Despite a petition garnering over 270,000 signatures calling for a ban, the rapid expansion of Shein has not gone unnoticed by French consumers.
Just hours before Shein launched a pop-up location in Dijon this summer, activists had spray-painted slogans such as “Shein kills” alongside accusations of “exploitation, forced labor, slavery, pollution” on the building’s exterior.
However, the strong opposition faced by Shein’s temporary shops across French cities like Toulouse, Montpellier, and Marseille has not stopped the Chinese fast fashion giant from establishing its first permanent retail outlets in France.