Fast fashion risk

Shein: fashion for everyone, but at what price?

Around 5000 Chinese companies produce fashion for Shein on a piecework basis.(Bild: APA/AFP/Jade GAO)

"To make the beauty of fashion accessible to all" - this is the resolution of Chinese fast fashion retailer Shein. With success: hundreds of thousands of parcels of cheap fashion from the Far East now reach Europe every day. However, some of the price advantages are paid for dearly: with their own health.

Founded in 2008, Shein has grown from its base in Guangzhou, China, into a global company with around 11,000 employees worldwide in just a few years thanks to aggressive expansion and advertising. Last year, the company, which is now synonymous with fast fashion and makes even previously established competitors such as H&M and Zara look expensive with its rock-bottom prices, generated sales of around 24 billion dollars.

However, it is well known that with great power comes great responsibility. Shein is therefore committed to using "materials with lower environmental impact and preferred performance characteristics that meet high quality and safety standards to protect both people and the planet."

At least that's what it says on the company's website, but there still seems to be a huge gap between the promises and the reality ...