The European Commission ramped up pressure on China’s Shein on Wednesday, saying the online platform might pose a “systemic risk” for consumers and demanding more information from the company after illegal items were found for sale on its marketplace.
Shein logo and their web shop are seen in this illustration taken, May 16, 2024 – REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Fast-fashion retailer Shein has been embroiled in scandal in France since the country’s consumer watchdog found childlike sex dolls and banned weapons for sale on its online marketplace, tainting the launch of its first permanent shop within Paris department store BHV.
“Following the sale of illegal products in France and several public reports, the Commission suspects that Shein’s system may pose a systemic risk for consumers across the entire European Union,” the European Commission said, adding it has made a formal request to Shein for more information under the Digital Services Act, an EU law governing online platforms. A Shein spokesperson said the company had received the request and was working to promptly address it.
The French government is pushing the Commission to open a formal investigation into Shein under the DSA, but it has so far stopped short of doing so. Separately on Wednesday, a Paris court delayed a hearing of the French government’s request to suspend Shein’s website in the country for three months.
The hearing, meant to take place on Wednesday, was postponed to December 5 after a lawyer for the French state said Shein delayed sending its arguments until the last minute on Tuesday, making it impossible for the hearing to take place. A lawyer for Shein, Julia Bombardier, said: “We were ready to plead today, and we will be on December 5 too.”
Shein removed marketplace products- provided by third-party sellers- from its website in France on November 5 but the website, selling Shein’s own clothing range, is still accessible. The government aims to secure a three-month suspension of Shein’s website as a whole under an extraordinary judicial procedure as it pushes the company to tighten controls over the products it sells.
The government started the process on the day its BHV store opened. The Paris store, and five others set to open in regional department stores, are not expected to be impacted.
“We must bring an end to this online Wild West,” Serge Papin, France’s minister for small and medium-sized enterprises, said on the TF1 television network on Wednesday. “Shein has closed its marketplace but now we want them to give us the proof that what it will bring back to market is in line with our consumer codes.”
AliExpress and Joom could also be the subject of a judicial complaint, Papin added, after childlike sex dolls were also found for sale on those marketplaces. AliExpress banned a Chinese seller of the dolls after Reuters found the items for sale on the platform in the week after Paris prosecutors announced an investigation into it and Shein for disseminating images or representations of minors of a pornographic nature.
In a parliamentary hearing earlier on Wednesday Frédéric Merlin, chairman of BHV owner SGM, sought to distance himself from Shein’s marketplace and condemned the sale of childlike sex dolls, saying he had vetted all the Shein products sold in the BHV store. He called on lawmakers to tighten legislation on online platforms and make them responsible for products sold by third-party sellers.
Monica Vinader has chosen English singer/songwriter Sienna Spiro as the face of the aspirational, ambitious premium jewellery brand.
Sienna Spiro
The “meaningful collaboration” links the jewellery brand “known for its design integrity and exceptional quality” to “one of music’s most compelling emerging voices… with her lyrics rooted in feeling and intention, qualities that closely align with Monica Vinader’s approach to design”, we’re told.
Throughout the campaign, Spiro wears the new Infinity collections as well as Monica Vinader pieces engraved with lyrics from her song ‘You Stole the Show’.
The engravings spotlight the brand’s personalisation services, “transforming jewellery into objects of meaning, from song lyrics and private messages to personal mantras”, the retailer said.
The brand, which has several stores in London, plus stores at Liverpool One, in Manchester and Edinburgh, appointed a new CEO in November. Sebastian Picardo now heads the previously family-run brand founded by siblings Monica (artistic director) and Gabriela (non-exec director) in 2008.
At the time of his appointment, the sisters said Picardo is “perfectly placed to guide our next phase of growth” and will work to accelerate the business’s global reach, “scaling innovation, inspiring existing and new audiences, and setting new standards for modern luxury jewellery”.
Scottish gymwear brand Dfyne has opening a 21,623 sq ft headquarters in Glasgow that “marks a major milestone in the company’s growth just four years after launch”, it said.
Dfyne
Designed in collaboration with workplace designer/builder Oktra, the new HQ provides a permanent base for Dfyne’s growing team and “reflects the brand’s ambition, identity, and people-first values.. as the business continues to grow”.
The opening marks ‘phase one’ of the project, with further phases planned to extend the workspace and complete the ground floor fit-out, it said.
The workplace is organised around a series of “clearly defined zones, balancing focused workspaces with informal collaboration areas and spaces to showcase Dfyne products”.
“Cultural storytelling” is also embedded within the design. Brown leather seating in the new meeting booths references a brown leather sofa from Dfyne’s original headquarters – a piece closely associated with the brand’s early days and formative moments.
“This detail symbolises [our] journey from a small founding team to a fast-growing international brand, while maintaining a strong connection to its roots”, it said.
CEO Oscar Ryndziewicz added: “In only four years, and thanks to our incredible community, we’ve grown to such a level that we can create a new, tailor-made space for our team that embodies our brand values. With the creation of unique workspaces, our new HQ is purposefully designed to enable everyone who supported the company’s growth to spark connections and inspire innovation.”
Puma is continuing its fruitful fashion-meets-sport collab with UK streetwear brand Represent, this time “rewriting the playbook of basketball-inspired staples”.
Puma x Represent
Fusing “Heritage Hoops Energy with Modern Streetwear”, it brings the two brands neatly together with a campaign fronted by German NBA star Dennis Schröder who “embodies the collection’s balanced fusion of court performance and off-court style”.
The “simple yet elevated collection” spans footwear and apparel that’s “highlighted by expressive and detailed cut-and-sew designs”, as well as a fresh interpretation of Puma’s All-Pro Nitro 2 sneaker.
Its “court-ready” Jersey and Shorts debut comes with a newly designed Puma x Represent graphic, featuring mesh construction and contrasting trim “that nods to retro game-day uniforms”.
The range is, of course, accompanied by “courtside essentials” including a Graphic T-Shirt and Hoodie, “pieces that bring bold visual detailing to the championship collaboration”.
A Coach Jacket and accompanying Pants also “comprise comfortable warm-up layers with everyday wearability”.
For footwear, Puma x Represent presents a re-envision All-Pro Nitro 2, a performance design underpinned by “explosive Nitro cushioning and a lightweight Ultraweave upper”. The black and white two-tone colourway is punctuated by subtle logo hits on the heel and tongue.
Complementing one of Puma’s “most modern examples of basketball performance technology”, the collection brings “a touch of ‘80s flair with the low-top Majesty”.
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