Shein, to bin or not to bin?

[SpicyMoth]

I've just heard about some items of clothing from SHEIN reportedly having unsafe levels of chemicals such as lead in them, did a quick google and found this;

https://www.greenmatters.com/style/is-there-lead-in-shein-clothing

"Specifically, the researchers found that a Shein toddler jacket had nearly 20 times the amount of lead that is safe for children, and a Shein purse contained over five times the safe amount, as per standards set by Health Canada."

Then this; https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/shein-lead/

"Shein responded to the report in an email to CBC's Marketplace, saying the company had withdrawn the purse and jacket from their purchasing applications and would stop working with relevant third-party suppliers until the issue "was resolved." However, we were unable to independently verify whether that had actually happened; there were no further details about the company's actions in response to the report, including whether it had indeed removed the items for purchasing and cut ties with certain vendors. As of August 2022, similar-looking purses and jackets were still available on the site."

By the dates, it's old news at this point - but by the fact check, I'd be hesitant to believe any changes have actually been made to their practises.
If items have been washed/cleaned enough times would it make a difference?
I'm wondering if perhaps it's safer to just bin everything Shein? (though it does seem a huge waste :/)
What are your thoughts MNers?

If you have any doubts then bin, and make a point not so shop there again (because they are an awful company!).

I would recommend you try making your own clothes. Your mind would be boggled just how expensive it can be. Plus it's not easy at all.

For example I have a smart lined Boden dress I bought for £30 at a sample sale. It would cost me far more than £100 just in fabric.

Anyway I have 3 dress from Shein and they are still perfect after four years. So it's not shit quality. I also get dresses from charity shops but they are normally around £10 at the cheapest.

Really the answer is buy less and wear it to death. But fashion is a big industry

I've used them in the past and desperation has driven me to use them since

My health condition means I've gained two stone and none of my clothes fit - but I don't have much disposable income and hadn't bought clothes in years because everything fit up till a few months ago

For £70 I got 3 tops , 3 dresses and a short suit - the quality isn't tat and I do wear my clothes to death but I needed some Summer clothes desperately and Vinted just wasn't cutting it .
Not proud of buying there but I find it's better quality and cheaper than supermarket clothes or even primark. (Who I've also heard are not the best ethically?)

There is nothing in the charity shops anymore for me - I was using Vinted but even that was hit and miss .

I'm struggling to drive so online it's had to be.
Is next any better? I usually shopped there for work gear , jeans etc . but I've had to go up 2 sizes and just couldn't afford a whole new wardrobe from anywhere so chose a few summer bits online . Yes from shein . I just do not have the mobility to mooch round shops (charity or otherwise) or the cash to have gone more ethically this time .

I don't make a habit of it but judging from its success I cannot be the only one .

@DyslexicPoster ,
I would recommend you try making your own clothes. Your mind would be boggled just how expensive it can be. Quite.
Really the answer is buy less and wear it to death. I agree, repair, re-use, repurpose, recycle...

Last weekend I was in the high street, and popped into two charity shops. I got a pair of chelsea boots (well known non-budget brand, great condition) in one for £1, and a Cos dress (as good as new) in the other one, for £4.
Children's clothes start at 4 for £1. but rarely more than £3.
It didn't take much time.

As regards, freegle/freecycle, it's not unusual to see offers or requests of things like clothes or shoes e.g. bundle of newborn clothes or outgrown 9 yr old's school uniform.

I'm no expert on the subject of chemicals in clothing op but I wouldn't take any chances or trust any statements from Shein.

Regarding charity shops, I'm a regular user and a big fan but I wouldn't advise it as a way of building up or maintaining a wardrobe on a limited income - it's far too random. It can also take fuckloads of time to do properly - travelling to the decent ones, regular circuits etc. I couldn't have done it while I was still working / had caring commitments.

I don't think charity shops can be relied upon to be the cheap option. Lots of past threads complaining about this. Marketplace relies on luck of size and so on. Vinted has extra charges and postage so not always cheap.

I can understand why someone might shop there. My teenager buys tights and accessories from there mostly. I have no say as it's their money and choice.

@tortir , you may be right. My opinion might be biased because the ones near me are so good. For example, say I wanted a blue cotton poloneck in L. I could go to the high street, and by the 2nd charity shop I'd probably have one and not paid more than £2 for it. If I wanted something specific like a pair of mom jeans in size 8, I'd probably get them in the first shop.

These articles are not proof, neither do they link to the research cited. I'm inclined to dismiss it on those grounds. Just saying it, does not make it so.
Show me the evidence. Then I'll believe it.

