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Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control: Inside Shein’s Sudden Rise
Article

Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control: Inside Shein’s Sudden Rise

Vauhini Vara
Wired, 2022
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Editorial Rating

8

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  • Eye Opening
  • Overview
  • Engaging

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Fast fashion may be the perfect microcosm to represent modern consumerism. Customers get what they want – quick, convenient, low-cost goods – sellers get what they want – namely profits – and if there’s a loser in the equation, it’s the environment, and the low-wage, long-hour workers that make it all possible. In this Wired article, journalist Vauhini Vara explores the not-so-hidden underbelly of Shein, the fastest purveyor of fast fashion. Between middling social media influencers and small package shipping that defies import regulations, Shein has found a winning combination for profits.

Take-Aways

  • Fast-fashion company Shein has found marketing success collaborating with social media influencers with medium-sized followings.
  • Shein uses outside designers and small, independent suppliers to produce new styles fast. It then ships directly to the consumer, evading taxes and regulations.
  • Shein’s shipping practices help the company dodge human rights regulations, and the company recently scored zero on Remake’s labor and sustainability assessment.

About the Author

Vauhini Vara is a journalist and novelist whose work has appeared in Wired, The Atlantic, The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine. Her novel, The Immortal King Rao, was published in May 2022.

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    M. A. 2 years ago
    Frightening. I hope other fast fashion companies don’t follow suit Shein’s unethical business practices. Environmental sustainability is the only way to go when it comes to the future of fashion.