Be Outraged as Much as You Want, but Shein is the Most Popular Brand

And while many fashion brands play the sustainability card to avoid consumer outrage pointing out that they are, after the oil industry, the largest polluters of the environment, the controversial fast-fashion company Shein continues to achieve market successes and has now been declared the most popular global fashion brand of 2022.

According to a study by money.co.uk, this Chinese company founded in 2008 was ‘googled’ the most in as many as 113 countries worldwide, surpassing Zara, which is in first place in 26, including its ‘home’ Spain.

The level of popularity is evidenced by the rapid growth in revenue. As reported by HypeBeast, in 2020, Shein achieved $10 billion in revenue, while rivals like Asos and Boohoo earned $4.4 billion and $2.4 billion, respectively, in the same year.

World Picture

According to Euromonitor, this fashion retail platform is valued at an incredible $100 billion, making it the largest fashion company that earns exclusively from online sales. Their growth is even more astonishing considering the controversies that have surrounded their business.

In addition to being publicly accused of environmental impact, they are also known for design theft (especially taking ideas from independent and emerging designers), unintentional chemical poisoning of customers who used some of their nail polishes, exploitation of Chinese employees (reportedly 75 hours a week), messy payments, and unsafe working conditions.

The popularity can be justified by the influence of social media, but also by rising living costs. In such circumstances, consumers overlook the negative aspects of the Chinese fast-fashion brand and purchase accessible, affordable clothing of trendy design. The fact that Shein has become the most popular brand in the world speaks less about their success and more about the sad picture of the world we live in.