Fast fashion is enjoying unprecedented success globally. France is no exception to this trend, offering clothing at very low prices with an increasing influx of foreign brands. However, this expansion of low-cost fashion poses a serious threat to the national economy. A situation that angers local manufacturers.
“France goes into debt to buy clothes”
During an interview given to our colleagues from France informationFebruary 13, Julia Faure, co-president of Impact France and founder of the brand loom Talk about fast fashion. She recalls that foreign brands offering clothing at low prices are not beneficial to the French economy. This drives the French to overconsumption and creates many underlying problems. ” Low-cost development that impoverishes us individually, but also impoverishes the country”, she said.
Even more serious, she points out that fast fashion in France has lost some 3,000 jobs since the 2000s. ” More than 30,000 jobs have disappeared in commerce since the 1970s, increasing our trade deficit. Textiles represent a trade deficit of 12 billion euros, France owes to buy these clothes. she moans.
On the other hand, the low-cost fashion industry is highly polluting, as the fabrics used include synthetic products. Also, the amount of clothing sold worldwide has doubled since the 2000s due to lower prices. These imports of cheap clothes represent a financial pitfall for France: “ Textiles represent a trade deficit of 12 billion euros, France owes to buy these clothes. », explains the founder of the brand loom.
Stick to low-cost clothing brands
Considered dangerous to the French economy, fast fashion has provoked a reaction from Republican MP Adrien Vermorel-Marques, who recently proposed applying a bonus-malus to clothing sales. Certainly, it wants to penalize low-cost manufacturers by imposing a tax of 5 euros per item of clothing. explains the parliamentarian on the microphone France-info that he wants to make” Made in France Cheaper than » Made in China ” Chinese company Sheen Domestic manufacturers are mainly targeted by this measure alleging unfair competition.
” What is inappropriate is a brand like mine that manufactures in France or Portugal or a brand like Shane that manufactures at the end of the world. We pay the same price per garment », enraged Julia Faure. If passed, the bill would reduce taxes on clothes made in France, while taxes on clothes made on the other side of the world, such as China or Vietnam, would increase.
