As I unwrapped gifts with my family after Christmas lunch, I was given a woolen sweater. As a millennial, my first thought went straight to Mrs. Weasley’s sweaters, then to the iconic Miranda Presley and how she probably wouldn’t have approved of the color.

Fashion is an industry built on style and identity, created to make a strong emotional impact through clothes, accessories, and cosmetics, a lesson Miranda Presley made crystal clear.

It is also an extremely powerful economic sector: in 2015, the entire industry was worth about $1.45 trillion; by 2023, it had reached $1.94 trillion, with further growth projections for the immediate future [1].

At the same time, fashion is one of the most impactful industries both on an ethical-social level, involving the entire planet between producing countries and consumer markets, and on an environmental level, with direct effects on air, water, and waste.

A report from the European Parliament highlights that, in 2020, the clothing sector was responsible for 20% of global water pollution [2]. In the same year, the European Union alone produced around 121 million tons of carbon dioxide [3].

With the rise of fast fashion, the volume of waste has increased dramatically: low-cost products that are constantly new on the market turn into clothes worn for very little time — or even never worn — destined for landfills. It has been estimated that only 1% of used clothes are actually recycled [2].

Shein is one of the most emblematic cases to understand the evolution of fast fashion. The Chinese company represents an extreme — yet increasingly normalized — version of how fast fashion operates today: a success built on extremely low prices, rapid production cycles, and an extensive online distribution network worldwide.

On November 5, 2025, with the opening of its first physical store in Paris, this model, previously confined to the digital space, suddenly became tangible.

Long queues and great excitement from the public marked the opening day, but there were also protests and criticism about the production methods, environmental impact, and working conditions in the countries of production [4].

Despite the protests, numbers tell a story of success. According to Frédéric Merlin, president of the Société des Grands Magasins — the company that owns the BHV Marais shopping center where the store opened — on opening day alone, the store attracted over 5,000 paying visitors, of whom 85% visited only the Shein store [5].

The strength of fast fashion lies in its accessibility: an offer that meets a real demand, especially in a context of increasing economic insecurity. When household income is limited, price often becomes the primary criterion for choice [6].

“When you know the financial situation of families in France, you can understand that some people turn to this kind of brand, because when you have five children, you can’t afford to clothe them.”

(Amber Pavone, media worker, speaking to CNN [6])

Nevertheless, the triumph of fast fashion prompts a deeper inquiry: is it truly the sole viable response to the ever-growing demand for affordable clothing?