Entry #9- The Shien Apocalypse

 Last year during the stagnation of pandemic life, chances are that you have heard of America's number one apparel brand, Shein. Viral videos showcasing “Shein hauls” have had a tremendous influence on the younger demographic, and have led to a significant increase in online sales. Shein targets teens and young women. It adds thousands of new items to inventory daily and has around 600 000 products at all times. (BBC) While fast fashion brands are notorious for creating garments in short timeframes, Shein is ultra-fast. The company produces the same amount of garments in a week as a typical fashion brand would produce in months. (Wired) Most of Shein’s merchandise is often priced under $30, making it half as affordable as other fast fashion giants. (Brightly) If you have spent any amount of time on social media in the past year you have probably heard someone mention the brand or seen celebrities and influencers promote it. This new and addictive algorithm, made the western media explode with viral videos of Shein’s merchandise. As of today, Shein is ranked the most visited apparel site worldwide, and its growing popularity meets no end. In an era of rising environmental awareness, how is this even happening? Despite its growing popularity, Shein is not an ethical fashion brand because of questionable labor practices, poor sustainability, and the negative impact it has on teens.

So what does Shein's future hold for the environment? As the evidence demonstrates Shien is a highly unethical brand that abuses its workers and is toxic to the environment. On the contrary, the youth demand access to a wide variety of inexpensive apparel. What do you think about Shien?

Fuller Kylie. “The Truth About Shein: How Sustainable and Ethical Is the Fast Fashion Brand?.” Brightly, Oct. 8, 2022, https://brightly.eco/blog/shein-sustainability.

Jones Lora “Fast, Shein: The secretive Chinese brand dressing Gen Z” BBC, Nov. 9, 2021, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59163278.

Vauhini Vara “Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control: Inside Shein’s Sudden Rise” Wired, May 4, 2022, https://www.wired.com/story/fast-cheap-out-of-control-inside-rise-of-shein.