The clothes – crop tops, cardigans, cargo pants – are often priced under €10 (about $11), customized for each shopper using Instagram and TikTok algorithms, and shipped with the swipe of a finger. They arrive at the front door within days, ready to be tried and, potentially, tossed.
For millions of online customers, this is what shopping looks like now: unprecedented speed and variety at irresistible prices. If the dress doesn’t fit, oh well – it cost barely more than a cup of coffee.
In France, one of the homes of high fashion, lawmakers are pumping the brakes on an industry they say is out of control. The French Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill in June targeting what’s being called “ultrafast fashion” – a model typified by Chinese e-commerce giants Shein and Temu.
Why We Wrote This
New fashion, available fast and cheap, sounds great in isolation. But the faster the fashion, the more clothes ultimately end up as waste. France is reining in “ultrafast” fashion giants like Temu and Shein, with other nations weighing their own moves.
The move has been described on social media as the end of fast fashion in France. Yet the bill spares conventional European fast-fashion retailers like Zara and H&M from the harshest penalties, leading some to argue the legislation does not go far enough to curb the influx of cheap, disposable clothing.
Still, if enacted, it would mark a first in Europe – and could set a precedent for other countries grappling with the hidden costs of low-cost fashion.
What is ultrafast fashion?
Fast fashion – think Zara, H&M, and Forever 21 – transformed retail in the early 2000s. New trends appeared on shelves every few weeks rather than once per season, with the help of global supply chains, synthetic fabrics, and cheap labor in countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, and China.
Ultrafast fashion takes speed to new levels. Brands like Shein and Temu bypass physical storefronts altogether. Instead, they rely on real-time algorithms, TikTok influencers, and hypertargeted ads to test what sells, tweak designs, and produce new clothes – sometimes in less than three days.
That means Shein can add thousands of new styles to its site every day. With 1 in 3 members of Gen Z saying they feel addicted to fast fashion, according to a 2022 ThredUp survey, Shein has become the most visited fashion and apparel website globally – ahead of Nike, Zara, and Macy’s.
“It’s just so accessible and convenient and cheap – it’s hard to resist,” says Patsy Perry, an associate professor in fashion marketing at the Manchester Fashion Institute at Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.
Why is France cracking down on it?
Responsible for an estimated 10% of global carbon emissions, the fashion industry also generates vast amounts of textile waste. Somewhere around 100 billion items are produced yearly, with the Environmental Protection Agency estimating that 85% of textiles are thrown away or incinerated.
And each laundry cycle sheds microplastics – resulting in the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles each year, according to a 2017 report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a British nonprofit that promotes a circular economy.
The French bill aims to combat what politician Anne-Cécile Violland, who introduced the legislation, has called the “systemic overproduction” of low-cost, short-lived clothing. It proposes a €5 fee per item for brands with the worst environmental performance, rising to €10 by 2030. It would also ban advertising for ultrafast fashion and impose sanctions on influencers who promote it.
The legislation is also meant to protect European retailers, which cannot compete with the rock-bottom prices. Amendments to the original draft of the bill narrowed its scope primarily to Shein and Temu, leading environmentalists to call the bill a “missed opportunity” for more systemic change.
What would the bill mean for consumers?
If it is enacted, French consumers may see fewer promotional blitzes on their social media feeds and slightly higher prices.
Shein has argued that the bill penalizes consumers who are already squeezed financially. Still, the added fees would be capped at 50% of a garment’s retail price – meaning a $5 bikini could cost no more than $7.50.
The proposal would also require retailers to offer information about the environmental impact of their garments, which may encourage shoppers to make more eco-conscious decisions.
Politicians and observers from Ireland to Australia are calling for regulation that would follow in France’s footsteps. A proposed bill in New York state would require major fashion retailers to map and disclose their environmental and social footprints. The United Kingdom rejected a proposal for a “fast fashion tax” in 2019.
Consumer habits may prove harder to regulate. “We’ve gotten used to this constant changing of our wardrobes,” says Dr. Perry. Still, she notes, “there will be pressure if somebody is doing it.”
