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Fast-fashion giant Shein faces a new wave of controversy as it opens its first permanent store Paris Wednesday inside one of the city’s most iconic department stores.
Shein’s launch in the heart of France’s fashion capital, which has long been criticized over poor green credentials and labor practices, has sparked a backlash from environmental groups, Paris City Hall and others. Franceready-to-wear industry. After this the retailer has also come under fire French Authorities found sex dolls with child-like characteristics listed on the retailer’s website last week.
The case has been referred to prosecutors, and the government has warned that the global e-commerce platform could be banned from the French market if such material resurfaces.
In response, Sheen said it had banned all sex-doll products, and temporarily removed its line of adult products for review. The company has also launched an investigation to determine how the listing bypassed its screening measures.
Several dozen protesters camped outside the BHV department store on Wednesday morning, while some shoppers lined up before opening. An online petition protesting the Paris inauguration has garnered more than 120,000 signatures, and child-protection and environmental groups have condemned Sheen.
“It’s a dark day for our industry,” Thibaut Ledunois, director of entrepreneurship and innovation at the French Federation of Women’s Ready-to-Wear, told The Associated Press. “Sheen is developing a beautiful showcase of our country, which is justifying all the bad, sad, and horrible businesses developing around the world.”
The Société des Grands Magasins (SGM), which owns the BHV Marais department store in downtown Paris, called the sale of sex dolls unacceptable, but praised Shein for his quick response to defuse the controversy.
BHV has been going through financial struggles in recent years and SGM believes Shein’s arrival will help revive the business – even though some brands have opted to leave stores in protest.
“We are proud to have a partner that has firmly stood its ground,” said Karl-Stéphane Cottendin, Chief Operating Officer of SGM. “We are very happy to open the boutique.”
founded in China in 2012 and are now based SingaporeShein has quickly grown to become a global fast-fashion giant. Selling mostly Chinese-made clothing and products at cheap prices, the retailer has come under fire over allegations that its supply chain may be tainted by forced labor, including in China’s far-west Xinjiang province, where rights groups say serious human rights violations were committed by Beijing against members of the ethnic Uyghur group and other Muslim minorities.
Cottondin dismissed those concerns and praised Sheen for doing “tremendous work” in improving his practices.
“Today, it is a brand that produces under more legal conditions,” he said. “We ensured that the entire production chain, from manufacturing to delivery, strictly complied with French and European regulations and standards.”
Fast fashion, characterized by constant turnover of collections and very low prices, has flooded European markets with low-quality goods, leading to increased environmental, social and economic costs. The United Nations warns that the textile industry alone is responsible for about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to water scarcity.
France is now moving to curb the growing influence of companies based in Southeast Asian countries, such as Shein, Temu or AliExpress. A draft law targets fast fashion with measures such as consumer awareness campaigns, advertising restrictions, a tax on small imported parcels and strict waste management rules. The Senate adopted the proposal earlier this year, and the government has informed the European Commission ahead of a joint committee meeting to finalize the text.