It is not uncommon for Internet celebrities to unbox newly bought clothes, shoes, and bags, but French Republican Congressman Antoine Vermorel-Marques’ Shein unboxing video made international news.
"It's so beautiful, so fashionable!" This is his first time shopping online for clothes, shoes and scarves from Chinese fast fashion brand Shein. He opened the package with a serious expression of appreciation. The subject changed and he revealed that the first batch of shoes may contain phthalates, a chemical that can disrupt endocrine systems and even cause infertility. The second batch of baby clothes may have been treated with formaldehyde, which poses a risk of cancer. Finally, I pulled out the air tickets and found that these products had come across the ocean, with a staggering carbon footprint. He has proposed requiring a 5 euro (approximately NT$170) surcharge for every fast fashion purchase.
Is ‘killing’ fast fashion punishing the poor?
According to "France 24," Wimerhemmark's bill is known as a "kill bill" for fast fashion and is intended to support the French local textile industry.
Wiemer Hemark explained that this is not an additional "tax" because the bill has penalties as well as incentives. Buying fast fashion brands will cost you 5 euros more, while buying environmentally friendly and domestically produced clothing will get you a 5 euro bonus. The basic concept is that polluter pays, which is a win-win for the planet and consumers.
According to "Business Insider", Zara launches 20,000 new styles every year, and Shein is even more exaggerated, with 6,000 new styles on the shelves every day. As fast fashion becomes more popular, clothes are purchased and discarded faster. "earth.org" pointed out that manufacturers produce 100 billion pieces of clothing every year, of which 92 million tons enter the garbage dump. Most of the returned products will not be sold again.
The average price of Shein's clothes is 7 euros (about NT$240). With its low price and popular design, it has become the favorite of Generation Z. It has not only surpassed Nike and Adidas to become Google The most searched clothing brand, its revenue is also equal to Zara and beats H&M.
However, Shein has been involved in many controversies, including poor working conditions, toxic chemicals in products, and plagiarism of independent designers' works.
Shein is synonymous with the new generation of fast fashion. But with the rise of more fast fashion brands, how France defines fast fashion is also a problem.
How to define "fast" fashion?
While some support Wimmermark's bill, others criticize it as punishing the poor by making it difficult for them to obtain cheap, fashionable clothes.
Fast fashion is here to stay. The shopping platform Temu, which appeared in September 2022, has gained amazing momentum. This is a cross-border platform owned by the Chinese company "Pinduoduo". Its operating model is similar to Shein, and its price is cheaper.
The French Congress will debate the provisions in March and April. The bill will not only target Shein, but how to define "fast fashion"? The draft is expected to be based on stores adding 1,000 new products every day.
Sheng Lu (transliteration), associate professor of the Department of Fashion and Clothing at the University of Delaware, USA, pointed out in an interview with the clothing and home furnishings purchasing magazine "Sourcing Journal", does this refer to 1,000 new styles? Do products of the same style but different colors and sizes count? Who will count? How to execute? These are all questions.
References:
*France24 (2024/2/22), France's fast-fashion 'kill bill': Green move or penalty for the poor?
*Sourcing Journal (2024/2/24), Will a $5 Fast-Fashion Surcharge Save the Planet?
*Business Insider (2022/12/24), The fashion industry's dirtiest secret
Source: Environmental Information Center
