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| Why China's cross-border e-commerce Shein is popular in the United States |
PLANO, Texas — In the indoor mall that houses a Shein pop-up store, there is a whiff of recklessness.
The security guard at the entrance said he had refused bribes from about 20 people who wanted to jump in line every day for the three days the pop-up store had been open. They tend to offer $20, though there have been bids as high as $100, he said.
On Sunday, the final day, the first shoppers arrived around 6am. Xiyin opens for business at noon. The line grew throughout the morning, turning first and then through the food court, past milk tea stands and Mediterranean grills. Anyone who arrives after 12:30 p.m. is advised to go home — they don’t get a chance to shop for $1 daisy earrings, $4 bucket hats, $12 knitted crop tops, $13 faux leather baguettes and $29 Neon PVC Mule Slippers.
“We had to take the numbers off the windows,” doorman Don Dixon said, pointing to a peeled white sticker that said the Saturday closing time was 8 p.m. The stock was low for the day and the store closed at 4pm.
The enthusiasm of the crowd is a remarkable sight, after all, and many malls have struggled to attract such a crowd for the past decade : About 700 people wait outside a whitewashed storefront that once housed the American Eagle The storefront of the apparel company, sandwiched between Swarovski and Bath & Body Works. A man proposed to his girlfriend before the entrance of the Xiyin pop-up store on the first day it opened on Friday.
"I was really nervous, I wanted to surprise her," said Nehemiah Jamie-Vega, 23. "She loves Xiyin," his fiancée, Michelle Alvarado, 22, nodded. “It’s so cheap,” she said Saturday afternoon after visiting the pop-up store for the second time in a row. She wears a red ribbed-knit tube top that sells for $7 at Xiyin; she says she buys two a month.
These pop-up stores are not how most people interact with the brand. So far in 2022, Xiyin has only held such events five times in the most valuable market in the United States. But the pop-up stores are meant to demystify the Chinese fast-fashion company. Shein (officially pronounced "she-in," but people usually pronounce it "sheen") — recently surpassed Amazon as the most downloaded shopping app in the U.S., according to Sensor Tower analysis. Xiyin is a private company that declined to disclose financial figures, but Coresight Research estimates that the company will have $10 billion in revenue in 2020.
However, as Xiyin grew up, so did doubts about her approach. Controversy over Heeyin's work is often reported in the press , such as selling a $2.50 swastika necklace or copying a designer's work. (The company says it takes infringement claims seriously, requiring suppliers to certify that their products do not infringe third-party intellectual property.)
Xiyin was also accused of working with suppliers who violated labor laws and failing to make required disclosures about factory conditions. In response, the brand noted that it has "regular internal audits" and a "strict" code of conduct for suppliers that complies with the law. It also contracts with firms such as Openview and Intertek to audit its facilities; "once violations are discovered, we will take further action, which may include terminating the contract," the company said.
Last year, an investigation by CBC's The Marketplace found that some Xiyin products contained excessive levels of lead, including children's jackets and mini wallets. Xiyin said it regularly tests its products against the standards of international regulators and "immediately corrects any non-compliance".
All of this makes Xi Yin a typical example of a certain style of ultra-cheap clothing companies: it is like Fashion Nova and Boohoo, a brand that is favored by a large number of Z-generation brands , but it is also criticized by critics (including Z ). Generations ) accused of fostering a culture of overconsumption and waste .
But Xi Yin claims that the way its clothes are made is "transformative": start with small batches (100 to 200 pieces) of clothing orders, and collect customer reactions to each small batch order before placing a large order.
Still, many of Xiyin's videos on social platforms -- including those of the hugely popular "poster" videos, in which people display items they've bought in bulk at one time -- have drawn skeptical comments : How do you keep a four-dollar top durable before it ends up in a landfill? How can the workers who sew and ship this garment be paid fairly?
However, these issues have not stopped the enthusiasm of Xiyin fans, many of whom believe that there is not enough reason to stop buying the brand's products.
Ann Taylor, a 25-year-old up-and-coming fashion influencer in Toronto who has received a gift card from the brand, also claims to see similar comments on videos "often." In most cases, she noted, these individuals raised concerns about the business violating labor laws.
A trending video on TikTok this summer showing a message from a garment worker sewing on Xiyin's clothing has since been widely debunked . However , in a November 2021 report on Xiyin’s cooperative factories released by the watchdog group Public Eye , researchers interviewed three workers whose working hours exceeded the country’s legal maximum, and found that aisles and stairs in some workshops had been destroyed. blocked.
Taylor wasn't convinced. If there were reports that the company violated regulations such as child labor laws, “I would definitely object,” she said. "But if it's the workers complaining about the low wages, that's nothing like forced child labor."
Steven Pruga, a 32-year-old Pittsburgh information technology professional who uses them and them as his personal pronouns, said Xiyin's pricing and large selection of plus sizes made them open their doors in 2020. Non-binary people get to experiment with individual styles—to see what clothes work best for their body types.
“You can build a pretty good wardrobe without breaking the bank, which is really nice, especially for a lot of low- and middle-income people, people who can’t afford $100 dresses,” Pruga said. They estimate that one-third of the clothes in these people's wardrobes come from Xiyin.
While Pruga has always been willing to boycott Chick-fil-A on moral grounds, a company that has donated money to anti-LGBTQ groups, they still feel, "Every company you consume has a lot of black history. Honestly, you There's really nothing you can do."
But that doesn't stop Xiyin from trying. Xiyin America President George Chiu said the company plans to start a social media campaign in September to let people "know" about its labor, sustainability and product safety efforts. The company has also stepped up its efforts to "promote the idea of being approachable — Xiyin is an easy-to-buy brand."
"While the allegations, rumors and bashing online are mostly false, we are partly responsible for the spread or perpetuation of these false narratives," said George Jiao, who has worked at the company since 2015. "We're ignoring the need for real communication and more engagement with customers and communities."
However, George Jiao believes that the negative discussion about Xiyin online is largely the result of people being "under the influence of peer pressure", saying that the online debate about Xiyin is similar to the political debate.
He knows most customers won't budge and will still focus on low prices.
“I don’t even go to H&M,” said Jamie Vega, one of the Dallas couples who got engaged at the Xiyin store, because H&M is more expensive. Alvarado pointed to his large handbag: the various shoes, clothes, accessories and beauty products in it all add up to a hundred dollars.
"I definitely can't buy so many things at H&M."
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