The True Cost of Shein's Fast Fashion Business Model & Why You Should Stop Shopping There
Reasons to Not Shop at Shein
SHEIN, one of the most popular fast fashion brands to emerge in recent years, has taken fast fashion to a whole new level. With approximately 2000 new items added to their site daily, customers are constantly presented with something new, contributing to the already immense issue of overconsumption. Find out why we choose to avoid SHEIN at all costs!
What is Shein?
Shein is one of the largest fast fashion retailers, founded in Nanjing, China, in 2008. Today, their headquarters are in Singapore. They are known for offering customers a wide variety of clothing options at extremely low prices and for consistently partnering with influencers on social media, primarily on platforms like TikTok using #SheinHaul. During the pandemic, Shein experienced significant growth in the US and became one of the most downloaded shopping apps, with over 250 million downloads to date. In 2020, they generated over 10 billion in sales, and just two years later, they brought in a staggering 100 billion, surpassing other fast fashion giants like H&M and Zara!
Why We Avoid Shein
Lack of Transparency
Shein claims that it does not use forced or child labor and that it pays its workers above-average wages. However, it is difficult to believe that they can maintain such low prices and still provide a living wage. The brand also doesn’t share any information about where its products are made and is very opaque about its supply chain.
Environmental Concerns
There is no evidence that Shein is trying to mitigate its environmental impact. The majority of their clothing is made from synthetics, specifically polyester. Synthetic fabrics are derived from petroleum and are essentially plastic. They hurt our environment throughout the production process, and take hundreds of years to decompose. Because of their great amount of product, Shein creates about 6.3 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.
Customer Service Complaints
Shein has a rating of D with Better Business Bureau. A quick look through their customer complaints, you will see numerous issues from shipping to quality of goods.
Workers’ Rights
It’s no secret Shein has received much scrutiny over their labor practices. As an example: A Swiss research company interviewed several of their workers to find they were working 75 hour work weeks with only one day off a month. One of the interviewers stated they take home 10,000 yuan (~1400 USD) in a good month, a third of that in a bad month.
Health & Safety Concerns
According to a study by Greenpeace Germany, researches found high levels of phthalates in shoes and formaldehyde in a baby girl’s dress. In another finding, a SHEIN toddler's jacket contained 20 times the safe amount of lead according to Canada's health department. In fact, Miriam Diamond's study (commissioned by Marketplace, found 1 in 5 products contained elevated levels of chemicals.
Pushes Consumerism
The excessive ads on social media, low prices, and constant launch of new goods at Shein are contributing to our problem of overconsumption and the idea that material possessions will bring us happiness. Most of us don't actually need anything from that site, but their marketing has convinced us otherwise. Shein contributes to the throw-away culture fast fashion brands are promoting by adding hundreds - if not thousands - of new products to their site daily, which comes at the cost of the environment.
Cultural Appropriation
In 2020, the brand was widely criticized for posting on its website a necklace in the shape of a swastika as well as Islamic prayer mats.
Stolen Designs from Small Designers
TTime and time again, independent designers take to social media to showcase instances where Shein has replicated their designs (for, of course, a fraction of the cost). Here are a few examples.
What is Fast Fashion?
Fast fashion refers to brands that produce high volumes of clothing throughout the year. These brands now make clothes at a fraction of the price they used to, enabling consumers to update their wardrobes quickly and affordably.
But this over-consumption of cheaply-made clothes is leading to the huge growth of textile waste, pollution, and the depletion of natural resources. It is raising social issues that we can no longer ignore, such as human rights violations.
The best thing we can do, as consumers, is to stop supporting this industry. We should avoid fast fashion brands and start supporting sustainable clothing brands, shopping secondhand & loving what we have.
Fast fashion is inherently unsustainable. No matter how many ‘sustainable’ campaigns a fast fashion brand may put out, until their business model is changed, it is solely greenwashing.
Interested in learning more about Fast Fashion Brands and Why You Should Avoid them? CLICK HERE
While we highly suggest you use and take care of the things you currently own, if you do want to shop for something new, please check out our approved brands here.