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Fashion Network
02-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
France's Senate debates new fast-fashion restrictions
After months of delays in Parliament, France's Senate is reviewing a bill on Monday to curb the rise of fast fashion. The legislation targets low-cost, short-lived clothing imported in massive volumes from China, with fast-fashion giant Shein at the center of the debate. Cheap, low-quality, easy to buy, highly polluting and constantly renewed — such garments now flood the market and challenge traditional players in the textile industry. But will their unchecked flow into France finally be regulated? That is the aim of the bill under debate Monday evening in the upper house. Originally introduced by Horizons party lawmaker Anne-Cécile Violland, the proposal to reduce the textile industry's environmental impact was passed by the National Assembly in March 2024 but had since stalled in the Senate. A formal vote is scheduled for Tuesday, June 10. The issue is urgent. Between 2010 and 2023, the volume of clothing released on the French market rose from 2.3 billion to 3.2 billion units. According to France's environment agency Ademe, more than 48 garments per person are placed on the market annually, and 35 are discarded every second. 'These giants of ultra-fast fashion are invading the market unchecked. We need to establish rules and hit them as hard as possible,' said Republican Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir, who is presenting the bill in the Senate. Also denouncing what she called an 'invasion,' Minister for Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher emphasized during a visit to the Rhône region on Monday that the textile industry is 'the most polluting sector in the world,' particularly in terms of carbon emissions. In the face of this 'unstoppable wave' of products 'that don't last,' the minister praised the bill as 'a very bold law' — the first of its kind in Europe — though she acknowledged it 'won't solve everything.' Targeting the ultra-disposable Among the key measures in the bill is an official definition of 'fast fashion,' with criteria based on production volume, frequency of collection turnover, product lifespan, and the lack of incentive to repair. Companies identified under these criteria would be required to raise consumer awareness of the environmental impact of their clothing. The proposal also introduces stricter penalties through a revised 'bonus-malus' system that factors in the environmental costs of overproduction. However, differences have emerged between the National Assembly and the Senate. While the Assembly favors linking penalties to a new environmental labeling system, the Senate — in agreement with the government — removed this reference during committee review. It prefers criteria tied to durability and business practices. This updated version aims to specifically target the 'ultra-fast' fashion of Asian giants, particularly Shein. According to the Senate committee's rapporteurs, a framework has been designed to clearly distinguish ultra-fast fashion giants — for whom being a multi-brand platform is merely a legal loophole — from legitimate marketplaces. In doing so, the Senate hopes to protect European and French retailers that may have been unintentionally affected by the Assembly's version, including chains like Kiabi, Zara and H&M. 'We're drawing a clear line between European express fashion retailers and ultra-fast fashion platforms,' said Senator Valente Le Hir. 'We'll use a defined threshold of daily product listings, to be set by decree, to distinguish between the two. Express fashion retailers may release 50 to 100 new items a day, while ultra-fast fashion platforms can launch as many as 10,000 — making the distinction relatively easy to formalize. 'Across local communities, express fashion brands play a role in keeping shopping malls, retail parks, and town centers active. We want to support that. These retailers are already subject to regulatory oversight. They're not perfect, but they operate within a monitored framework. Ultra-fast fashion, on the other hand, produces massive waste. A low price often comes with a very high cost.' As expected, the Senate proposed its own version of the text after committee review, which now serves as the foundation for this week's debates in the upper house. More than 100 amendments were filed by senators, along with around 15 by the government. Advertising and lobbying Several points are expected to spark intense debate. The environmental and human rights coalition Stop Fast Fashion — which includes organizations such as Emmaüs and France Nature Environnement — has warned that the Senate's revisions could turn the bill into 'an empty shell with no deterrent power.' One of the key questions will be whether fast-fashion brands should be banned entirely from advertising. The Senate majority — a center-right alliance — has rejected a full advertising ban, arguing that it could infringe on entrepreneurial freedom and raise constitutional concerns. 'We want a law that can be implemented quickly,' Valente Le Hir told reporters. 'That's what brands and retailers are asking for.' As a compromise, she proposed restricting the ban to social media influencers. However, the government supports a total ban and plans to push for its reinstatement, backed by left-wing parties. Behind the scenes, lawmakers have pointed to intense lobbying by fast-fashion companies — particularly Shein, which recently appointed former Interior Minister Christophe Castaner to an advisory committee on corporate social responsibility. 'This distorts the process and creates the impression that hiring a former minister is enough to influence lawmakers. That shows a poor understanding of how the Senate works,' said Republican Senator Didier Mandelli on Monday. Once the bill passes the Senate, it will move to a joint committee where representatives from both chambers will finalize the text. With AFP
