SHEIN – The Pros and Cons

Madisyn Kerr, Writer

A company that is known worldwide for their affordable clothing and online shopping is SHEIN.
This Chinese company is located in Shenzhen, China, but the company establishes many warehouses
across the globe. The online site has become a sensation for clothing lovers with needs of affordable
things to wear. The one thing contradictory is that there are also negatives to this industry as well.
SHEIN is known for their inexpensive clothing, but there’s more to their company than just
clothing. In terms of clothing, they sell jeans, shirts, leggings, sportswear, dresses, loungewear, casual outfits, sweaters,
hoodies, swimsuits, and more. Outside of their clothing line they also have shoes, bags, makeup, accessories, room decor, jewelry,
kitchen decor, pet accessories, and electronic stationary. The list is never ending with what SHEIN has to
offer.
They also have different categories for different interests such as a men’s section, a curve/plus
section, and a kids section. The men’s area holds the same articles as the women, but not as much
inventory due to the higher interest for women’s clothing on the site. The kids section has kids clothes,
shoes, and accessories. It also has maternity clothing and baby clothing to go along with age and sizing.
The pricing for SHEIN ranges from $5-$150. The highest selling items may come from the home
decor section, but the majority of the clothing is all under $100. The average price for a shirt goes
between around $4-$20. The more expensive clothing is with brands with higher quality clothing. The
more expensive items are either bigger in size or belong to a brand paired with SHEIN. The overall
pricing for SHEIN is very cheap and a great place to shop at if you’re looking to save money on clothes.
On the other hand, SHEIN also has some underlying issues as well. Because the clothing is cheap
and not as expensive as other brands, the quality of the fabric is not as good. Most of this bad quality
clothing is made out of synthetic fabric such as polyester and nylon. These fabrics are also unable to
degrade, making the overall quality of the fabric poor unless the brand on the site is more expensive.
Something else about SHEIN has recently came up and that is the possibility of child labor.
SHEIN has denied these rumors of the child labor and says they follow these laws, but not every country
that has a SHEIN company follows the child labor laws, making it possible for this labor to happen under
the surface.
There are some other small issues with SHEIN, but those two are the biggest ones. The fabric that
impacts the environment can be harmful to the land and oceans. The poor quality of the fabric is also
shown through the lifespan of the clothing and how long it lasts. Child labor has also been seen more
frequently and has been brought up often over social media.
Overall, there are both positive and negative sides to the SHEIN company. They provide fast-
fashion clothing and have many different items and selections on their online site. Yet, they still show
some negatives in their quality of clothing and a possibility of breaking laws. The trendy clothing is great
for those interested in the industry, but the flaws should be considered as well.