The Chinese fast-fashion retail giant Shein returned to Montreal with a pop-up store opening Thursday.
As customers eager for a bargain thronged the storefront on Ste-Catherine Street ahead of the store opening, they were soon joined by climate activists decrying the environmental impacts of the ultra-fast-fashion model.
Environmental advocates from Équiterre showed up with a garbage truck in tow with a banner displaying “Non à la mode jetable” (No to use-and-throw fashion) to drive their point home.
“Don’t let the cheap prices fool you,” said Daniel Rotman, executive director, Équiterre, speaking to reporters in front of the store.
He said that the low-price, quick turnaround garments not only pose an environmental problem, but also a waste management problem affecting the broader population.
“Who’s going to pay for the bill of overflowing landfills and the environmental health impacts that come with it? Not Shein,” Rotman said. “It’s all of us.”
Earlier this week, a report by the Montreal Auditor General revealed that the administration continued to dump nearly half of the city’s garbage to landfills already full.
Overall in Quebec, the amount of clothing thrown in the trash and sent to landfills has more than doubled in 10 years, reaching 344,000 metric tons in 2023, according to the most recent data. Recyc-Québec has identified fast fashion as the main source of this increase.
Environmental group Équiterre protests the opening of Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein pop-up store in downtown Montreal on Aug. 27, 2026 (Arthur Henault, CityNews)
Rotman called on the federal government to restrict the fast-fashion retail which has grown in popularity in Canada in recent years.
He pointed out that France has recently tightened regulations, notably by banning companies like Shein and Temu from advertising on social media and in traditional media. He believes that “it’s time for Canada to do the same.”
“There are limits to what they’re capable of doing, but at least it’s a good start. We can start using their tactics and take things even further here,” said Rotman.
Équiterre plans to conduct an in-depth study before presenting its specific recommendations to the government.
For the dozen or so shoppers who were waiting in line before the store opened, the low prices on clothing were the main reason they were there.
Rotman said he was “very sensitive to the affordability crisis,” but he emphasized that “buying a $4 T-shirt that lasts only two or three wears is really not the right solution; it’s better to buy durable goods.”
“Shein is a symbol of a business model that is not sustainable and has no place here,” he added.
This year Shein said its pop-up store will sell clothing, accessories and home items. The pop-up runs until Sunday, Aug. 30.
— With files from La Presse Canadienne
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