What France’s War on Fast Fashion can teach us.
Image Credit: NEKOMURA via Shutterstock
Fast fashion has made the desirable affordable for many, but this comes at a steep price elsewhere. The drive to reduce costs has led to exploitative labour practices, environmental damage, and threats to smaller, ethical brands. But how can we make these issues truly resonate? For France and the rest of us, the key may be to demand accessible quality artistry over quantity by championing cultural values.
At first glance, it seems the French public isn’t in favour of fast fashion companies. The opening of Shein’s first brick-and-mortar store, Paris’s historic BHV Marais department store on November 5th, was met with protesters holding ‘SHAME ON SHEIN’ signs, staff strikes, and an online petition (signed by over 130,000 people). Independent retailers in the BHV even pulled out of partnerships. Guillaume Alcan, co-founder of footwear brand Odaje, stated: “There would be no sense being sold in the same shop as Shein.” French fashion, focused on simplicity and craftsmanship, is at the heart of the nation’s identity. Paris, home to iconic fashion houses like Dior and Chanel, is practically synonymous with style. Proximity to fast fashion brands like Shein raises concerns that these retailers undermine independent brands and French culture as a whole. Paris’s Communist deputy mayor of commerce, Nicholas Bonnet-Oulaldj, called the Shein store “the complete opposite of Paris’s policy to develop independent shops and support products that are made in France.”
France has been making considerable efforts to diminish and punish fast fashion companies. On November 3rd, the French government declared a total suspension of Shein’s website after discovering “childlike sex dolls” being sold online. Legislation such as the March 2024 anti-fast fashion bill aimed to curb misleading advertising and greenwashing. Shein was fined 3 times in 2025 alone, a sum amounting to €191 million, for failing to comply with cookie legislation and misleading advertising, which Shein contests.
Despite such fervent opposition, Shein has amassed around 23 million customers in France, making it one of its largest European marketplaces. Legislative efforts focus on preventing false advertising and greenwashing, but most customers aren’t concerned with the environmental impact of fast fashion. In today’s economic climate, consumers are drawn to cheap, disposable products. Who wants to invest in an expensive tailored coat that’ll be out of fashion in a few months? Even “luxury” items have sacrificed quality to reduce costs, but prices continue to increase. And, to add salt to the price-tag papercut, consumers have little way of knowing whether a product is made ethically or sustainably.
Foreign companies like Shein are easy targets, particularly amid rising nationalism and xenophobic attitudes that have seeped into France. Treating these external threats as existential resonates easily. However, whilst the unsustainable practices of ultra-fast fashion companies are concerning, major retailers like Zara and H&M are also guilty of massive labour and environmental violations. Yet, they remain largely excluded from France's legislative and public scrutiny.
France’s commitment to high-quality craftsmanship and its dedication to protecting a culture of artistry, though not without flaws, is a valuable lesson. While this approach won’t rally every consumer to action, it emphasises the importance of prioritising quality over rapid, profitable trend cycles and convincing legislators to do the same. By doing so, we can implement equitable restrictions across all fast fashion companies and bridge the gulf between sustainability and affordability.