The SHEIN Model: Speed, Price, and Consequences
- James Bowers III
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
The SHEIN Model: Speed, Price, and Consequences
Level: Upper-intermediate / Advanced
Vocabulary:
physical (Adjective)
Definition: relating to or involving things that can be seen, touched, etc.
Example: You can either buy a physical copy of this book or download a digital version on your tablet or phone.
garment (Noun)
Definition: a piece of clothing
Example: Garment factory workers are severely underpaid in many parts of the world.
supply (Verb)
Definition: to provide a person, business, etc with something they need.
Example: Our farm supplies fruit and vegetables to many local restaurants.
Emission (Noun)
Definition: the production and release of gases, especially those that are bad for the environment.
Example: The vast majority of global carbon emissions come from burning fossil fuels to produce energy.
Biodegradable (Adjective)
Definition: able to be broken down in the environment by bacteria, fungi, etc.
Example: The coffee cups we use are made with plant-based materials and are completely biodegradable.
Landfill (Noun)
Definition: a place where trash is buried under the ground.
Example: Millions of plastic bottles end up in landfills every day.
The Chinese fashion company, SHEIN, has been valued as a $100 billion company after it received lots of recent funding, according to The Wall Street Journal. This means that SHEIN is now worth more than the combined market value of H&M and Zara.
Established in 2008, SHEIN sells mostly to young consumers and heavily advertises itself on social media. This strategy has been very successful; in 2020, SHEIN has been mentioned on TikTok in the United States than any other company, as well as on YouTube.
"SHEIN haul" videos are videos where influencers unpack and try on a large number of the SEIN's budget-friendly items, are prevalent across social platforms.
SHEIN operates completely online (it has no physical stores), and adds over 6,000 new products to its website daily. While they also market cosmetics and home goods, SHEIN is mainly known for its "Fast fashion" business model.
Fast fashion businesses produce large volumes of clothing quickly, offering consumers fashionable items at affordable prices (and lower quality). However, this business strategy may come with a hidden cost that many haven't thought about.
To maintain low prices, brands must minimize production costs. This often results in garment factory workers working long hours for minimal pay in hazardous conditions. In 2021, a report by the Swiss research group Public Eye revealed that at six production sites in Guangzhou, China, supplying SHEIN, employees worked over 80 hours per week.
Fast fashion also has environmental implications. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that the fashion industry accounts for 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, the industry is estimated to consume about 1.5 trillion liters of water annually.
Many fast fashion items are made with synthetic materials like polyester and nylon, derived from fossil fuels and non-biodegradable. The environmental charity Ellen MacArthur Foundation calculates that each second, the equivalent of a garbage truck filled with discarded clothing is either incinerated or deposited in landfills.
Reflection Questions:
Have you ever heard about SHEIN before reading this article?
Do you find the statistic of a garbage truck of clothes being burned or landfilled every second shocking?
How frequently do you shop for new clothes? Do you like to shop online or in a physical store?
Have you ever purchased an item advertised through social media?
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