Shein opens pop-up store in SP and reignites debate on fast fashion controversies

Pop-up in Brazil

It will only be five days at Shopping Vila Olímpia – but it will be enough to move a legion of people obsessed with Shein. Sales, which only occur via the app or website, can be made on site. According to the brand, around 11 thousand pieces will be sold in São Paulo. 

But this is not the first time that Shein disembarks in the country. In March this year, another pop-up store was opened at the Village Mall, in Rio de Janeiro. However, there was no physical sale. 

What are the controversies surrounding Shein?

Labor exploitation and poor pay

There is no shortage of reports and accusations that the company exploits its workers. A new investigation by British broadcaster Channel 4 reveals that, when sending an undercover reporter to film inside two factories, it was found that employees wereariam in exploitative working conditions.

The workload could reach up to 18 hours per day, with only one day off per month. Furthermore, these workers areariam receiving less than 1 cent per piece, having to produce more than 500 pieces of clothing per day.

• Shein employees earn less than 1 cent a piece working 18 hours a day, says new documentary (Vogue Brazil) 🚥

Sustainability – or lack thereof

Another controversy involving the Shein are the anti-environmental practices of the company – even more so in a fast fashion that produces thousands of pieces of clothing per day, in a sector widely known for its impact on the environment. 

According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the clothing sector is one of the most polluting in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. (Curto news)

At the end of 2021, fast fashion hired a director of ESG – acronym in English for Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance. 

“We see fast fashion brands go through this evolution of hyper-accelerated growth using exploitative labor practices and no environmental standards and, when they grow enough, they build a sustainability department. It’s greenwashing and box-ticking”, said Elizabeth Cline, sustainable fashion consultant, to The Business of Fashion portal. 

Greenwashing is the appropriation of environmentalist virtues by organizations or people, through the use of marketing and public relations. The practice aims to create a positive image about the degree of environmental responsibility, diverting attention from negative environmental impacts.

• Can Shein be giant, cheap and sustainable at the same time? (Exam) 🚥

Copies, but doesn't do the same

Shein has been accused several times of copying clothing from brands around the world. Digital influencer Jade Picon reported an alleged plagiarism of pieces of his clothing brand, JADE². The case occurred in January 2021 and, at the time, Shein apologized for the inconvenience and reported having removed the pieces from the website. 

On TikTok, the hashtag #SheinStoleMyDesign compiles reports of designers who had their pieces plagiarized by fast fashion; There are already almost 10 million views on content published with the tag. 

In one of the most popular, artist Devin shows a personalized sweatshirt she created – and which was reproduced and sold on the Shein website. “We contacted them via email last night, and when I checked this morning, I couldn't find the design on the website. I don’t know if they took it down so quickly (because they know it was copied) or if they changed the keywords that describe the product”, he explains in the video, which was published in January this year and has accumulated more than 155 thousand likes on the social network.

• Independent designer accuses Shein of copying more than 40 pieces she created (Glamour Brazil)