserving items, of savoir-faire – the brand carries a negative perception that is moral as well.”

Still despite this vocal criticism, with a Change.org petition calling for a Shein ban in the country now having topped 270,000 signatures, the country has not been immune to the company’s steady growth over the past five years.

Its model, relying on shipping orders of low-cost apparel straight from manufacturers in China to homes, allegedly earned $1bn net profit last year, making it not simply a symbol of “hyper-fast clothing”, but among its most profitable firms. That is despite concerns over its environmental impact and labor conditions, such as claims of coerced labor that the company has denied and cases of child labour that resulted in partnerships being ended.

Its success rests with the astonishing pace and quantity with which it can produce styles, with 7,200 fresh products listed on the site every day. “It represents an entirely new way of consuming – everything is multiplied by a hundred,” says Abriat. Over a recent twelve-month period, the company introduced 1.5m items to the US market – approximately 37 times more than a competing retailer and 65 times more than H&M, according to a news agency.

Around the time of the Dijon pop-up opening, the national legislature approved a law designed to restrict rapid-turnaround apparel, particularly platforms like Shein and its ultra-low cost shopping rival Temu. It proposed a series of steps, from environmental levies to a ban on advertising, limits to influencer collaborations, mandatory disclosure of production practices, and allocation of taxed revenues towards French sustainable producers.

This legislation was praised by many as a step in the right direction, but raised eyebrows for differentiating so-called “classical” quick fashion (Zara, H&M and similar companies), and “hyper-fast clothing”. In fact, the first category is subject to less stringent constraints. For some, this separation appears to render mainstream brands seem more responsible in contrast; according to other views, it is seen as a method to undercutting rivals from China.

However France boasts a long tradition of rapid apparel production, rooted in the a historic district, Paris’s historic garment district in the central neighborhoods. Starting in the seventies, the quartier, together with similar commercial zones (such as those in Marseille), developed a system based on rapid turnaround, limited runs, and short supply circuits, frequently restocked as needed rather by seasonal calendars.

This supported the emergence of cult – and affordable domestic brands like several well-known names, which prospered through the 1980s and 1990s, both in France and abroad, before outsourcing production and ultimately fading or rebranding. Towards the end of the twentieth century, the Sentier’s system was surpassed by global brands such as major chains, who relocated manufacturing and expanded procurement and inventory – a dynamic depicted in the popular movie series La Vérité si je mens!, which is located in the area.

From a societal perspective, the fashion reporter compares the brand’s acceptance to the experience of the initial arrival of H&M when it arrived on Paris’s rue de Rivoli in the late nineties: “Many viewed it as tacky. The fashion elite saw it [as] devoid of taste or culture.” Today, she says, “these brands have become mainstream, fully accepted” while Shein has assumed the pariah role.

Attracting teenagers, H&M dramatically changed its reputation with a designer partnership in 2004, which was exhausted in just a few hours. From then on, France’s fashion establishment started embracing high-street pieces as part of the contemporary Parisian wardrobe.

Other fast-fashion megabrands sought credibility by working tightly with prominent fashion figures. Emmanuelle Alt, ex-head of a leading fashion publication, partnered with Zara as a creative consultant, while another influential editor, co-founder of Self Service magazine and present style director at M le Magazine du Monde, has worked repeatedly with the company, around fashion direction and styling. Model and Chanel ambassador Caroline de Maigret walked in an fashion presentation. Another model has been featured in a brand catalog and publicly admitted to W magazine that she shops there, for basics at least.

A writer and influencer, comments: “In the capital, it is now normal to mix Zara, secondhand finds, and high-end pieces, all with a certain knowhow. Parisians avoid visiting such stores for statement pieces or counterfeits, but for everyday essentials: shirts, jeans, timeless staples.” Hardly anyone confesses to actually wearing the label in daily life, though. “It’s not discussed,” says Fontanel. “Or one might remark: ‘You won’t believe it, but this is from Zara.’”

A key difference regarding the new brand is its online presence, which signifies a cultural shift for more mature shoppers. A bilingual content creator Camille Charrière, explains: “People in France still like to shop in stores, accompanied by loved ones, during weekends. Their style remains consistent for social occasions on the weekend or at night, their purchases are less compulsive.”

Part of the appeal of hyper-fast clothing lies in its size inclusivity: for numerous shoppers, it remains the sole company that accommodates diverse body types. The plus-size market is largely unavailable in the country, especially among mid- and high-end labels.

Rapid-turnaround apparel has brought about new ways of consuming: online shopping, avoiding try-ons, and buying in quantity. Clothing items are frequently used just one time, thrown out or resold on secondhand platforms – a significant change in how wardrobes are assembled and maintained.

Charrière stresses that there can be a “considered” way of wearing budget apparel: “One shouldn’t torture oneself for purchasing affordable clothing. I own Zara dresses that are several years old that I still wear. In my view the key factor is to force myself to wear my purchases … to ensure they are worn repeatedly.” {While that doesn