France moves to suspend Shein after childlike sex doll controversy

PARIS — French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu launched a procedure Wednesday to suspend Shein after a series of controversies involving the Chinese-founded online fast-fashion platform.

In a statement, France’s economy ministry said the suspension would last until the platform demonstrates “that all its content complies with our laws and regulations.”

It’s unclear if the suspension applies to Shein’s digital operations, the brick-and-mortar store that opened its doors Wednesday or both.

A report from France’s consumer watchdog put out over the weekend alleged that “sex dolls with childlike appearances” were being sold by Shein. Earlier Wednesday, conservative lawmaker Antoine Vermorel Marques filed a legal complaint, telling daily Le Parisien that he had identified weapons being sold on the website.

France’s Economy Minister Roland Lescure, and the Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Serge Papin will issue an “initial progress report” within the next 48 hours, the statement said.

Earlier this week, Shein’s executive chairman, Donald Tang, told POLITICO that the firm created an “integrity panel” to review what products are sold on the platform and launched an internal inquiry.

This article was first published by POLITICO in French and translated by Victor Goury-Laffont. Nicolas Barré contributed reporting.