Fashion Network
02-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
France's Senate debates new fast-fashion restrictions
After months of delays in Parliament, France's Senate is reviewing a bill on Monday to curb the rise of fast fashion. The legislation targets low-cost, short-lived clothing imported in massive volumes from China, with fast-fashion giant Shein at the center of the debate. Cheap, low-quality, easy to buy, highly polluting and constantly renewed — such garments now flood the market and challenge traditional players in the textile industry. But will their unchecked flow into France finally be regulated? That is the aim of the bill under debate Monday evening in the upper house. Originally introduced by Horizons party lawmaker Anne-Cécile Violland, the proposal to reduce the textile industry's environmental impact was passed by the National Assembly in March 2024 but had since stalled in the Senate. A formal vote is scheduled for Tuesday, June 10. The issue is urgent. Between 2010 and 2023, the volume of clothing released on the French market rose from 2.3 billion to 3.2 billion units. According to France's environment agency Ademe, more than 48 garments per person are placed on the market annually, and 35 are discarded every second. 'These giants of ultra-fast fashion are invading the market unchecked. We need to establish rules and hit them as hard as possible,' said Republican Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir, who is presenting the bill in the Senate. Also denouncing what she called an 'invasion,' Minister for Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher emphasized during a visit to the Rhône region on Monday that the textile industry is 'the most polluting sector in the world,' particularly in terms of carbon emissions. In the face of this 'unstoppable wave' of products 'that don't last,' the minister praised the bill as 'a very bold law' — the first of its kind in Europe — though she acknowledged it 'won't solve everything.' Targeting the ultra-disposable Among the key measures in the bill is an official definition of 'fast fashion,' with criteria based on production volume, frequency of collection turnover, product lifespan, and the lack of incentive to repair. Companies identified under these criteria would be required to raise consumer awareness of the environmental impact of their clothing. The proposal also introduces stricter penalties through a revised 'bonus-malus' system that factors in the environmental costs of overproduction. However, differences have emerged between the National Assembly and the Senate. While the Assembly favors linking penalties to a new environmental labeling system, the Senate — in agreement with the government — removed this reference during committee review. It prefers criteria tied to durability and business practices. This updated version aims to specifically target the 'ultra-fast' fashion of Asian giants, particularly Shein. According to the Senate committee's rapporteurs, a framework has been designed to clearly distinguish ultra-fast fashion giants — for whom being a multi-brand platform is merely a legal loophole — from legitimate marketplaces. In doing so, the Senate hopes to protect European and French retailers that may have been unintentionally affected by the Assembly's version, including chains like Kiabi, Zara and H&M. 'We're drawing a clear line between European express fashion retailers and ultra-fast fashion platforms,' said Senator Valente Le Hir. 'We'll use a defined threshold of daily product listings, to be set by decree, to distinguish between the two. Express fashion retailers may release 50 to 100 new items a day, while ultra-fast fashion platforms can launch as many as 10,000 — making the distinction relatively easy to formalize. 'Across local communities, express fashion brands play a role in keeping shopping malls, retail parks, and town centers active. We want to support that. These retailers are already subject to regulatory oversight. They're not perfect, but they operate within a monitored framework. Ultra-fast fashion, on the other hand, produces massive waste. A low price often comes with a very high cost.' As expected, the Senate proposed its own version of the text after committee review, which now serves as the foundation for this week's debates in the upper house. More than 100 amendments were filed by senators, along with around 15 by the government. Advertising and lobbying Several points are expected to spark intense debate. The environmental and human rights coalition Stop Fast Fashion — which includes organizations such as Emmaüs and France Nature Environnement — has warned that the Senate's revisions could turn the bill into 'an empty shell with no deterrent power.' One of the key questions will be whether fast-fashion brands should be banned entirely from advertising. The Senate majority — a center-right alliance — has rejected a full advertising ban, arguing that it could infringe on entrepreneurial freedom and raise constitutional concerns. 