Overview
- Twelve French retail federations, joined by several major brands, filed legal proceedings in France against Shein’s Ireland-based subsidiary Infinite Styles Service Co. Limited.
- The suit alleges systemic unfair competition and noncompliance with European product-safety rules, seeking injunctions, damages and a precedent for enforcing EU standards on ultra-fast fashion platforms.
- French authorities recently ran a 24-hour customs sweep that opened every Shein parcel entering the country and reportedly found multiple non-compliant products.
- Because the case targets Shein’s Irish vehicle, French courts could order provisional measures up to suspending access to the platform, with the 2021 temporary shutdown of Wish cited as a relevant precedent.
- Backers include Monoprix, Promod and Pesson within a coalition representing over 60 entities, which cites modelled economic harm of about €3 billion and frames the action within EU tools such as the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act.