Why ultra-fast fashion's 'cheap' argument is a consumer 'scam'

Paris - The French state's fight against Shein and other e-commerce giants is initially “symbolic” and “regulatory”. However, it must be coupled with a “cultural strategy” to confront platforms that sell clothing and, above all, “instagrammable emotions”. This is according to Benoît Heilbrunn, a philosopher and marketing professor.

“Shein's great strength is that it has transformed the relationship with clothing,” the professor at ESCP Business School explained to AFP. “It no longer (just) sells clothes; it sells the opportunity to take an Instagram photo, instagrammable emotions”.

The group, founded in China in 2012 and based in Singapore, is experiencing explosive growth worldwide. This is thanks to its low-priced, constantly updated collections and its on-demand manufacturing by its thousands of subcontractors in China.

In our 21st-century “society of abundance”, “we don't buy things we need; we have removed utility and use” from the purchasing process, states Heilbrunn. “This is what fast fashion embodies, a most cynical approach to consumption.”

Dictatorship of the click

New players like Shein and Temu are pushing the boundaries even further than Zara and H&M. Through their more advanced use of new technologies and AI, they are “pushing the acceleration process inherent to fashion to its limits”.

These are “anti-democratic brands”, according to the philosopher. “It is political totalitarianism infiltrating the platforms” via “the dictatorship of the click and the algorithm”.

Shein's addictive app is filled with fake promotions, multiple reminders and games. These promotions were flagged by the French fraud authority this year. On the app, the consumer enters “a bottomless pit of stimulation where they can lose all vigilance”, leading to a series of unnecessary purchases.

With its very low prices, Shein positions itself as a defender of purchasing power, claiming to democratise fashion. However, this “cheap” argument is “a scam”, according to the brand specialist. He explains, “you have a price that looks appealing, but the extended value of the product is nil because the garment will be thrown away after being used two or three times”.

Getting consumers to change their habits is no easy task, according to him. He states that “the consumer is tired of being told they are the bad guy for buying ultra-fast fashion. They have practically no economic leeway”.

Heilbrunn calls for long-term thinking about education. He suggests “we need a cultural strategy that consists of explaining to people, in a very educational way, the benefit of buying slightly more expensive products and considering it a long-term investment”. However, “it will take at least 15 years,” he warns.

Five-headed monster

To speed things up, the state must “get its hands dirty” by using the “enemy's tools”: “advertising and marketing”.

When dealing with these online ultra-fast fashion players, public authorities have “a range of measures from taxation to an outright ban. However, for a ban to be imposed, there must be a reason”. This reason is currently lacking, ruled the Paris court when it rejected the state's request to suspend Shein.

Heilbrunn calls for a response “at the European level, otherwise it will have no effect”. France plans to introduce a tax on small parcels in early 2026, ahead of the European regulation scheduled for July. Additionally, an anti-fast fashion bill could become law in 2026.

Europe is still searching for the right formula to regulate e-commerce platforms, which are notable for their lack of responsibility on their “marketplace” for third-party sellers.

Shein or Temu are merely following the American giant Amazon, which “prepared the ground” by creating the “platformisation” of the market. The expert recalls that Amazon understood “it was necessary not only to sell its own products but also to host competitors”.

He proposes regulating the market by controlling quality, including “mandatory display of sourcing (origin) and manufacturing” to inform the consumer. France has adopted a textile “ecoscore” for this purpose, although it is not mandatory for brands.

Heilbrunn concludes: “We are facing a five-headed monster and we don't really know how to restrain it”.