'We want a law that can be implemented quickly,' Valente Le Hir told reporters. 'That's what brands and retailers are asking for.' As a compromise, she proposed restricting the ban to social media influencers. However, the government supports a total ban and plans to push for its reinstatement, backed by left-wing parties. Behind the scenes, lawmakers have pointed to intense lobbying by fast-fashion companies — particularly Shein, which recently appointed former Interior Minister Christophe Castaner to an advisory committee on corporate social responsibility. 'This distorts the process and creates the impression that hiring a former minister is enough to influence lawmakers. That shows a poor understanding of how the Senate works,' said Republican Senator Didier Mandelli on Monday. Once the bill passes the Senate, it will move to a joint committee where representatives from both chambers will finalize the text. With AFP
Fashion United
02-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
French Senate addresses the challenge of curbing the rise of ‘fast fashion'
Paris - After considerable time in Parliament, a bill to curb 'fast fashion' was reviewed in the French Senate. The Senate aimed to legislate against this 'short-lived' or 'disposable' fashion shipped at discounted prices from China, with giants Shein and Temu in its sights. Inexpensive, of poor quality, easy to order, often highly polluting and constantly renewed, these garments, which saturate the market and compete with established players in the textile industry, faced potential regulation of their influx into France. This was the subject of the text reviewed in the evening at the upper house. Championed by Horizons MP Anne-Cécile Violland, the bill to 'reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry' had languished for over a year on the Senate's desk, following its adoption in March 2024 by the National Assembly. The phenomenon itself did not stop: between 2010 and 2023, the number of garments placed on the market in France increased from 2.3 billion to 3.2 billion; more than 48 garments per inhabitant were placed on the market each year in France and 35 were discarded every second in the country, according to Ademe, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency. 'Today, these giants of ultra fast fashion are invading the market without any control. We must establish rules, hit them as best as possible and as hard as possible,' Sylvie Valente Le Hir, the Les Républicains senator in charge of reporting the text to the Senate, told AFP. Targeting 'ultra' fast fashion Among the key measures was the establishment in law of a definition of 'fast fashion', with criteria based on the volumes manufactured, the speed of collection renewal, the limited 'lifespan' of products and the 'low incentive' to repair them. The targeted companies would then have obligations such as raising consumer awareness of the 'environmental impact' of their clothing. The bill also provided for enhanced sanctions for these platforms through a revised 'bonus-malus' system taking into account the 'environmental costs' of excessive production. On this mechanism, a divergence seemed to appear between the National Assembly and the Senate. The MPs wished to link these penalties to the 'environmental labelling' of products, a recent rating method. But the Senate, in agreement with the government, removed this reference in committee, preferring criteria related to 'sustainability' and 'commercial practices' specific to these platforms. A new draft aimed to target more specifically the 'ultra fast fashion' of Asian companies Shein and Temu, while preserving other European or French companies that could have been affected by the text voted on in the Assembly. 'The idea is to target outrageous models,' the Ministry of Ecological Transition acknowledged. 'This is the case with ultra fast fashion because the number of references is out of all proportion to what we might call simply fast fashion.' Advertising This refocusing of the text worried the Stop Fast Fashion coalition, which brought together 14 environmental and human rights associations, including Emmaus, France Nature Environnement, Friends of the Earth and Zero Waste. For them, the initiative could therefore 'become nothing more than an empty shell, with no dissuasive effect'. Another sign that the debate would be closely scrutinised was that two associations – Friends of the Earth and the Multinationals Observatory – increased the pressure on Shein in recent days by asking the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP) to 'exercise its right of control' over the company's lobbying activities, accusing the giant, founded in China but based in Singapore, of 'irregularities'. 'I hope that my colleagues will have the capacity to push back against the lobbies,' said Socialist senator Nicole Bonnefoy, alarmed by a 'current trend in Parliament which gives pride of place to environmental regressions'. Discussions in the chamber also revolved around the banning of advertising for 'fast fashion' companies. The Senate majority, a right-centrist alliance, opposed it on the grounds that it would restrict the 'freedom to do business'. But the government was in favour and attempted to reinstate this ban, supported by the left. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