I hate Shein, but my dd has mild SN and she lives in pjs or her school uniform, on the very rare occasion that she gets invited anywhere she has literally nothing to wear. (She has lots of clothes but she won't wear them) I was thrilled when she found a few things that she liked online, not so thrilled when i discovered they were from Shein but I bought them, despite my reservations.
Op I am flummoxed really that toddler clothes could have lead in them, but I think I would get rid of them.

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/jul/02/fashion-chemicals-pfas-bpa-toxic

I wouldn't risk it.

goodonyou.eco/chemicals-in-fast-fashion/

This is worth a watch. From Justine Leconte, someone who works in the industry

It's fairly easy to understand tbh - Not everyone is always in the best financial situation to spend as much as others, and in those times, do you just... walk about with holes in your clothes, stained in toddler/pet fluids or do you do what you can to get by in that moment without spending a fortune?

The defining characteristics of those who use Shein and similar companies is not poverty but the fact that they buy a lot more clothes than the average person.

The people I know who use these extreme fast fashion places are the ones who think each event needs a new outfit and each season/holiday demands a pile of new clothes.

The rest of us just save up for things and buy them occasionally, and if we have an event to go to we get out one of our outfits that we've worn many times already.

This is not true for me and lots of people I know. Many people on a low income buy as cheap as possible and also only buy occasionally. People on the breadline usually don't have the luxury of buying a few good pieces to add to their capsule, or indeed bulging wardrobe, they buy what they need when they need it.

Not everyone can easily save up and buy one piece of clothing here or there that's good quality - The only spare money I have to spend on clothes for myself for example is what accumulates in birthday or Christmas cards, which although I am always surprised and extremely grateful for. It does not exactly stretch very far.
I always end up dipping into our monthly budget as well if I want to get something for myself that's not poor quality, and only after hours of persuasion to do it from my partner.

About 1/3 of my wardrobe is stuff that I had in my mid to late teens that I've been really careful to look after so is mostly 7-10ish years old if not more at this point.
Another 1/3 is Shein.
another 1/3 is hoodies and leggings my mum's bought me here or there over the years as gifts that I can't really wear as they're far too big in sizing and dont' have the heart to throw away as she had a health scare and I'd feel weird about getting rid.

Probably going to mute this thread for myself here I think, every time I come here to see replies I just feel like I have to justify being extremely low income lol :')

France have a petition trying to ban Shein

Do you have actual stats to back up that claim? Everyone who I know that uses Shein (or primark etc...) does so because it's cheap and they don't have a lot of money. They don't buy more clothes than is out of the ordinary.
MN is not real life. Not everyone can afford Boden or & other stories or ugly bags that cost more than an average monthly salary.

@cornflakesandtea , I think that Shein appeals to people who want fast fashion, not a garment that they need. Shein is poor quality.
Have a look at the website, the clothes they sell is 'quick fashion fix' and it's not that cheap in price.

Primark is better quality but it depends what you buy. I occasionally buy things there. The t-shirts, leggings, opaque tights and jeans have been ok. Socks and knickers generally fall apart after a couple of wears.
The supermarkets are better.

Thanks Jane, finally got round to watching.

An interesting documentary. For me it's not just the appalling labour conditions and the absolute lack of transparency in Shein's manufacturing (in the video I posted which is older than Janes JL points out the fact that they cleverly outsource to a company who then outsource again who then outsource again ... opaque is an understatement). That's bad enough. And yup they aren't the only ones, of course.

Shein put up hundreds of new products daily. Way, way more than any other fast fashion brand. Deliberately use algorithms to steer you to overspend. Have a returns policy that encourages you to wear once and bin.

And as for so called influencers collaborating with them ... I hope the tide starts to turn on people like this who play a very active role in keeping this cycle going.

I think for a small number of people I can understand the appeal of such stupidly priced clothing. Times are tough right now and we still need to wear clothes. Shein absolutely has appeal here.

In my experience those who regularly shop here are doing so to have a brand new wardrobe every 5 minutes to keep up with influencers. They could afford to spend a bit more but choose not to.

I wouldn't touch their stuff due to the risk of toxic chemicals, even without the other ethical issues (which I agree are common across lots of clothing brands). Some water soluble chemicals might come out on washing but other stuff may not. I'd be particularly catuious with stuff for young children if they are still at an age where they chew on stuff. Would rather buy cheap stuff from supermarkets/primark or a second hand bundle.

I prefer to avoid all the 'direct from China' type brands whether Shein or on Amazon as there just doesn't seem to be much quality control or oversight into what goes into goods and I feel it's a greater risk than companies that have a more physical presence in UK/Europe (I may be overly optimistic here). I'm sure some of these companies products are comprable with other stuff on the market but it's just not worth the risk to me, especially for children's stuff.