It’s wild to think of Shein’s journey toward global fast fashion empire over the years. Last year, it was the #1 shopping app in the US (ugh). I was in college during the golden age of lifestyle blogs, ie over ten years ago, and the brand was one of the first I remember sending products to influencers (AKA fashion bloggers, not necessarily those on Instagram) for placement in their style posts. Even before I really educated myself on fast fashion’s impact, I felt pretty icky about it. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me that something could be the same price new as the clothing in the thrift stores I frequented. Anyway, safe to say I was not their target blogger!
If you’re privy to the dangers of fast fashion, or simply a supporter of indie labels, you’ve probably heard one of the many instances of Shein stealing designs from such brands. Shein is far from the only clothing giant to come under fire, but they are particularly noteworthy because of their dirt-cheap prices (often ripping off $100+ pieces and selling them for under $10), not to mention their habit of blatantly copying not just the designs, but but styling & creative production that independent labels put into their work.
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In 2021 crochet artist and handmade clothing designer Bailey Prado called our Shein for stealing and recreating at least 20 different designs. What’s even more alarming (and has happened in many of the cases below too) is how Shein ripped their product styling, creative direction, and entire visual feel of the line!
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Similarly, Shein copied the Baiia sustainable swimwear, an Australian label, and reproduced a very obviously inferior version of it for their customers. I’ve been wanting to try Baiia for so long because their swimwear is so versatile—it’s reversible, interchangeable, and built for all bodies. It’s clear that Baiia along with all of the designers in this post are so intentional about their work, so seeing it ripped off is shocking and appalling.
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Crochet and knit slow fashion brand Elexiay has also spotted their designs at Shein. If you have ever knitted or crocheted by hand, you know just how long it takes to takes and just how much intentionality and talent goes into getting it exactly right. Further, Elexiay is a brand that highlights Nigeria’s rich history of sustainable craftsmanship. Not only is Shein stealing designs, but reducing art and history to a throwaway impulse buy.
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Another upsetting example is Shein’s copy of size inclusive ethical fashion brand Loud Bodies. They sold it for $20, which doesn’t even come close to the cost of labor to make such a dress, let alone the supplies and other costs. Inclusive brands like Loud Bodies work hard to offer clothing that supports bodies of all sizes, with fast fashion giants coming in and convincing the consumer that they’re just as thoughtful with lines like SheinCurve.
Im SO over these major brands stealing from black designers. @SHEIN_official STOLE my @sincerelyriaxo designs to a T. They couldn’t even change ONE thing and it’s now one of their highest selling items. They even stole the brands aesthetic. Like Come on pic.twitter.com/ose8DiM9hK
— Mariama Diallo ✨ (@MariamaDiallo__) June 11, 2021
Sincerely Ria is a brand inspired by Guinea’s Fulani culture, and owner Mariama Diallo shared that Shein took one of their designs and copied it as well as the visual aesthetic behind the brand as well.
Digging deeper into some of these examples, you’ll see that Shein will sometimes address the designer directly, apologize for the “accident” and remove whichever product has been called out the most. Because that’s how fast fashion works. If they’re called out for this, all they have to do is recreate another design, and so on.
Since the brands above are focused on high quality, small production and generally sustainable/ethical practices (I haven’t heavily researched every practice or fabric offered of course), they all come with much higher price tags than the Shein copies. That said, I know that not everyone turns to fast fashion for the purpose of overflowing closets—there is a need for affordable clothing that many small brands cannot currently offer. I try to use these tricks for building a sustainable fashion budget and remember that quality outlasts quantity every time.
Adrian says
Shein has also stolen a fabric pattern from Angelic Pretty called Wrapping Cherry (black specifically)
Angela Hamilton says
Thank you for pointing this out!
kaylee says
every sense then i hated shein
abby says
I cant believe this is happening. I used to love SHEIN and would shop there all the time, because they have the cutest things. But this is just unbelievable. I cannot believe they would stoop so low just to get more customers, like come on. You already have a lot, and now you want more?? This is not cool, and as a community, we need to look into small businesses and put effort into helping them out, so that SHEIN will pay for stealing.