New French anti fast-fashion bill

[Misthios]

AIBU to think this is a great idea??

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-lawmakers-approve-bill-apply-penalties-fast-fashion-2024-03-14/

Having read the article, the French are taking a range of actions to deal with the disposable nature of Shein, Temu and similar retailers, banning all advertising, imposing penalties on each item of up to 10 euros (although it doesn't say how this will be done or enforced) Already in place in France is the possibility to claim back money you spend getting a new sole on your shoes, or repairing clothes. They are also proposing an EU-wide ban on exporting textiles out of the EU, so all those mountains of things bought, worn once and discarded are the EU's problem, not Africa/Asia's problem.

I think it's brilliant and totally a step in the right direction - but one thing strikes me is that France don't seem to have a second-hand or charity shop sector like we do here, they MUST have some sort of Vinted or Ebay or something, or does the average French person not "do" second hand?

Agreed there are lots of different models of shifting second hand goods. Thrift stores like the big chain Goodwill are not for profit rather than charity which is different, but still serve the purpose of moving on stuff people don't want any more. As does Ebay, Vinted, Gumtree/Craigslist, flea markets, car boots etc etc etc.

It doesn't really matter what channel countries prefer, does it? The fact is that the second hand market is being absolutely flooded with cheap tat which either doesn't sell, or can only ever be worth pennies. Taking steps to stop the flood of these cheap textiles in the first place is a good thing.

And getting away from this idea that you need a new outfit for every occasion, every night out, every season, and that wearing a jacket from "summer 2023" is some sort of heinous fashion crime.

Charity shops do exist in France but not at the same levels as in the UK.

Vinted is very active and successful.

In general fast fashion isn't as present on the high street. There are more higher quality boutiques. There is definitely a tendancy to buy better quality clothes.

They have Emmaus second hand shops which are usually on the edge of town and can be enormous. They offer much better value IMO than the UK high street charity shops which have become expensive.

Also most weekly markets have a used clothes stand.

No shortage of second hand shops and market stalls where I am. Also petit bateau have a “pre loved” section which is great.

Yes they need wintery clothing in some countries in West Africa. It might just drop to 14, but when you are used to weather in the high20's/30's, that feels cold. If you travel around you'll see people wearing jumpers, while visitors sweat.
There's a lot of "I'd imagine" "I presume", across this thread, but knowing those in charge aka the owners/shareholders of the means of production, I'd wouldn't presume. The charity shoos aren't in the plans of councils who are turning dying high streets into bar/food places, so were do the poor shop for clothing? It's like the laughing at the queues outside primark after lock down.

How do you define fast fashion though…. Would Zara / Mango, Primark be considered this as some people would think it is

I would say that Primark is fast fashion yes. And ASOS, Pretty Little Thing, Boohoo, Zara, H&M. Any brand which relies on a constant flow of new styles and stock to encourage consumption rather than having spring/summer and autumn/winter stock which stays in the shop for 6 months at a time.

It's not just the shops though is it, it's the whole attitude to consuming - shopping as a hobby, the sheer horror of being seen in the same thing twice, "hauls" of tat on social media, this idea that any occasion is celebrated by buying stuff and throwing it all away afterwards.

My dad says he paid £5 (in the early 70's) for a pair of pyjamas in m&s

My granny said he'd 'paid a lot but they would last'

She wasn't wrong-my mother binned them over 35 years later as they where a 'bit worn'

I'm lucky to get a year out of mine

He also bought a pair of hush puppies shoes around this time-£5

They finally went in the bin over 25 years later-resoled once

My hush puppies-£65 (in 2005) lasted me 9/10 months as they developed a hole in the side of the shoe and where unwearable

Good for the french-its a waste,environmentally bad and I hate the throw-away mentally we have

I’m going to stick my neck out here and disagree with the “fast fashion “ label. I was struggling to find nice affordable clothes in my size, then purchased some items from SHEIN at very reasonable prices, and have been able to wear these multiple times.
My care of these items means that they will last me a long time. They wash well and are well put together, and look stylish and fresh - I’ve never had so many compliments an my outfits before.
I wouldn’t recommend their trainers, though, but at least I hadn’t spent huge amounts of money on these to find that out!
I do think that I can detect the faint whiff of snobbery and virtue-signalling on this topic…

I think your situation is different @Anyotherdude in that you are buying with the idea of keeping. Most people buying from Shein aren't doing that. I have a teenage daughter who has bought from them in the past. Main motivation is that it's cheap, she's got a 5 new tops for less than £15, they'll last the summer and then be chucked out for new. The stuff she got was not great quality, little crop top t-shirts which stretched quite badly and the sizing was all over the place. Not the sorts of clothes that even with really careful washing would last because they were not designed to last and most of the people buying them aren't bothered about them lasting.

Also agree with the deteriorating standards on the high street generally, I volunteer in a charity shop and we regularly see discontinued brands like Richards Shops, C&A/Clockhouse, Chelsea Girl, BHS, St Michael. Clothes from the 80s/90s or earlier. So much better made, better quality fabrics, better stitching. Just so different from high street now. I have a skirt bought in Oasis in 1996 which still looks good now, there is not much chance that someone will still be wearing a 30 year old Primark skirt in 2054.

Not at all the same scale.
Emmaus is generally in the outskirt of cities, they're for "real poor people" (sorry I don't know how to say that without sounding properly awful) whereas the thrift shops you'd find in town centres are for fashionable people who like a good deal and buy vintage because it's cool.

So yes, charity shops exist in France but it's really not as established as in the UK. A bit like you can buy pretzels in London but it's not really comparable with the pretzel culture in Germany.

Spending more on clothes dose not necessarily mean they are better, I have had T-shirts from places like French connection that are no better that primark and I have had jeans from primark that have lasted for years

But it doesn't. Zara uses slave labour, 40% of their stock goes unsold. Their responsevto their workers caught up in Covid, disasters etc is shocking, Primark does better. No doubt they'll use a loop hole to sell elsewhere. The price of clothes doesn't dictate the wages paid to those who make them.

In France we have Vinted and competitors like Le Bon Coin and Wallapop and they are incredibly popular.