Everyone knows Shein — the fast delivery, the cheap prices, the endless hauls advertised by influencers. But why is Shein actually so popular?
An algorithm for fashion
Just like the algorithms TikTok and Instagram use to track consumer preferences and record data, Shein does the same. Shein monitors what people interact with to identify items growing and falling in popularity. The collected data goes straight to hundreds of manufacturers, who rapidly change production levels. People are constantly shown and supplied with items matching their exact preferences — making them buy more and more.
The fast-fashion cost
Because Shein constantly tracks preferences, 1,000–2,000 new styles are added to the inventory daily, highlighting the fast fashion model it follows. As we know, fast fashion models are unsustainable, generating high amounts of waste and carbon dioxide emissions.
Not-so-fun fact: in 2023 Shein emitted 16.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide — more than the entire amount emitted by Puerto Rico.
The takeaway
The prices may be great — but is the true cost really worth it?