Paris, once the capital of couture, now has a Shein store, and that says it all

Paris has long been the city of lights, the city of dreams, and, above all, the city of fashion. It is home to ground-breaking runway moments and storied ateliers. A collection shown in Paris—on Avenue Montaigne, Rue Saint-Honoré, or the PFW runway—was the ultimate aspiration for every fashion house. It still is. But something seems to have shifted. 

Today, the iconic Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville (BHV) department store opened its doors to the first physical store of the ultra-fast fashion e-commerce website Shein, a brand known for dizzying product volume and supersonic consumption. Opinions are definitely strong.

The city of style surrenders its stage 

Where the world’s most avant-garde design houses once defined what fashion should be, a discount-driven digital brand sets up shop amidst marble and mannequins. The shift signals a transformation of how we view fashion as a whole.

Shein’s business model thrives on speed, scale and immediacy. New products are added daily, at low price points and in line with trends that change faster than you can blink. Everything feeds into the frenzy of immediate gratification, with little thought given to environmental or ethical consequences, such as the knockoffs of designs by some of fashion’s powerhouses. Amidst this rush of constant consumption, slow, intentional fashion can seem almost out of step. Are consumers no longer content to wait seasons for pieces that are thoughtful, well-tailored and of the highest quality?

Thankfully, not all are on the same page. While queues formed outside the store before its opening, several protestors held up slogans reading “Shame!”. In fact, some retailers within BHV, a nineteenth-century legacy known for its premium brands, and other French stores have considered pulling out their brands entirely to express their outrage. 

The ghastly problems of fast-fashion invasion 

The death of fashion is not just aesthetic; it may also be ethical. While the business deal seems to spell a catastrophe for the future of couture, there is fierce resistance for other, far more terrible reasons. The French government is already initiating proceedings to suspend Shein’s online marketplace mere hours after the physical store opened. There have been listings of child-like sex dolls on the website and alleged regulatory violations. While Shein representatives have released statements promising to comply with the authorities, the question remains: why were such dolls existing in the first place? The discovery not only triggered the government’s move to suspend the platform but also cast a shadow across this moment of expansion.

French fashion industry insiders, artisanal brands, and department-store insiders are also questioning what victory looks like when ultra-fast fashion marches into the most elite retail addresses. In one sense, this is economic: Shein promises jobs and easy access to a younger consumer base in times that focus less on couture and more on cost. But the cultural stakes are higher. Parisian style has always been tied to values: craftsmanship, heritage, and quality. Shein’s arrival feels like the end of a chapter, and possibly the beginning of something very different.

The end of an era 

What once meant exclusivity now meets mass ubiquity. Luxury’s cachet is shifting. The atelier and the artisan are no longer the central protagonists in every story. Instead, flat-pack shipments, influencer-fuelled micro-drops and inventory-by-click have become the norm.

To some, this signals the end of aspirational fashion. Renowned designers looked to Paris as the fashion capital, and collections defined by permanence, creativity, and craftsmanship. Today, fashion has become something far easier. It’s ephemeral, disposable, driven by volume and demand. In a nation that has prided itself on traditions and enduring fashion moments, the Shein model stands out in stark contrast.

In the glare of neon signage and bargain rails, we must ask: what values are being surrendered? When luxury is replaced by relentless turnover, fashion ceases to mean what it used to.

Style for sale 

Paris used to set the pace. Now it seems to be playing catch-up. For now, everyone is watching. The queues may grow, social-media influencers may pose, and bargains might be snapped up. Yet for the craftspeople, independent houses and slow-fashion advocates who built Paris’s reputation, this moment is a challenge. Is it fair to ask them to adjust?

Fashion’s death might not be literal. But the world it inhabited, one where the translation of vision into cloth and style took time, patience and care, seems to be ending. What replaces it may be more profitable and cheaper, but it might not be better.

At the core of Shein’s Paris debut lies this truth: when fashion is for everyone, it may be for no one. 

All images: Getty Images 
 

Also read: Mumbai meets Miami at Art Deco Alive!—A celebration of design and glamour

Also read: Celebrity-inspired glam tips every woman in business can borrow