To Buy Shein??

[GarthElgarsGlasses]

Hi, tempted to make some purchases from Shein and wondering whether anyone who’s bought from them would recommend their clothes or not?! Money’s right but really need some new winter clothes, however as Shein is so cheap I’m sceptical! Any experiences of their clothes welcomed! Thanks!

I know about Shein
How do you find out the welfare record for a company?
I saw some bits at chichi london

One of the things I find depressing is how popular it is among teens/tweens/students. We keep hearing that they're the generation that cares more about environmental and human rights issues, they're appalled (rightly) by Britain's role in the slave trade... but at the same time they want their slave-made Shein haul in individual ziplock bags.

I realise that there are plenty of young people into thrifting, vintage etc, but I feel that there's significant overlap between those two groups.

I'm not there yet with my two dd's, they're not yet bothered about clothes or labels, but how do parents of teens navigate this?

Most of the high street are made in sweatshops if you never shop on the high street ok but most people do. I've just spent £180 on a dress which the label says made in China , my branded hoodies say made in Bangladesh. If you have to replace entire wardrobes with DC or massive weight loss and don't want to spend loads on each piece they are fine. Vinted are ok but it relies on people selling clothes I want in my size.

Take it you've never actually been on Depop or Vinted?

You could get your kids clothes both cheaply & ethically without a smock or a Waitrose in sight.

It's also the wsy they drive demand too. I've seen an article which shows they launch something like as many new lines in one month as the likes of Mango and Zara doom three months.

No one needs new stuff that often.

Most returns apparently end up in landfill too as processing them is too expensive compared to cost.

They want fashionable clothes that fit and don't break the bank. Most of the high street is made in China or Bangladesh.

No one “needs” or is forced by being poor to buy clothes made by slaves! You can buy cheap clothes at the same price or lower without buying from companies like SHEIN.

It’s not a “need” to refuse to buy second hand. It’s not a “need” to refuse to go to jumble sales where each item of clothing is 50p.

New clothes are not needs, it’s trampling on those worse off than you. I’d rather wear my clothes until they fall apart than buy something produced by a slave.

It’s your demand for the products they make that keeps them in slavery.

I decided a few years ago that I was no longer going to contribute to throwing yet more perfectly good clothes into landfill. I also worked out just how much money I had wasted over the years buying clothes that I really did not need.

I went through my wardrobes and sorted all of my old clothes that were lingering in the back and started to wear them again - nothing at all wrong with them, I had just got bored with them.

I am now only buying clothes that I actually need, when things needs replacing. If I have a wedding or event to go to I have been borrowing dresses for that 'one off' event from my sisters, or buying second hand on ebay. This is actually also very practical as our High Street actually has so few shops left now it is very dfficult to buy in person. I currently need new boots. The only shoe shop in town is Clarks, and I just cannot justify spending what they are asking for shoes in there.

I am more than happy to wear vintage or secnd hand - call it what you will. I always wash clothes I buy like this, so I just don't see the problem. Those posters who are appauled at wearing something someone else has worn, can I ask you a question - do you stay in hotels? Do you think the sheets you sleep n, or the towels you use are brand new just for you. Of course not, they will have been slept in and used by many, many people before you. A second hand dress is likely to have only been worn by one other person. That new dress you are wearing - chances are it has been tried on by other people before you put it on. And don't get me started on people who buy clothes, wear once for a special occasion and then take back to the shop for a refund. Lots of things we wear might have been worn by someone else.

It really is time for us to stop wasting resources and money on fast fashion. Anyone who buys clothes knowing that they were produced cheaply through the misery of others should hang their head in shame.

They are needs if someone has lost lots of weight what are they supposed to wear ? Or their clothes don't fit anymore? 🤣

m.youtube.com/watch?v=st5Ij9fz754

This is worth a watch

If you have to replace entire wardrobes with DC or massive weight loss and don't want to spend loads on each piece they are fine.

Its not fine at all. Every £ you save is blood money. It’s money you have ripped out of the hands of a slave/child slave labourer who should be getting it to better their lives but instead are being literally worked to death while being forced to live in abject squalor with barely enough food to survive.

You can check if your brands sign up to the Bangladesh Accord- H&M, Zara, Uniqlo did.

Aren’t you the provocateur
You may need clothes but you don’t need to buy new clothes made by slaves, there are other options just as cheap and far more ethical.

'They want fashionable clothes that fit and don't break the bank. Most of the high street is made in China or Bangladesh.'

This. Shein just cuts out the middleman and sells direct.

X posted with you Choopi sorry, must RTFT in future

I'm losing lots of weight. I order from Vinted! Not rocket science. 😵‍💫
Most of what I've bought in smaller sizes is new, under a tenner and I'll re-list it when I'm done.

They do that too. But again, they also use slave labour. Having some ethical cost cutting mechanisms in place doesn’t excuse the elephant in the room of slave labour.

Second-hand clothes are available in all sizes, it’s not exactly a limited market

Thrift is getting lots of love on MN at the mo for excellent second hand stuff

Don't forget also that there are LOTS of things on Vinted and Thrift with tags on still ... so much has never been worn.

Well yes, this is what teenagers have always wanted. And I can understand the temptation of sites like Shein. I just don't understand how acceptable it seems to be to this age group. Tiktok is full of young people denouncing their boomer/Millenial parents for being unethical, eating meat, voting Tory etc, but they buy clothes made by modern slavery? (again, I realise: not all teens. But quite a lot!)

It's all fair and well for posters to say just buy decent used items from Vinted / eBay etc. Which for you, is a great option... As it is available to you.

Imo Europe / UK isn't Shein, Zaful etc target market. They supply world-wide and not everyone across the world has the option to buy hardly worn quality 2nd hand items. You do, as that is available to you in being in a first world country.

If you look at the reviews on items, you will see most of the reviews are from buyers from South America, Asia and Africa. I live in one of these continents and something you will find 2nd hand, would generally have been very well worn and would have been passed around a few times before already. And very rarely are you going to find a designer type items that someone referred to upthread.

The shops selling fashion items for teens for eg, are the same clothes that Shein and Zaful are selling, but have been marked up to cover costs. So going for the cheapest option is going to happen.

I do think it's easier to be more environmentally conscious when you have more options and funds available.

It is a sad situation, but it is a real situation.

Yeah it can't be ethical. We don't need nearly as many clothes as we have, can you buy fewer but better clothes or look for second hand?

Using a laughing face here just makes you look like an ignorant prat.

I have a few things from there and they have been fine and worn well (so not 'fast fashion'). Their sizing is hit or miss though.