The Shein Problem

Shein is an online website/app that offers all the latest fashion trends at a fraction of in-store prices. Popular mostly among Gen-Z and Millennial women, the app helps users keep up with the latest microtrends without destroying their wallets.

While this all sounds perfect, to allow the brand to make clothing cheaper than a latte, they have to take many shortcuts such as poor quality materials, overproduction, unfair wages and adding to the constantly growing waste of the textile industry.

Shein was founded in 2008 by Chris Xu and has only grown as technology usage has increased.

The company started as a low-price Chinese retailer but grew to become a global business, going from $10 billion in sales in 2020 to $100 billion in 2022.

Shein can account for most of this growth to TikTok, where creators show off their Shein hauls.

The company worked with 2,000 Indian influencers alone before the Indian government banned the app in 2020. Shein partners with micro-influencers with a global audience to reach young adults and push them to follow the trends and buy from their website.

While these low-cost clothes are a big pull for younger consumers, the environmental and human rights effects of the company are devastating.

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The Issues:

We talked about it before, but Shein has had a problematic past when it comes to human rights. They are known to underpay their workers and put them in poor conditions for long hours. The documentary, "Inside the Shein Machine" tours Shein factories to show the working conditions.

Shein's overproduction of products have created an unsustainable model of production. They post over 100 new designs daily creating a mass amount of products that will end up in the trash.

They also use poor quality products that break faster and are horrible for the environment.

A CBC Marketplace investigation found elevated levels of lead in some Shein products.

Shein has also been found guilty of stealing designs from artists and profiting off their work. Shein also sells questionable designs, such as a swastika necklace.

Quick facts:

• Shein's use of virgin polyester and large consumption of oil creates the same amount of CO2 as approximately 180 coal-fired power plants

• The company creates about 6.3 million tons of carbon dioxide a year

• Workers have 17-hour shifts to make hundreds of garments a day, making a daily base salary of $20, which would then be docked by $14 if any garments had mistakes

Inside The Shein Machine- documentary

(Introduction to the channel 4 documentary, Inside the Shein Machine)

Sources:

• https://time.com/6247732/shein-climate-change-labor-fashion/

• https://www.npr.org/2023/10/13/1204983212/shein-america-fast-fashion-legal-issues#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20Shein%20has%20collected,alleged%20use%20of%20forced%20labor.

• https://www.npr.org/2023/06/30/1184974003/shein-influencers-china-factory-trip-backlash

• https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/style/shein-clothing.html