Despite having an extremely efficient supply chain, Shein’s fast fashion model is being targeted by French lawmakers due to allegations of labor exploitation and environmental damage.
Shein has taken the globe by storm with its unbelievably low prices and an almost limitless assortment of stylish clothing, but it has also put it in the crosshairs of French lawmakers who want to rein in the excesses of fast fashion. Customers adore the Chinese-founded company’s extensive inventory of incredibly low-cost products, which ranges from $8 sundresses to 48-cent necklaces, especially during a period when inflation has reduced people’s purchasing power globally.
Shein, like H&M and Zara, has come under fire for allegedly utilizing factories that employ overworked and underpaid garment workers and for allegedly inflicting extensive environmental damage. In addition, the company’s competitors are accused of encouraging hyperconsumerism and marketing clothing meant to be thrown away after a few wears.
Analysts claim that Shein’s extremely effective product development and supply chain are what really set it apart. Theoretically, Bangladesh could sell clothing at less money than Shein. However, Allison Malmsten, a China market analyst at Beijing-based Daxue Consulting, told AFP that “there’s no ecosystem there to market it, to brand it, to sell it overseas, to ship it.” “China has all of these elements.”
