Founded in 2015 to sell wedding dresses, the Chinese fast-fashion brand ‘Shein’ has become one of biggest fashion retailers in recent years, but does bigger always prove to be better? Is Shein as friendly and mindful as it claims to be?

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

As the pressure to look ‘on trend’ increases, the enticement to surrender to the impossible prices of fast fashion industries is seemingly irresistible to many. Social media influences combined with aggressive marketing algorithms, enable fast fashion retailers to design clothes; fit for the aesthetics yet destined for landfills and a bizarre number of #sheinhauls! on social media.

Shein is undoubtedly at the forefront of this issue as last week the e-commerce giant was valued at $100 billion, overtaking the popular brands ‘H&M’ and ‘Zara’. The convenience of Shein’s low prices and vast variety, alongside the consumer demand allows the company to produce a staggering 1 million garments a day, which leaves a prominent question of ‘How?’ While Shein may be a fashion haven, the company has long been questioned on its environmental and ethical impacts- the subject of which is the focus of the new documentary, Untold: Inside the Shein Machine.

Hosted by journalist Iman Amrani, the documentary sends an undercover worker inside two supply factories in Guangzhou, China, where an exploration takes place of the ethical cost of Shein’s ‘bargain’ clothing.

First and foremost, it is important to note that Chinese labour laws state that workers cannot work above 40 hours per week. However, the Channel 4 documentary shines an awakening insight on the 18 hours of work done by Shein workers per day, with shifts starting at 8am and ending in the early hours of the next morning. It was also found that workers are only given one day off per month, which further violates labour laws.

Additionally, each Shein worker is paid foundationally at 4,000 yuan (the equivalent of £492) per month to create 500 pieces of clothing per day. Those who make mistakes on garments are penalised two-thirds of their daily wage, despite all workers featured in the show claiming they are struggling to survive on the insufficient wages. The show also highlights a group of women stating that they must wash their hair during lunch breaks as there is little time to do anything but work, yet when billions of Shein reviews spread across our TikTok pages, we fail to pay attention to the suffering, which occurred for our ‘Dark Grey Cable-Knit Jumper’ or the ethical disposal of the piece, when it no longer serves purpose to us.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

But what can we do to help?

As consumers, we have a responsibility to decrease consumer demand for horrific companies like Shein. We can do this through a newly invented ideology, known as ‘slow fashion’. The movement fighting against fast fashion includes tips such as:

  • Buy less and more durable clothes, instead of cheap, low-quality garments, which you are likely to wear once or twice.
  • Avoid fast fashion companies and support small local businesses.
  • Resell old clothes or give them to charity.
  • Thrift your outfits!
  • Change the purpose of your clothes (Clothes for special occasions can become office outfits. Old T-shirts can become loung garments and end their lives as cleaning rags, once totally worn out.)

Although these suggestions may seem simple and insignificant, the reality is that when done by the majority, a large impact can be made on the lives of thousands of fast-fashion workers.

Concludingly, the slow-fashion methodology dictates that brands need to be transparent and abide to globally recognised regulations, such as the fashion transparency index, highlight how garments are made, ethical resourcing and openness surrounding working conditions.

Shein may be cheap, but the true cost isn’t one we want to pay. It’s time for a slow fashion revolution.