Fashion United
07-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Shein vs Vestiaire Collective: Ideological (and economic) battle over fast fashion
Paris - Two irreconcilable visions of fashion are clashing. On one side, Shein, a Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant, advocates fashion that is 'accessible to all'. On the other, Vestiaire Collective, a French pioneer of high-end second-hand fashion, denounces a toxic promise based on social exploitation, textile waste and the jeopardising of an entire industrial ecosystem. 'Fashion for all, misery for some.' With this hard-hitting slogan, Vestiaire Collective responded to Shein's advertising campaigns, which defend a vision of fashion as a 'fundamental right', affordable for all. According to Vestiaire Collective's chief impact officer, Dounia Wone, the real cost of this right is much higher than the price tag: sacrificed local employment, lost textile know-how and a polluted planet. The promise of 'democratising' fashion is built on working conditions denounced as abusive. A seductive economic promise… but unsustainable? Shein has conquered the world with a simple formula: thousands of items, updated in real time, at ultra-competitive prices. A dress for 12 euros, delivered in 72 hours, returned if necessary… or thrown away. Behind this impressive logistics operation is a model based on a frantic pace of production - up to 75 hours of work per week in workshops denounced by several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and a return rate so high that it justifies the burial or incineration of unsold new clothes. Vestiaire Collective directly attacks this logic: 'Why should fashion be disposable?' the brand asks in its campaigns. It asserts that this model does not include any real costs: neither for the environment, nor for social rights, nor for local economies. Vestiaire Collective, activist and activated Vestiaire Collective's attack does not stop at slogans. Since 2022, the platform has progressively banned more than 70 fast fashion brands, including Shein, Zara, Boohoo, H&M and PrettyLittleThing. This strategy goes against the imperatives of volume in e-commerce, but it seems to be paying off: 92 percent of buyers remained active after these decisions, according to the platform, which is banking on the upgrading of the second-hand market. The company no longer hides the fact that it is now a political player. It is actively campaigning for stricter regulation of the textile sector, particularly against Asian fast fashion giants. In its sights is the anti-fast fashion bill, led by Member of Parliament Anne-Cécile Violland, which provided for a bonus-malus system and a limitation on advertising for polluting brands. The text was buried in March 2025 in a chilling political silence. Lobbying, appointments and grey areas The controversy was reignited with the surprise appointment of Christophe Castaner, former minister of the interior, to Shein's corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategic committee. For Vestiaire Collective's co-founder, Fanny Moizant, this is a 'national scandal'. She believes that this arrival strangely coincides with the withdrawal of the bill. 'Shein was very clever. They defused a regulation that would have cost millions,' she told Madame Figaro. According to Moizant, France could have become a world leader in the regulation of disposable fashion, and Shein has stopped at nothing to prevent this. A war of narratives as much as a clash of models This duel highlights two antagonistic narratives around consumption: Shein sells speed, novelty and accessibility, at the price of an opaque and controversial industrial model. Vestiaire Collective defends sustainability, quality and circularity, at the price of educating consumers and a profound cultural change. But this battle is not limited to public statements: it is already influencing legislative work. Law that is debated Despite the initial withdrawal of the anti-fast fashion bill, mobilisation continues to put pressure on the government. Under the effect of intense media coverage and growing indignation, the law was revised and put back on the parliamentary agenda, albeit in a watered-down version. While the bonus-malus system was retained, the maximum tax was lowered, and advertising restrictions were relaxed. This was a partial victory for advocates of more responsible fashion, but a clear signal that pressure works. As a sign of the times, from couture houses to independent labels, several industry leaders are in turn denouncing the Shein model, praising Vestiaire Collective's courage and calling for structural reform. This dynamic could mark a turning point: criticism of ultra-fast low-cost fashion is no longer just the preserve of activists. Shein counter-attacks As the anti-fast fashion bill approaches its examination in the Senate on June 10, Shein is going on the offensive. The Chinese brand, aware of the regulatory threat, is deploying a vast advertising campaign signed by Havas, hammering home the message that 'fashion is a right, not a privilege'. This charm offensive is based on the argument of purchasing power, aimed at rallying public opinion against legislation it considers