What Shein’s popularity says about us, according to experts.

 With 2022 coming to an end, compilations of the year’s highlights and trends are appearing everywhere. Be it summaries of the good, the bad or the ugly, deep dives into what happened over the past 12 months are full of surprises and revelations. But for one round-up in particular, what’s revealed is neither reassuring nor unexpected.


 Earlier in December, a report compiled by Money.co.uk announced that Shein is 2022’s most popular fashion brand. The ultra-fast fashion company that is valued at US $100 billion is also revealed to be Google’s most-searched brand in 113 countries, overtaking other retail giants in the industry. However, these statistics coincide with the company’s latest admittance to breaches of China’s labour laws.


 As reported in the investigative documentary Inside the Shein Machine: Untold by the UK’s Channel 4, employees work 75-hour weeks in a toxic environment and make nearly 1000 new pieces daily. The bitter cherry on top of it all? Shein has come under fire for multiple instances of design theft and producing items containing hazardous chemicals.