Pimkie becomes a pariah: Brand excluded from French fashion federations

Paris - The Federation of Clothing Retailers (FCA), a member of the Alliance du Commerce, announced on Friday the "unanimous" exclusion of French brand Pimkie, following its partnership with the controversial Asian brand Shein, according to a press release.

The fast-fashion giant Shein, "whose model is based on circumventing the rules and unfair competition to the detriment of existing brands and job creation in France", has "environmental practices that go against the entire transformation strategy of the sector," the two organisations denounced. By associating with Shein, "Pimkie has deviated from the collective commitments made by the industry," they judged.

They highlighted that the model of large Asian platforms has been condemned in France and Europe for "misleading commercial practices, false discounts, misinformation on consumer rights and environmental information, pressure to purchase, breaches of personal data protection rules, and massive use of air transport for the delivery of goods".

Pimkie faces the federations

"For more than two years since I took over Pimkie, I have not received any support from the various organisations and federations. Many were probably waiting for the end of the brand," reacted its CEO, Salih Halassi, to the AFP.

Halassi affirmed that Pimkie had been turned around: "We are close to breaking even, 20 stores opened in 2025, others will follow in 2026" and the brand "will continue to develop", particularly thanks to the partnership with Shein, which "will allow us to move faster and stronger internationally".

On Tuesday, Shein revealed that Pimkie would benefit from its powerful ecosystem to develop, particularly internationally. Integrated into a programme called "Shein Xcelerator", its products will be present on the Shein platform and therefore accessible in 160 countries, and Pimkie will benefit from logistical support (on-demand production and online order processing).

Founded in 1971, Pimkie, which today has nearly 200 points of sale in France (excluding overseas territories) and employs more than 700 people, has been in great difficulty, experiencing two social plans and a safeguard procedure. Since its partnership with Shein, the French brand has drawn the ire of the entire retail sector, from fashion to mass distribution.

The Alliance du Commerce brings together the Union du Grand Commerce de Centre-Ville, the FCA and the Federation of Footwear Retailers, representing 26,000 stores and 150,000 employees.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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