elitist. But the fashion sector is not intimidated. Designers, entrepreneurs, federations and influencers are taking a stand one after the other. Victoire Satto, founder of The Good Goods, sums up the situation: 'It's no coincidence that Shein is communicating so much: it's afraid.' For her part, Fanny Moizant, president of Vestiaire Collective, continues to denounce the destructive economic and environmental impact of the ultra-low-cost model. She points out that the law is not intended to make fashion inaccessible, but to restore a competitive balance, while setting clear limits on an industry that is running towards exhaustion. Jocelyn Meire, founder of FASK and president of the France's École de Production de Confection textile de la Région Sud, also spoke out strongly. He recalled a previous exchange with the president of the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille, who is none other than Shein's CSR advisor, who described the idea of an environmental penalty on clothing produced en masse in undignified conditions as 'disgusting'. Meire reacted with irony and anger: 'When clothes become faster than ethics and cheaper than dignity, we are no longer simply consuming fashion, we are participating in a collapse.' Towards a more circular future? Will the future of fashion lie in second-hand and traceability? Vestiaire Collective is convinced of this. In particular, the company is involved in the development of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), a digital passport that will make it possible to identify the origin, composition and repairability of a product. This technology is supported by the European Commission, and could durably transform the textile market by promoting resale, transparency and circularity. Vestiaire is even envisaging a future where brands receive a share of the resales made on its platform, a new form of sustainable revenue aligned with the circular economy. At a time when public opinion is polarised around the price of clothing, the battle between Shein and Vestiaire Collective goes beyond the purely commercial. It questions our collective priorities: to produce more and more for less and less, or to consume less, but better?
Fashion United
06-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Shein versus Vestiaire Collective: the ideological (and economic) battle over fast fashion
France - Two irreconcilable visions of have fashion clashed. On one side, Shein, a Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant, advocated for fashion 'accessible to all'. On the other, Vestiaire Collective, a French pioneer of high-end second-hand fashion, denounced a toxic promise based on social exploitation, textile waste and the endangerment of an entire industrial ecosystem. 'Fashion for all, misery for a few.' With this slogan, Vestiaire Collective responded to recent Shein's advertising campaigns, which defended a vision of fashion as a 'fundamental right', affordable for all budgets. According to Vestiaire Collective's chief impact officer, Dounia Wone in a post on LinkedIn, the real cost of this right is much higher than the price tag: sacrificed local employment, erased textile know-how and a polluted planet. The promise of 'democratising' fashion was built on working conditions denounced as abusive. A seductive economic promise, but unsustainable? Shein conquered the world with a simple formula: thousands of items, updated in real time, at ultra-competitive prices. A dress for 12 euros, delivered in 72 hours, returned if necessary or thrown away. Behind this impressive logistics operation was a model based on a frantic pace of production, up to 75 hours of work per week in workshops denounced by several non-governmental organisations, and a return rate so high that it justified the burial or incineration of unsold new clothes. Vestiaire Collective directly attacked this logic: 'Why should fashion be disposable?' the brand asked in its campaigns. It stated that this model did not include any real costs, neither for the environment, social rights, nor local economies. Vestiaire Collective, activist and activated Vestiaire Collective's attack did not stop at slogans. From 2022, the platform progressively banned more than 70 fast fashion brands, including Shein, Zara, Boohoo, H&M and PrettyLittleThing. This strategy went against the imperatives of volume in e-commerce, but seemed to be paying off. According to the platform, 92 percent of buyers remained active after these decisions, as it banked on the upgrading of the second-hand market. The company no longer hid that it was now a political player. It actively campaigned for stricter regulation of the textile sector, particularly against Asian fast fashion giants. The anti-fast fashion bill, led by member of parliament Anne-Cécile Violland, which included a bonus-malus system and a limitation on advertising for polluting brands, was in its sights. This bill was buried in March 2025 in a chilling political silence. Lobbying, appointments and grey areas The controversy was reignited with the surprise appointment of Christophe Castaner, former minister of the interior, to Shein's corporate social responsibility strategic committee. For Vestiaire Collective's co-founder, Fanny Moizant, this was a 'national scandal'. She stated that this arrival strangely coincided with the withdrawal of the bill. 