Donald Tang, right, executive chairman of Shein Group, and Frédéric Merlin, head of BHV, on the facade of the Bazar de l’Hotel de Ville, Le BHV Marais department store, ahead of the opening of the Chinese fast-fashion retailer’s first permanent shop in Paris, on Monday.Abdul Saboor/Reuters
When Shein chose the chic Parisian neighbourhood of Le Marais for its first brick-and-mortar store, it likely envisioned a glamorous debut in the physical world. Instead, it landed on unwelcoming turf.
Set to open on Wednesday, the e-commerce company’s first physical store will occupy the entire top floor of BHV Marais, an iconic department store that has stood opposite Paris City Hall since 1856. Shein plans to open five additional locations in similar department stores across France in the coming weeks.
The Chinese-founded ultra-fast-fashion behemoth could have chosen any other country for its first permanent stores, but it chose France – a decision that the brand touted as a tribute to the country’s fashion legacy.
The response, however, was an explosive backlash from all corners of the French capital. Outrage over the brand’s ecological footprint and its questionable labour practices has brought together the fashion industry, politicians and ordinary citizens.
Critics say Shein’s practices undercut European competitors, with the company’s constantly revolving inventory and rock-bottom prices. Shein uploads roughly 10,000 new products to its site each day, from $10 dresses to $20 sneakers.
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In the days leading up to the opening, government officials urged BHV to reconsider. Further complicating the launch, France this week opened an investigation into Shein for the sale of child-like sex dolls on its platform, prompting France’s Finance Minister to threaten a nationwide ban.
Frédéric Merlin, the owner of BHV, finally spoke out on Sunday. “I’ve decided not to go back on my decision, despite the controversy and the pressure,” he wrote on social media. “I refuse to give in.”
His choice led more than a dozen brands to announce plans to leave the store in protest of their new neighbour’s arrival.
Carine Pechavy, the owner of a French candlestick company, was about to renew her annual contract with BHV when she heard the news, and she chose to pull Maison Pechavy from the store instead.
“I couldn’t imagine having my products in the same store as Shein,” Ms. Pechavy said. “Shein represents everything I fight against. We want to make durable items from sustainable materials that are meant to last in people’s homes. We are not about overconsumption at all.”
Frédéric Merlin says he stands by his decision to allow Shein at BHV Marais.THIBAUD MORITZ/AFP/Getty Images
Concerned about the store’s future, BHV employees walked out in protest a week after the announcement. Worker unions cited Shein’s arrival as evidence of poor business decisions by the store’s parent company, worried it would put the jobs of 1,500 employees at risk.
The outcry is spreading far beyond the department store’s shelves. The day after the announcement, a petition titled “Paris deserves better than Shein” was launched. Within a few weeks, it had gathered more than 110,000 signatures.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, quickly took to social media to voice her concern about the arrival of the Chinese giant in the city, calling the decision “contrary to the ecological and social ambitions of Paris.”
Then, la Banque des territoires, a public financial institution, pulled out of a major investment deal with BHV’s parent company. In a statement, the bank said the partnership with Shein did not align with its values and called BHV’s decision a “breach of trust.”
The industry joined the chorus of condemnation. BHV was unanimously expelled from an industry group that represents French department stores. The following week, Disneyland Paris announced it was cancelling plans to decorate the store’s iconic holiday window displays, though it did not cite Shein as the reason.
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Though intense, the backlash did not come out of nowhere. For years, France has been at the forefront of regulations aimed at curbing the rise of ultra-fast fashion.
Shein’s arrival coincides with the passage of an ambitious “anti-fast-fashion” bill set to take effect in 2026. The legislation specifically targets the practices of Shein and similar online retailers, such as Temu and AliExpress.
The French disdain for ultra-fast fashion managed to unite lawmakers across party lines. The bill received unanimous support, a rare achievement in France’s deeply polarized and chaotic political landscape.
Critics of Shein perceived the timing of its physical implantation as all but coincidental. The company did not respond to requests for comments.
“My first reaction was horror,” said Anne-Cécile Violland, the member of the National Assembly who spearheaded the bill. “How could BHV, a symbol of French fashion, betray its country to this extent? And from Shein, this is a provocation.”
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The legislation will impose a financial penalty of up to €5 (about $8) on items with harmful environmental impacts. It also allows a tax of a few euros on small parcels shipped in from outside the European Union.
And the bill prohibits companies such as Shein from advertising in France, including through social media influencers. This is not the first time the company’s marketing tactics have drawn scrutiny in Europe.
This summer, French watchdogs fined Shein for promoting misleading discounts and for breaching user-tracking regulations. As a result, the company had to pay nearly $310-million in fines.
These companies’ advertising tactics contribute significantly to their ability to produce and sell en masse, explains Flore Berlingen of En Mode Climat, an advocacy group that opposes fast-fashion practices.
“The consumer is being harassed,” Ms. Berlingen said. “When you’re being tracked and seeing the same ads everywhere, it’s obvious you’re going to give in.”
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Nearly everything in Shein’s catalogue is discounted. Flashy pop-ups advertise astronomical promotions, and social media influencers hand out discount codes with every new video.
Such practices encourage consumers to make frequent purchases and to opt for multiple low-cost items rather than a single, potentially more durable one. “We’re binge buying clothes, which is a phenomenon engineered by those companies,” Ms. Berlingen said.
It’s working worldwide: 10 per cent of Canadians shop from Chinese marketplaces such as Shein, Temu, and AliExpress at least once a week, according to an Omnisend survey. More broadly, 60 per cent of Canadians shopped from these websites in 2025.
Temu, which faces its own share of criticisms over its labour practices and environmental impact, has become a Canadian favourite. Just two years into its launch in the country, it has become the second-most-visited shopping website after Amazon.ca, according to the survey.
And despite France’s outcry against ultra-fast fashion, demand is growing. A quarter of French people have shopped from these brands in the past six months, an Ipsos poll found.
Andrée-Anne Lemieux, sustainability director at the French Institute of Fashion, said there’s been a global systemic shift. New production methods, social media and artificial intelligence have all contributed to changing shopping habits.
“We live in a throw-away fashion culture,” she said. “We’re trapped in constant consumption, which isn’t only the fault of the consumer or the producer. It’s systemic.”
A 2023 study conducted by the University of Waterloo and Seneca College revealed that Canadians discard nearly 500 million kilograms of textiles annually – approximately 12 kilograms of waste per person.
As a researcher, Ms. Lemieux has travelled to regions of the Global South where garments go to die. Ghana alone receives 15 million used clothes every week, 40 per cent of which are not reusable and end up as waste.
“We are flooding the Global South with textile waste, creating a catastrophic social impact on both the environment and on people,” she said.