Fast fashion news and archive

French report outlines plan to tax fast fashion and boost local production

On Wednesday, Clément Beaune, France's High Commissioner for Strategy and Planning, unveiled a strategic study designed to combat the "massive influx" of fast fashion. The report advocates for a tripartite approach: revitalizing French manufacturing, scaling textile recycling, and imposing heavy taxes on low-cost imports. Ahead of the full...

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Europe unites against ultra-fast fashion: eight countries call on Brussels to “strengthen” mobilisation

Led by France, eight European countries are calling on the European Commission and member states to “strengthen” their “collective mobilisation” against the “systemic risks” they believe are posed by e-commerce platforms such as Shein and its competitors. The letter was sent to Brussels on Monday. “We call on the Commission to mobilise strongly...

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France: one in five online clothing purchases is from ultra-fast fashion

During Fashion Reboot 2025, Gildas Minvielle, Director of the Economic Observatory at the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM), delivered his annual report. Below are the primary insights regarding the shifts in the French fashion market from 2024 to 2025. Total turnover for the apparel and textiles sector in France fell by 1.3 percent between...

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Shein’s US Momentum stalls as De Minimis tariff exemption ends

Ultra fast fashion retailer Shein’s meteoric growth in the US has suffered a sharp deceleration following the Trump administration’s decision to rescind the so-called de minimis tariff exemption on August 29. According to Bloomberg’s Second Measure transactional data, observed US sales for Shein fell by about 8 per cent year-on-year in...

Fashion

European textile federations call on the EU for "urgent action" against ultra fast fashion

Paris - "Without delay", "immediately": European textile and clothing companies "can no longer wait years for measures to be taken against ultra fast fashion", they write in a joint letter to the European Commission. Fashion and textile players are growing impatient with the slow legislative response to Shein, Temu and AliExpress. These large...

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The 'Prato system': corruption and illegal labour at the heart of the Italian textile industry

The fatal shooting of Zhang Dayong in Rome, who was found with six bullet wounds, initially seemed unconnected to Prato, Italy's textile hub. However, investigators now believe the murder is part of a brutal "hanger war" between rival Chinese mafia groups for control of Europe's largest garment manufacturing centre. This criminal escalation is...

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Shein reportedly files for Hong Kong IPO

Fast fashion giant Shein is believed to have confidentially filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong as it looks to pressure UK regulators to approve of a London listing. This is according to sources for the Financial Times (FT), who said the China-founded, Singapore-based company had privately filed a draft prospectus with Hong Kong’s...

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Fashion |Opinion

Why fast-fashion is harming second-hand – and what we can do about it

June ended with yet another blow to Europe’s struggling post-consumer textiles sector: Texaid Germany filed for insolvency. This is a significant setback for the group and for the broader reuse and recycling ecosystem. Just as European policymakers begin to treat textile waste with the seriousness it deserves, the very infrastructure needed to...

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Shein fined 40 million euros in France for false discounts

The ultra fast fashion retailer Shein has been fined 40 million euros. The brand was reprimanded by France's Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) for misleading commercial practices towards consumers. The sanction follows an investigation into Infinite Style E-commerce LTD (ISEL), the company...

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France consumes more new fashion than ever amid transition to circularity

Purchases of new clothing, footwear and household linen reached a record high in France in 2024, with an average of 42 items per person, the organisation Refashion revealed at a press conference on Tuesday. In 2024, 3.5 billion new pieces were purchased, or 10 million per day, Vanessa Gutierrez, head of studies at Refashion, the body tasked by...

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French Senate to vote on regulating fast fashion

The French Senate is due to vote Tuesday on a bill to regulate the fast fashion industry, by sanctioning companies and banning advertisements. The bill is targeted at Chinese-founded e-commerce giant Shein, which has a reputation for selling lower quality clothes at a very low price. Easy to order and replace, fast fashion items are exported to...

Podcast

Podcast: Is fast fashion ruining thrifting?

The desire for secondhand shopping is widespread, yet finding high-quality thrift items is increasingly challenging due to fast fashion dominating selections. This raises questions: Is this deterring people from choosing preloved goods? Can we address the scarcity of quality donations and also create a more affordable thrifting alternative? This...