Earlier this summer, as Paris prepared to host the Olympic Games, Vogue magazine organized a huge display at Place Vendôme to honor the splendor and strong relationship between fashion creation and the French capital.
Shein presented a fashion show featuring emerging talent on Thursday night, just a stone’s throw from this famed luxury location, which is home to the Ritz, Louis Vuitton, and the world’s best jewelers. Several hundred influencers, about a dozen fashion journalists, and a few special guests of the company gathered under the arcades of Cour Vendôme, where Shein had set up large banquet tables brimming with lifestyle products.
As the modest throng approached the Pavillon Vendôme, the rain became heavier and lightning flashed over the Parisian sky, as if the brand’s relationship with France was destined to be electric. The global fashion retail behemoth is being scrutinized by the French parliament, with the National Assembly passing a bill aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the textile industry in its first reading. French fashion sector representatives often criticize the Singapore-based e-commerce platform’s business strategy.
These worries were not on the minds of the 18 young designers, who combined offered over 50 looks. They produced the exhibition from the vault in the basement of the Pavillon Vendôme, a former bank, using Shein-provided materials and resources.
The event unfolded in a joyful and highly eclectic atmosphere, featuring everything from a businesswoman (carrying editions of Le Monde and Vogue in her bag) to a sultry “black widow” in lingerie, wedding dresses, femme fatale silhouettes reminiscent of the 1950s, and brooding men dressed in dark outfits with sharp-shouldered overcoats. The presentation, which paid homage to Parisian legends ranging from Édith Piaf to Jacques Dutronc, featured all of the style categories available on Shein’s website. The runway event, which was captured by multiple cameras, will definitely be used skillfully by the brand’s teams, who excel at communicating with clients, particularly on social media.
Furthermore, the brand is demonstrating its commitment to inclusive fashion by presenting models of various ages, body shapes, and skin tones from the International College for Models in Paris. This argument for making fashion accessible to everyone is bolstered by a strategy of supporting emerging designers.
The global corporation, which operates a program called SheinX to market proposals from undiscovered creatives, revealed plans to promote 250 young European talents with a budget of 10 million euros over the next five years. Shein is certainly making progress at a time when financing is in short supply.
“Europe is home to amazing young talent, and we are working not only to empower this new generation of designers but also to further our goals for sustainability and circularity.” Just as local designers at our show have incorporated circularity into their creations, we intend to continue promoting the adoption of circular choices and preferred materials across our entire offering,” said Leonard Lin, president of Shein for the EMEA region. “With collaborations like this and our commitment to investing in attracting more designers to the SheinX program, we hope that Shein can be a catalyst for emerging fashion voices while advancing circularity.”
The CEO said that output in the Euromed region has increased and that he is working with stakeholders on circularity, notably in textiles. He defended the group, which is frequently chastised for its environmental and social effects due to its large industry presence, by noting that it optimizes production using a technique of testing short batches of roughly 100 pieces. He also noted that the corporation is reforming to adopt more responsible material procurement practices.
When asked about legislative changes in France and Europe, where the European Union plans to eliminate the €150 threshold for applying customs duties on e-commerce, the new European president stated that the group will follow all regulations and pay all applicable taxes in each country.
The new European chief, who travels often between Singapore and other nations on the continent, is well-versed in his sector. He is not a marketing guru, previous sales director, or even a financial director. He is a key member of the group, serving as director of public affairs and interacting with industry representatives and government authorities. Shein recently boosted its presence in the European market by hiring former European Commissioner Günther Oettinger.
As Shein has spent months preparing for a possible stock market entrance, most likely in London, relationships with politicians and industry people have clearly become a priority for the company.
Donald Tang, Shein’s CEO, has also recently visited France and Europe to meet with lawmakers and business leaders. According to reports, he was there to explain the company’s concept, listen, and gather information—as well as to anticipate legislative changes on the continent while defending the company’s interests.
Investing several million euros to help young designers, who had the opportunity to present their collections in Paris and even sell their creations on a worldwide fashion platform, seemed to be well worth it. They took advantage of the opportunity and partied late into the night at the post-show cocktail, where they enjoyed the brand’s Parisian fashion extravaganza.
