To think shein is actually good?

[sideeyes]

Always been sniffy about any fast fashion (never knowingly bought anything). Have lots of stuff going on over the summer. Spent 100s +++ on different outfits from various labels. Now desperate so gave Shein a try and the outfits look really good. As a tall woman it’s unusual to find stuff that actually fits well.

I wouldn’t buy that stuff either.

DD’s bought things from Shein and they were absolute garbage. Barely lasted a summer, flimsy, badly made. So quite aside from the ethical and environmental concerns, the quality was awful.

Luckily she lives near some good charity shops now and mostly shops there.

That Pixar movie Wall-E was actually a documentary, wasn't it? Planet drowned by people buying far too many "cute bits" from shitty manufacturers and then chucking them away.

There are ethical clothes manufacturers - some based in this country. Seem expensive at first but can wear them year in year out and can be repaired unlike shein, temu and Primark shite.

It’s not. It’s incredibly unethical. The staff are paid per item and they are penalised for every return, of which there thousands. It’s slave labour

This. I’m considering buying something from there for a fancy dress outfit for a festival, but I haven’t yet. I went to a vintage clothes market last Sunday in the hope of finding bits there but no luck. The festival is in a few weeks, so I may have to cave and order from Shein.

It's a disaster for the planet and the human rights of people working in their factories. Easy to not see that stuff I know, but it's the reality.

This

I’ve never bought from there and won’t but I volunteer at a baby bank and can always tell when something is from Shein and the like before I even check. The quality is always awful.

I've never got anything from Vinted that doesn't smell like half a can of Fabreeze 🤮

Although, so much new stuff with the tags still attached 🧐

Fast fashion is killing our planet, so it's a no from me. 90% of my clothes, excluding underwear and shoes, are secondhand.

I hate overly perfumed clothing, and it's normally to hide something, e.g. new with tags but reeking of smoke.

I was really snobby about SHEIN but saw a sponsored post on Instagram of a dress I just loved. I had to have it. Went on SHEIN, ordered the dress for £7 and then went a bit mad. It’s just dirt dirt cheap. I ordered loads. Big cotton beach bag for £3, bracelets for 80p, T-shirts for £2. Part of me wanted to hate it all but pretty much all of it was brilliant.

It's not snobby to hate the ethical issues around fast fashion. 🤔

It's not snobby to not want clothes made by children or political prisoners or slaves

Just to correct you - I have seen nobody defending Shein. Just pointing out that the rest are largely just as bad. Welcome to capitalism.

And not everybody has the same choices - there are plenty of poor families who can't afford what you might buy.

I am not sure why you're quoting me, because I didn't suggest it was. 🤔

'Poor' families can buy second hand.
We all need to consume less clothes too.

Of course. They can have your hand me downs. Funny how many of the well off think that everyone else needs to consume less and buy your finished with items.

Oddly, many second hand clothes in shops now cost more than Shein. But then I doubt someone who needs to put inverted commas around "poor" would realise that.

I am agreeing with you

Again with the "other brands are just as bad" tosh. This is just a lazy way to give yourself a get-out for buying shite from Shein.

Just to go through it once again - Primark is based in Ireland, Zara in Spain, M&S in the UK etc etc. All of these countries have governments who are concerned about consumer standards and have bans on slave labour. There are authorities in all of these countries which hold companies to account and investigate what they are up to. And then publish reports in newspapers or on websites so you can judge for yourself. China's government gives not one shiny shit about ethics and standards and working conditions. Journalists who try to expose the goings-on in factories are thrown in jail. There is no transparency.

So in one sentence - yes there is a small risk that a M&S or Zara supplier is doing something dodgy and you might be unwittingly be buying something made by a child or a slave (or an enslaved child). When you buy from Shein or the other shitty Chinese brands (Cider, Temu, AliExpress), it's practically guaranteed.

Did you miss the bit where I said most of my clothes are secondhand? 🫣
Also, the quotation marks are because I was quoting you. I'd use the terms 'less well off' or 'with less disposable income' instead of the crass 'poor'.

Hmmm, ok. 😬

Depends if you care that the clothes were sewn by slaves or people in abject poverty for barely any wages.

You're brave posting this on here!

I would really like to know where the ethical brands are. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to buy things that aren't made in China. As other PPs have said even the so called high end shops don't seem to be that fussy where their stock comes from.

Please reconsider. Your cheerful endorsement is so at odds with the human misery of sweatshops and human slavery.