Shein sets up pop-up store in Paris following Pimkie controversy

This September, Shein is making a significant impact on the French fashion industry as never before. Less than a week after announcing a partnership with the retailer Pimkie for the brand’s digital development via its Shein Xcelerator program, the Asian ultra-fast-fashion giant is making a splash in the French capital.

On Monday, the brand opened the doors to a pop-up store in the heart of the Marais, as Paris gears up for one of the most eagerly awaited women’s fashion weeks since the turn of the century.

Until Sunday, 28 September, Shein is taking over 116 Rue de Turenne in the 3rd arrondissement with its “Style Hunt” concept, offering customers the chance to “hunt for styles” through events throughout the week.

Like its app, which allows it to offer customers products tailored to their tastes, the 850-square-meter space, part of Galerie Joseph’s portfolio, is conceived as a vast apartment evoking the ambience of Parisian neighborhoods.

“Nine worlds will be associated with nine emblematic Parisian neighborhoods: from Belleville to Saint-Germain-des-Prés, via Montmartre, La Défense, Opéra, the Luxembourg Gardens, Châtelet, Rue Crémieux and the Buttes-Chaumont park,” the brand explained in a press release. “The aim is to invite visitors to immerse themselves in a variety of styles, identify with those that suit them, and put together looks that reflect who they are.”

The apartment also allows the global fashion retail giant, whose ultra-fast-fashion model has been affected in the U.S. by the Trump administration’s decisions to tax “small parcels” valued at less than $800, to highlight its marketplace business.

The venue also hosts a young French brand. “Skintips is a Made in France, vegan, 100% natural and dermatologically tested skincare brand,” said Shein’s communications team, which is also looking to develop this activity with other players. In its apartment-style space, Shein showcases not only its own products, but also those of brands on its platform, such as the British brand Missguided.

Following a pop-up store in Dijon during the first half of the year, the brand — which claims to have several million customers in France without disclosing its turnover — is marking its second major moment of the year in France. Despite the appeal of these events, the company, still heavily criticized by representatives of the French fashion and retail industries, maintains that it has no intention of incorporating permanent physical retail spaces into its model.