Inside the Shein Machine, the shocking documentary on the ultra fast fashion giant

In the sprawling fashion industry, we know the luxury giants who have not experienced the crisis (such as Hermès, Chanel or Dior), premium brands (also known as high-end brands such as Sandro, Maje, Claudie Pierlot) or even more accessible brands that are fewer and fewer the only ones applying the so-called “fast-fashion” techniques (disposable fashion). That is to say, pushing consumption to an increasingly frenetic pace by connecting new collections, promotions and influencing marketing operations. So much so that historical European giants such as the Spanish Zara, the Swedish H&M or the British Asos seem almost slow and expensive in front of new players in what is now called “ultra fast-fashion”, where Shein is the master.

This docu shoots Shein behind the scenes with a hidden camera

This Chinese giant stands out for its economic model and for its particularly opaque supply chain. A first report by the NGO Public Eye, released in November 2021, had drawn alarming conclusions about its practices. Today is a British documentary, broadcast on Channel 4, which in turn watches Shein. We learn in particular how the giant manages to stick to trends as much as possible, even if this all too often means copying, not to say plagiarizing, both the big names and young designers.

Journalist Iman Amrani also decrypts how the eshop comes in the form of an endless thread of cheap, colorful and addictive articles. Everything is designed to trigger impulse purchases, crossed-out prices with countdowns that make you believe timed offers, as well as free delivery.

Iman Amrani also analyzes the role of influencer marketing : Shein is taking out free clothing influencers and influencers to show up in enticing cale And trial (video in which we unpack and test the received parts). Their audience can therefore get a better idea of ​​the performance of the clothes, and often benefit from coupon codes, while having the impression that it is not an advertisement.

How to fight the colossus Shein

But if the company today weighs almost 16.6 billion euros, it is above all thanks to its particularly opaque supply chain, where clothing factories subcontract to deplorable exploitative factories. In the documentary, hidden cameras lead us to meet workers forced to work up to 18 hours a day, generally seven days a week, paid from 2 to 3 cents per piece made (a salary that in the end should not be surprising given the price of products. Shein, some of which cost as little as € 5). And if they do not respect the imposed quota, heavy penalties can be applied to these workers.

Nothing really new for those who have read the Public Eye report, but this documentary allows us to embody even more this social violence, and perhaps to sensitize a wider audience.

Without trying to make the customers of this ultra-fast Chinese fashion giant feel guilty, we can nevertheless wonder what the last straw might be. Last June, the company tried in vain to redeem a virtue, pledging over € 14 million for garbage dumps in Ghana. As noted Vogue business, the mastodon has chosen the week of the airing of this uplifting documentary to launch his second-hand resale service. A shameless greenwashing diversion. “Information is power”. And being informed above all allows you to avoid falling into the trap of greenwashing. However, is ignorance a luxury? That of being able to continue dressing without feeling guilty, while governments do nothing to limit this kind of globalized excess?

Front page photo credit: Shein eshop screenshot