Fast fashion news and archive

EU clamps down on food waste, fast fashion

EU lawmakers gave a final green light Tuesday to a law on curbing the environmental impact of so-called fast fashion and also slashing back the mountains of food wasted in Europe each year. Brussels estimates the 27-nation bloc generates around 15 kilos of textile waste and 130 kilogrammes of food waste per person each year. By curbing food...

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European parliament votes on law against textile waste and fast fashion

The European Parliament is poised to enact a new law that will tackle both food and textile waste, with a significant focus on the environmental impact of "fast fashion." This legislation, which revises a 2008 directive, marks the first time the textile industry will be subject to EU-wide waste reduction efforts. This initiative, championed by...

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Business|Reportage

The 'Prato system': corruption and illegal labour at the heart of the Italian textile industry

The fatal shooting of Zhang Dayong in Rome, who was found with six bullet wounds, initially seemed unconnected to Prato, Italy's textile hub. However, investigators now believe the murder is part of a brutal "hanger war" between rival Chinese mafia groups for control of Europe's largest garment manufacturing centre. This criminal escalation is...

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Shein reportedly files for Hong Kong IPO

Fast fashion giant Shein is believed to have confidentially filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong as it looks to pressure UK regulators to approve of a London listing. This is according to sources for the Financial Times (FT), who said the China-founded, Singapore-based company had privately filed a draft prospectus with Hong Kong’s...

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Fashion|Opinion

Why fast-fashion is harming second-hand – and what we can do about it

June ended with yet another blow to Europe’s struggling post-consumer textiles sector: Texaid Germany filed for insolvency. This is a significant setback for the group and for the broader reuse and recycling ecosystem. Just as European policymakers begin to treat textile waste with the seriousness it deserves, the very infrastructure needed to...

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Shein fined 40 million euros in France for false discounts

The ultra fast fashion retailer Shein has been fined 40 million euros. The brand was reprimanded by France's Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) for misleading commercial practices towards consumers. The sanction follows an investigation into Infinite Style E-commerce LTD (ISEL), the company...

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France consumes more new fashion than ever amid transition to circularity

Purchases of new clothing, footwear and household linen reached a record high in France in 2024, with an average of 42 items per person, the organisation Refashion revealed at a press conference on Tuesday. In 2024, 3.5 billion new pieces were purchased, or 10 million per day, Vanessa Gutierrez, head of studies at Refashion, the body tasked by...

Retail

H&M courts the premium market with Galeries Lafayette debut

H&M is pushing further into premium retail territory with the opening of a new shop-in-shop at Paris' Galeries Lafayette, one of Europe’s most symbolic department stores. The 63-square-metre corner features the brand’s 'Adorable' childrenswear line, a follow-up to its 2024 launch at Selfridges in London. Targeting more affluent consumers, the...

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French Senate to vote on regulating fast fashion

The French Senate is due to vote Tuesday on a bill to regulate the fast fashion industry, by sanctioning companies and banning advertisements. The bill is targeted at Chinese-founded e-commerce giant Shein, which has a reputation for selling lower quality clothes at a very low price. Easy to order and replace, fast fashion items are exported to...

Podcast

Podcast: Is fast fashion ruining thrifting?

The desire for secondhand shopping is widespread, yet finding high-quality thrift items is increasingly challenging due to fast fashion dominating selections. This raises questions: Is this deterring people from choosing preloved goods? Can we address the scarcity of quality donations and also create a more affordable thrifting alternative? This...

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25 consumer organisations file complaint against Shein over misleading practices

Twenty-five European consumer organisations have lodged a joint complaint against Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein, accusing the company of misleading consumers and promoting overconsumption through manipulative design elements on its website and mobile app. The complaint, addressed to European regulators, alleges that Shein employs so-called ‘...

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French senate passes advertising ban for fast fashion

Regarding the ‘anti-fast fashion’ bill, debated on June 2, 2025, the Sénat enacted a general ban on advertising, which French senators in committee had opposed. With the government's support and thanks to lobbying by fashion federations, the Sénat reinstated the article that provided for a general ban on advertising ultra-fast fashion in...