While regulators globally are making laws to ensure sustainability and the long life of apparel, the Chinese fashion giant Shein continues to enlarge its global market with low-cost fashion clothing.
Shein under a new agreement will sell Forever 21 items on its site. In return, Shein could soon operate shop-in-shops at Forever 21 stores. It is considered by market experts as the most powerful fast-fashion alliance yet.
The agreement allows Shein to sell Forever 21 clothing, accessories, and beauty products on its site. In return, Shein is likely to be allowed to operate distinct retail spaces within Forever 21 stores. It will be the first time that Shein would through brick-and-mortar stores in North America.
Both companies are considered to be close rivals as both Shien and Forever 21 market low-cost fashion. Experts say that the two companies are perhaps opting to work together rather than directly compete.
Shein had earlier launched an Amazon-style marketplace where third-party vendors can sell everything from housewares to appliances directly to consumers.”The partnership will focus on meeting the needs of customers in the U.S. and around the world who enjoy affordable, high-quality fashion,” wrote Shein in a press release.
Shein, which is based in Singapore, has seen its popularity skyrocket in recent years. Its trendy and dirt-cheap clothing is especially attractive to Gen-Z shoppers, many of whom take to TikTok to post videos hashtagged #sheinhaul, where they show off large quantities of Shein items they purchased for next to nothing.
Los Angeles-based Forever 21 has been struggling in recent years. In 2019, it filed for bankruptcy and closed more than 30 percent of its stores in the U.S. and all of its stores in Canada. Since then, the company has reopened a few stores in Canada. Experts say Shein may be looking to Forever 21 for more than just its retail space, viewing it as a trusted American brand that could help the Chinese company with its image in North America.
Forever 21’s cultural and retail knowledge could be seen as an asset to Shein, says Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas, a professor of marketing and sustainable business at Glasgow Caledonian University’s British School of Fashion in London.
Some experts raised concerns about what the new partnership means for sustainable fashion. “I can see that it looks like this sort of fast-fashion marriage made in heaven,” said Radclyffe-Thomas. “In terms of sustainability, I think it’s a nightmare.”
Shein has also been criticized for contributing to the industry’s environmental footprint by selling clothing that’s not made to last. While Shein’s popularity continues to rise, there are also growing calls from some consumers and governments for fashion companies to produce clothing that is ethically made and environmentally friendly.
Shein’s model operates on ordering small batches of clothing and scaling up if there’s demand, using its data and technology to identify what’s popular. Because of this Shein is not concerned with keeping items in stock, which can be tricky when operating in a retail space.
Shein partners with Forever21 in North America
