Latest news with #fastFashion
Free Malaysia Today
7 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Shein to increase product safety testing after EU probe
Shein is expected to spend US$15 million on compliance initiatives this year. (Reuters pic) LONDON : Fast-fashion retailer Shein said today it would increase testing of products this year, after the EU warned of fines if it does not address the bloc's concerns about unsafe and dangerous products sold on its site. Shein said it targets 2.5 million product safety and quality tests in 2025, up from 2 million last year, and said it would spend US$15 million on compliance initiatives this year. Shein, which sells its own-branded clothes in 150 countries, also operates a marketplace for sellers of toys, gadgets, and homeware sent directly from factories mostly in China to shoppers around the world. 'Since it launched its marketplace, Shein has stopped working with more than 540 sellers over compliance breaches,' the company said. The EU's Consumer Protection Co-operation (CPC) network of national consumer authorities and the European Commission on Monday notified Shein of practices that infringe EU consumer law, giving the company a month to reply.
The Sun
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Shein shoppers issue stark warning about ‘basket scam' that's helping them rake in more money at the last minute
SHEIN shoppers are issuing a stark warning about a 'basket scam' that they claim is helping the fast fashion brand rake in more money at the last minute. Now, people are taking to social media to check in with each other to see if they have also experienced the same issue. Madi, known as ' madibaby111 ' on TikTok, is one of the shoppers raising awareness after noticing the issue and wondering if it was happening to anyone else. She explained that when she adds items to her basket - for example, a dress which said it was £6 - and then clicks on the the tick boxes in the basket, the dress could then go from £6 to £9. Madi explained: 'Let's say my total, I had £16 worth of stuff and I add something for £6 and it goes to £26.' She added: 'And it does it with literally near enough everything in my basket and I don't understand why it's doing it.' Madi is now concerned whether it has done this to her in the past, but she may not have noticed as she has wondered how her basket has added up to £80 when she's only had six items in the basket. She claimed that there has been another time where a dress was marked down from £15 to £6, but once she added it to her total, the price went back up again. Madi described the situation as 'Shein hacking you' and said it's a 'scam really'. Her video, which was shared on 13 May, has gained 252.4k views, with 737 people rushing to the comments section to share their thoughts. One wrote: 'This happened to me too" but claims to have found a workaround: 'I managed to get it cheap by googling Shein voucher codes. My order was £109 down to £77.' A second added that there are times of day when prices seem to go down not up: 'Yes, and if you order between 12am-3am the prices drop like crazy. "My basket was £220 and I bought it for £107 at 2am the other day.' A third commented: 'Yes! It was pi**ing me off, so I just left my basket.' Whilst a fourth warned: 'Also, when refunding, be careful. 'If you do a big order and refund most of it, the discount allowance you received will be removed, and you will end up paying full price for the items you keep. So bad! Sneaky! 'I questioned it and was told it's their policy.' Whilst another added: 'Yeah, prices go higher - getting greedy and sly, if you ask me.' Shein have been approached for comment. What is Shein and is it legit? Shein is an online-only fast-fashion retailer, based out of China, that has become a number one shopping destination for many around the world. The company was valued at $66billion in 2023, dwarfing that of popular high street brands Zara and H&M. The fashion retailer was founded in late 2008, by entrepreneur and marketing specialist Xu Yangtian, also known as Chris Xu. Shein is a legitimate selling website and is not a phishing scam. But you may receive a disappointing order or run into shipping issues if you order from the site, according to reviews. There have been swathes of quality complaints, which makes sense when looking at the price tag.
Sky News
28-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
'Leicester is embargoed': City's clothing industry in crisis
You probably recall the stories about Leicester's clothing industry in recent years: grim labour conditions, pay below the minimum wage, "dark factories" serving the fast fashion sector. What is less well known is what happened next. In short, the industry has cratered. In the wake of the recurrent scandals over "sweatshop" conditions in Leicester, the majority of major brands have now abandoned the city, triggering an implosion in production in the place that once boasted that it "clothed the world". And now Leicester faces a further existential double-threat: competition from Chinese companies like Shein and Temu, and the impending arrival of cheap imports from India, following the recent trade deal signed with the UK. Many worry it could spell an end for the city's fashion business altogether. Gauging the scale of the recent collapse is challenging because many of the textile and apparel factories in Leicester are small operations that can start up and shut down rapidly, but according to data provided to Sky News by SP&KO, a consultancy founded by fashion sector veterans Kathy O'Driscoll and Simon Platts, the number has fallen from 1,500 in 2017 to just 96 this year. This 94% collapse comes amid growing concerns that British clothes-making more broadly is facing an existential crisis. In an in-depth investigation carried out over recent months, Sky News has visited sites in the city shut down in the face of a collapse of demand. Thousands of fashion workers are understood to have lost their jobs. Many factories lie empty, their machines gathering dust. The vast majority of high street and fast fashion brands that once sourced their clothes in Leicester have now shifted their supply chains to North Africa and South Asia. And a new report from UKFT - Britain's fashion and textiles lobby group - has found that a staggering 95% of clothes companies have either trimmed or completely eliminated clothes manufacturing in the UK. Some 58% of brands, by turnover, now have an explicit policy not to source clothes from the UK. Jenny Holloway, chair of the Apparel & Textile Manufacturers Association, said: "We know of factories that were asked to become a potential supplier [to high street brands], got so far down the line, invested on sampling, invested time and money, policies, and then it's like: 'oh, sorry, we can't use you, because Leicester is embargoed.'" Tejas Shah, a third-generation manufacturer whose family company Shahtex used to make materials for Marks & Spencer, said: "I've spoken to brands in the past who, if I moved my factory 15 miles north into Loughborough, would be happy to work with me. But because I have an LE1, LE4 postcode, they don't want to work for me." Threat of Chinese brands Shein and Temu That pain has been exacerbated by a new phenomenon: the rise of Chinese fast fashion brands Shein and Temu. They offer consumers ultra-cheap clothes and goods, made in Chinese factories and flown direct to UK households. And, thanks to a customs loophole known as "de minimis", those goods don't even incur tariffs when they arrive in the country. According to Satvir Singh, who runs Our Fashion, one of the last remaining knitwear producers in the city, this threat could prove the final straw for Leicester's garments sector. "It is having an impact on our production - and I think the whole retail sector, at least for clothing, are feeling that pinch." While Donald Trump has threatened to abolish the loophole in the US, the UK has only announced a review with no timeline. "If we look at what Trump's done, he's just thinking more about his local economy because he can see the long-term effects," said Mr Singh. "I think [abolishing de minimis exceptions] will make a huge difference. I think ultimately it's about a level playing field."
