French Fashion Brand Pimkie Partners with Shein, Marks Industry Shift

The historic French brand Pimkie has become one of the first targets of the war declared in France against ultra fast fashion. The Federation of Clothing Labels, a member of the Alliance du Commerce, announced on Friday the exclusion of the company following its recent agreement with Shein. The decision was taken “unanimously” and is a symbolic blow to a chain in the midst of a relaunch.

The French federation, which brings together fashion brands, justified the measure by denouncing that Shein operates with a model based on “circumvention of the rules” and “unfair competition to the detriment of the brands present and job creators in France”. The organizations also maintain that the Asian giant’s environmental practices “go against the sector’s entire transformation strategy”. The French industry is currently concentrating its efforts on the legal fight against ultra-fast fashion, represented by Chinese giants such as Temu and Shein.

“By partnering with Shein, Pimkie has departed from the collective commitments defended by the industry,“ the entities stressed to AFP. The criticism adds to a climate of widespread contestation. From large-scale retail to textiles, the French brand’s pact with the Chinese platform has ignited the country’ s entire commercial ecosystem .

“Since I took over Pimkie more than two years ago, I have not received any support from the various organizations and federations, many no doubt expected the end of the brand,“ responded the CEO of the French company, Salih Halassi. The executive defended that the brand has reached a balance after years of crisis, with twenty new openings in 2025 and growth plans for 2026.

Pimkie has signed an agreement with Shein to distribute its collections in 160 countries

Halassi further argued that the agreement with Shein will allow Pimkie to accelerate its internationalization and “go faster and stronger.“ Under the terms of the pact, the brand will be integrated into the Shein Xcelerator program, which will ensure the distribution of its collections in 160 countries, supported by the platform’s logistics and on-demand production ecosystem.

For the rest of the sector, the rapprochement with the Chinese giant marks a red line. In recent years, the company has been condemned in France and in Europe for “misleading commercial practices, false discounts, misinformation on consumer rights, and misleading information on the rights of consumers.In recent years, the company has been condemned in France and Europe for “misleading commercial practices, false discounts, misinformation on consumer rights, false environmental messages, pressure to buy, data protection infringements and the massive use of air transport,“ they argued.

In this context, Pimkie’s alliance with Shein is interpreted as a break with the sector roadmap, based on sustainability, transparency and local employment. “No support” is what the chain will receive from now on, according to the federations, which insist on strengthening the common front against the ultra fast fashion model.

Founded in 1971, Pimkie today has nearly 200 stores in France and employs more than 700 people. The company went through two bankruptcy proceedings before embarking on its new phase under Halassi’s management. Its exclusion from the Alliance du Commerce, which represents 26,000 stores and 150,000 employees in France, reflects the rift between a part of the retail sector seeking quick survival formulas and the federations calling for a common framework for transformation.