The rows of upmarket sedans look out of place parked in the working-class Paris suburb but this is Aubervilliers, Europe’s made-in-China clothing capital where traders recently opened the continent’s biggest garment centre.
A vast range of clothing is on offer in this town on the northern edge of the French capital where generations of Chinese have settled — and some made fortunes. Canny shoppers can pick up a smart ready-to-wear suit for 40 euros in a central store or a pack of cheap socks in the supermarket, while a stall-holder on the street offers sneakers.
Here, you can find anything at almost any price, said Min, a labourer who came from China six years ago, as he pushed a cart laden with boxes and bags for delivery to a wholesaler. People come from all over Europe, he said, himself dressed in fashionable jeans and black down jacket.
This is international. Behind Min, customers and porters squeeze between double-parked vans as they head in and out of shops with flashing signs and, at times, whimsical names like Glam Couture, Bisou’s Project, La Bottine Souriante and Miss Baby Hot Bottom.
When the new Fashion Center expected to generate more jobs officially opened at the end of March, it became the largest market of its kind in Europe, overtaking a similar one at Duesseldorf in Germany. Aubervilliers has become one of the most important places for business and exchange with China in all of Europe, said the town’s mayor, Pascal Beaudet.