Sky News
28-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
'Sweatshop' scandals have left Leicester's once-thriving clothing industry in existential crisis
You probably recall the stories about Leicester's clothing industry in recent years: grim labour conditions, pay below the minimum wage, "dark factories" serving the fast fashion sector. What is less well known is what happened next. In short, the industry has cratered. In the wake of the recurrent scandals over "sweatshop" conditions in Leicester, the majority of major brands have now abandoned the city, triggering an implosion in production in the place that once boasted that it "clothed the world". And now Leicester faces a further existential double-threat: competition from Chinese companies like Shein and Temu, and the impending arrival of cheap imports from India, following the recent trade deal signed with the UK. Many worry it could spell an end for the city's fashion business altogether. Gauging the scale of the recent collapse is challenging because many of the textile and apparel factories in Leicester are small operations that can start up and shut down rapidly, but according to data provided to Sky News by SP&KO, a consultancy founded by fashion sector veterans Kathy O'Driscoll and Simon Platts, the number has fallen from 1,500 in 2017 to just 96 this year. This 94% collapse comes amid growing concerns that British clothes-making more broadly is facing an existential crisis. In an in-depth investigation carried out over recent months, Sky News has visited sites in the city shut down in the face of a collapse of demand. Thousands of fashion workers are understood to have lost their jobs. Many factories lie empty, their machines gathering dust. The vast majority of high street and fast fashion brands that once sourced their clothes in Leicester have now shifted their supply chains to North Africa and South Asia. And a new report from UKFT - Britain's fashion and textiles lobby group - has found that a staggering 95% of clothes companies have either trimmed or completely eliminated clothes manufacturing in the UK. Some 58% of brands, by turnover, now have an explicit policy not to source clothes from the UK. Jenny Holloway, chair of the Apparel & Textile Manufacturers Association, said: "We know of factories that were asked to become a potential supplier [to high street brands], got so far down the line, invested on sampling, invested time and money, policies, and then it's like: 'oh, sorry, we can't use you, because Leicester is embargoed.'" Tejas Shah, a third-generation manufacturer whose family company Shahtex used to make materials for Marks & Spencer, said: "I've spoken to brands in the past who, if I moved my factory 15 miles north into Loughborough, would be happy to work with me. But because I have an LE1, LE4 postcode, they don't want to work for me." Threat of Chinese brands Shein and Temu That pain has been exacerbated by a new phenomenon: the rise of Chinese fast fashion brands Shein and Temu. They offer consumers ultra-cheap clothes and goods, made in Chinese factories and flown direct to UK households. And, thanks to a customs loophole known as "de minimis", those goods don't even incur tariffs when they arrive in the country. According to Satvir Singh, who runs Our Fashion, one of the last remaining knitwear producers in the city, this threat could prove the final straw for Leicester's garments sector. "It is having an impact on our production - and I think the whole retail sector, at least for clothing, are feeling that pinch." While Donald Trump has threatened to abolish the loophole in the US, the UK has only announced a review with no timeline. "If we look at what Trump's done, he's just thinking more about his local economy because he can see the long-term effects," said Mr Singh. "I think [abolishing de minimis exceptions] will make a huge difference. I think ultimately it's about a level playing field."
Bloomberg
21-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
US Fashion Recycling Startup to Build $500 Million Plant in France
US clean-tech startup Circ plans to build what it says is the world's first industrial-scale plant dedicated to recycling post-consumer and post-industrial polycotton textiles. Fabrics made of a blend of polyester and cotton are a staple of fast fashion but are hard to break down and worsening a global waste crisis. The 450 million euro ($510 million) plant will be in Saint-Avold, France, and construction is set to begin in 2026. The facility will have the capacity to process 70,000 metric tons of polycotton material per year, according to the company. It is expected to be fully operational by 2028 and create 200 direct and indirect jobs.
