Our planet is burning and we are producing more and more clothes. This is how the position of the fashion industry could be summarized in the face of the ecological catastrophe. Among the worst symptoms of this systemic problem is SHEIN, which opened a pop-up store in Paris from May 5 to 8, 2023. Or a very short period to create the fear of missing the event (Fear of losing for the most Anglo-speaking or FOMO for those close to you) and therefore arouse an urgent desire to buy in the general public. But perhaps also a way for the Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant to test the waters before opening a more stable physical store. In response to this pop-up store, a petition was launched on May 4, 2023, soberly called “Band the SHEIN brand in France”.
Why and how does this petition want to ban SHEIN from practicing in France?
Ten days later, he just passed the 100,000 signature mark thanks to his powerful and original text:
“SHEIN is an ultra-fast Chinese fashion brand that offers very low-end clothing, containing health toxic substances banned in Europe, at unbeatable prices, especially targeting a teenage audience through aggressive digital marketing.
[…] With nearly 8,000 new referrals per day, SHEIN is operating at full capacity at the risk of our ecosystems and our health.
[…] In 2021/2022, SHEIN’s growth was 100%.
[…] The NGO Greenpeace carried out tests by an independent laboratory on 47 products randomly ordered on the SHEIN website. 15% contained dangerous chemicals that violate EU regulatory limits. »
Through this campaign, the collective at its origin wishes to generate a massive citizen movement:
“The aim of this petition is to reach one million signatures, to ask the French government for a referendum asking the French for the need to ban SHEIN in France. »
Why is SHEIN doing so much harm to the fashion industry, people and the planet?
Faced with these antagonistic enthusiasms, for SHEIN on the one hand a large part of the French general public, and against this mastodon of informed people, the media for sustainable fashion The good goods interviewed Yann Rivoallan, president of the French federation of women’s ready-to-wear, to try to understand to what extent it would be possible to ban his activities. The expert explains in particular why the fact that the company is raising additional funds promises to be bad news for the planet and for other players in the fashion industry:
“On the one hand because the volumes of textiles required will also double – poor quality fabrics in crazy volumes, therefore a proportional increase in pollution – on the other because SHEIN is recovering market shares from other brands. Many actors will disappear, especially those who play well. »
Concretely, how could we stop SHEIN in France?
Against SHEIN, several tracks mentioned in the petition are taken up by Yann Rivoallan. First, that of the proven toxicity of the products, according to the Greenpeace report: ” We could then tighten controls in order to partially block the supply “, explains the president of the French federation of women’s prêt-à-porter. The other possibility would be to ban fashion companies that produce too many clothes from entering the market: We should ban the ability to upload more than 1,000 new referrals per day. »
While waiting for the French and European governments to perhaps get involved against SHEIN, we can continue to inform ourselves and inform those around us, but also cultivate what the expert defines ” the concept of emotional durability » :
“The pleasure of keeping the garment with you for a long time, the pleasure in the end of allowing yourself the luxury of having a garment that will last over time, as it ages with you, it resembles us, before being able to pass it on and/or resell it, with the pride to say ‘I’m sober, proud and happy to have such old clothes’, to convey values. »
According to Yann Rivoallan interviewed by The good goodsa new model must therefore be found, in addition to the desire to stop ultra-fast fashion:
“I clearly believe in this post-growth economy, because the world of ultra abundance we live in seems to be dying out. We are entering a more circular, more sober economy, in the personal search for greater serenity, for a better environmental balance. For the planet, we have no choice. It is necessary to enter into a personal process of reduction, and of state accompaniment to “have to”. »
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
