Shein Factory's 18-Hour Work Days Shouldn't Surprise Us
This is the reality of fashion and it's time to change.
Hi! It’s been a while! Not only have I been on a book tour for Worn Out (thank you, everyone, for your support so far!), but a few changes are coming to “This Stuff” soon. For now, I will be popping in your inbox here and there to talk about sustainable fashion news.
I think of the ultra-fast-fashion brand Shein as the offspring of the brands that came before it. Forever21, Zara, and H&M are like the parents that paved the way for their online-only child to go even bigger. The brand makes more clothing more often, and it has styles available for purchase before most people even realize the trend is happening.
Still, Shein takes a lot from the model of its predecessors. The clothes are always new, cheap, and trendy, and they’re also made within a supply chain that prioritizes quickness over anything else.
Earlier this week, the UK’s inews sent a worker undercover to film inside Shein factories in Guangzhou. They found that many people worked 18-hour days, sometimes seven days a week, only taking home around 2-4 cents per item they created. If you haven’t read the full story, you can do so here.
These practices are unfortunately not new and in a way, a sort of standard within the fast fashion model. Forever21 and Nike were found to be making clothing in sweatshops in the 80s and 90s resulting in a huge backlash. The stories of workers made national news and sparked effective boycotts and protests. I’d argue that at this point, it’s a general practice that many just don’t want to look at. That’s why I think we need to move beyond the mere shock of sweatshops being a part of the ecosystem in which our clothes are created and get to the part where things change. Yes, that means shopping behaviors, but it’s more than that.
Recently, I had a conversation with some fast fashion executives - they made it clear that the biggest changes will likely come through regulation. This isn’t an ideal motive, but it’s a good one to understand. Legislation is available to support around the world, and if fear of severe penalties is what makes fashion clean up its act, then pushing for it needs to be part of our focus.
Still, public pressure could be a helpful tool against Shein, especially as the brand focuses on “sustainability initiatives” such as resale. Shein clearly believes lower impact practices should be part of their marketing model (no matter the intention), but sustainability cannot exist without including the safety and well-being of garment workers.
The fashion industry does not have to be the way it is now. Brands don't have to make billions at the expense of workers. We don't have to buy as much clothing.
Thank you for reading!!
This Stuff is a newsletter by me! fashion journalist, Alyssa Hardy. Three times a week, I unpack the ways our clothes impact the world through news, essays, interviews and more. Subscribe for free here and follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
You can order my book "Worn Out: How Our Clothes Cover Up Fashion's Sins" here.
