The heart of Le Marais The morning of November 5th was troubled. In front of the old Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville (BHV), that art deco building that overlooks the City Hall, Shein opened its first physical store in Europe. But consumer enthusiasm soon mixed with cries of indignation.
French-style protests. At the doors of the BHV, the tension was immediate. A group of protesters shouted “C’est honteux!” (“This is a shame!”) and carried signs with slogans such as “Protégez les enfants, pas Shein” (“Protect the children, not Shein”). Both unions and environmental associations joined the protest denouncing the chain’s working conditions and its environmental impact, according to France24.
Outside, slogans were chanted; Inside, lines snaked between shelves. Riot police guarded the entrances while the smell of a stinking aerosol – released by a protester – permeated the air. The rest of the day, the store continued to operate normally. Thousands of consumers lined up in front of the fitting rooms. The Observer estimated that more than 50,000 people They visited the new premises in its first days, and Le Monde It is estimated that about 8,000 people They passed only during the inauguration. In the words of the British newspaper, “behind the protesters who shouted shame, lines of shoppers stretched out with bags full of polyester.”
Why so much fuss? The Parisian revolt was not born out of nowhere, nor is it just an environmental problem. Days before, the General Directorate of Competition, Consumption and Fraud Repression (DGCCRF) had revealed that Shein France sold child-like sex dolls, as revealed by Le Parisien. The institution stated that the descriptions “left little doubt about the pedopornographic nature” of the product.
The discovery led to the opening of four judicial investigations by the Paris prosecutor’s office against Shein, AliExpress, Temu and Wish, for the dissemination of violent or pornographic content accessible to minors. In parallel, the conservative deputy Antoine Vermorel-Marques reported that on the platform Machetes and brass knuckles, category A weapons, prohibited in France, were also sold.
Under pressure, Shein reacted. According to BBCone day before the opening, the company announced a global ban on all sales of sex dolls, the closure of the accounts of the sellers involved and the elimination of the adult products category. “The fight against child exploitation is non-negotiable,” CEO Donald Tang told Time.
Shein spokesperson in France, Quentin Ruffat, stated exclusively for French radio RMC: “What happened is serious, unacceptable and intolerable. It was an internal failure in our processes. We will cooperate 100% with justice and we will reveal the identity of the buyers.” Two days later, according to Reutersthe Ministry of Finance temporarily stopped the suspension procedure, upon verifying that Shein had removed all illicit products, but stressed that “the company will remain under close surveillance.”
The French crusade against fast-fashion. The Executive’s offensive is not only moral: it is also legal and economic. According to Politicothe French Government has activated two parallel procedures to suspend the Shein website. The first, based on the Consumer Code, would allow the domain to be blocked if the company disobeys an order to remove illegal content. The second, protected by the Digital Economy Trust Act of 2004, seeks to demonstrate that there is a risk of recidivism. Both processes could lead to a ban on access to the site and its applications in France. Le Parisien announced that a court hearing will be held on November 26, where a judge will decide the future of the platform.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Public Finance, Amélie de Montchalin, led an unprecedented operation at Charles de Gaulle airport: more than 200,000 Shein packages from China were inspected in a single day. According to the ministrythree out of four did not comply with European regulations.
But the pulse goes beyond customs. As The Guardian recallsFrance has been questioning the ultra-fast fashion model for years: in 2023 and 2024 it approved laws and fines of almost 200 million euros against Shein for misleading advertising and environmental violations. The arrival of the brand at BHV, details Times“contradicts the ecological and high-end vision that Paris wants to project.” Even iconic designers, such as Agnès B, announced their withdrawal from BHV. “I am completely against this fast fashion, there are jobs in danger,” told BBC.
Despite the scandal, Shein has not stepped on the brakes. According to Le Mondethe company will open new stores in Dijon and Reims on November 18, and in Grenoble on the 21st, with additional plans in Angers and Limoges.
Frédéric Merlin, president of the Société des Grands Magasins (SGM) – owner of BHV – defended his alliance with Shein in statements to Le Monde: “The products we sell here do not exploit workers or children. We are convinced of their quality.” However, parent Galeries Lafayette broke ties with SGM over “strategic divergence,” according to Timesrefusing to associate his name with the Chinese brand.
Meanwhile, more than 100,000 French people have signed a petition against Shein’s expansion, according to The Guardianand numerous brands have left BHV in protest. Despite this, the plans continue.
The battle for the soul of fashion. The story of Shein in France is no longer just that of an investigated company, but that of a country that refuses to surrender to the dizzying pace of global consumption. However, it opens up a paradox: while the authorities are preparing laws and blockades, thousands of young people are lining up to buy 5-euro t-shirts.
France is waging a symbolic — and perhaps lost — war against fast fashion: that of the country that invented haute couture facing the phenomenon that turns it into waste. On November 26, French justice will speak. But fast fashion has already won a part of the most difficult trial: that of consumption.
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