'Shein was very clever. They defused a regulation that would have cost millions,' she told Madame Figaro. According to Moizant, France could have become a world leader in the regulation of disposable fashion, and Shein had stopped at nothing to prevent this. A war of narratives as much as a clash of models This duel highlighted two antagonistic narratives around consumption: Shein sold speed, novelty and accessibility, at the price of an opaque and controversial industrial model. Vestiaire Collective defended sustainability, quality and circularity, at the price of educating consumers and a profound cultural change. But this battle was not limited to public statements, it already influenced legislative work. Law that caused debate Despite the initial withdrawal of the anti-fast fashion bill, mobilisation continued to put pressure. Under the effect of intense media coverage and growing indignation, the law was revised and put back on the parliamentary agenda, albeit in a watered-down version. While the bonus-malus was retained, the maximum tax was lowered, and advertising restrictions were relaxed. This was a partial victory for advocates of more responsible fashion, but a clear signal that pressure worked. A sign of the times: leading figures in French fashion were now taking a public stand. From couture houses to independent labels, several industry leaders in turn denounced the Shein model, praised Vestiaire Collective's courage and called for structural reform. This dynamic could mark a turning point: criticism of ultra-fast low-cost was no longer only voiced by activists, but was becoming an image issue for established players in French fashion. Shein counter-attacked, French fashion retaliated As the anti-fast fashion bill approached its examination in the Senate, scheduled for June 10, Shein went on the offensive. Aware of the regulatory threat, the Chinese brand launched a vast advertising campaign signed by Havas, hammering home that 'fashion is a right, not a privilege'. This charm offensive was based on the argument of purchasing power, aimed at rallying public opinion against legislation it deemed elitist. But the French fashion sector was not intimidated. Designers, entrepreneurs, federations and influencers were taking a stand one after the other. Victoire Satto, founder of The Good Goods, summed up the situation: 'It's no coincidence that Shein is communicating so much: it's scared.' For her part, Fanny Moizant, president of Vestiaire Collective, continued to denounce the destructive economic and environmental impact of the ultra-low-cost model. She reminded people that the law was not intended to make fashion inaccessible, but to restore a competitive balance, while setting clear limits to an industry that was running towards exhaustion. Yann Rivoallan, president of the French Federation of Women's Ready-to-Wear, called for immediate action via the DGCCRF (Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control), citing misleading business practices and illegal promotions. Jocelyn Meire, founder of FASK and president of the 'École de Production de Confection textile de la Région Sud', also spoke out firmly. He recalled a previous exchange with the president of the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille, who was none other than Shein's corporate social responsibility advisor, who had described the idea of an environmental penalty on clothing mass-produced in undignified conditions as 'disgusting'. Meire reacted with irony and anger: 'When clothes become faster than ethics and cheaper than dignity, we're no longer simply consuming fashion, we're participating in a collapse.' At the same time, associations such as 'Les Amis de la Terre', Emmaüs France and WeMove Europe were mobilising citizens and decision-makers. A petition was circulating, opinion pieces were being published one after the other, and a mobilisation was planned for May 14 in Marseille, a city declared 'Capital of Eco-responsible Fashion'. This collective pressure was pushing the legislator to revise its copy: the bill, which had been threatened for a time, was returning to the Senate, in an amended but still ambitious version. Two complementary proposals were sent to senators by the UFIMH and the En Mode Climat collective, in order to avoid any dismantling of the text. For the first time, French fashion was putting up a united front against a global industrial offensive. Towards a more circular future? Will the future of fashion lie in second-hand and traceability? Vestiaire Collective was convinced of this. In particular, the company was involved in the development of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), a digital passport that will make it possible to identify a product's origin, composition and repairability. This technology was supported by the European Commission, and could sustainably transform the textile market by promoting resale, transparency and circularity. Vestiaire was even envisaging a future where brands would receive a share of resales made on its platform, a new form of sustainable revenue aligned with the circular economy. At a time when public opinion was polarising around the price of clothing, the battle between Shein and Vestiaire Collective went beyond the simple commercial framework. It questioned our collective priorities: produce more and more for less and less, or consume less, but better? This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
