SHEIN named the year’s most popular fashion brand

SHEIN was first created in 2008 and gained massive popularity during the pandemic, where most of us were looking to purchase clothing online while adhering to a tight budget.

As the brand continued to push out designer item look-alikes, partnerships with influencers and sponsored TikTok ads played a huge role in boosting the brand. Low prices, free shipping, and free returns only made shopping from SHEIN more attractive to younger generations.

Of course, these stand-out traits didn’t fly under the radar of organisations concerned with sustainability for long. If something is too good to be true, well, it probably is.

As brands like PrettyLittleThing and Missguided have in recent years, SHEIN has been spotlighted as a brand with low ethical and sustainability practices.

And despite its mission to clean up its reputation through a ‘purpose-driven’ clothing line from responsibly sourced materials, SHEIN hasn’t completely stopped generating items that  harm both people and the planet.

Polyester, nylon, and other synthetic fabrics are the Chinese retailer’s go-to for garment making. These virgin oil-based materials are known to shed microplastics while being worn and even more so when inside washing machines.

With so much negative press about SHEIN, it’s hard to imagine why the company has managed to hold onto millions of customers around the world. Whether it’s the cost-of-living crisis, an insatiable appetite for cheaply made clothing, or total apathy – it looks like SHEIN is here to stay.