As someone who follows Hinduism, I do not see anything wrong with Shein selling the swastika necklace. The brand manufactures its clothing via a network of thousands of suppliers throughout China. According to Wired, the company updates its website with 6,000 new styles every day. Jamie Reyer, 16, Rising Junior at Thomas S. Wootton High School, Rockville, MD, I definitely dont think its okay, especially in the format SHEIN is selling them in. Joel Shapiro, 18, Rising Freshman at Boston University, Boston, MA, I think Shein selling Islamic prayer mats and swastika necklaces is extremely offensive considering the great value and importance they have in their respective cultures and religions. Every mat has the illustration of a, So long as these mats are strictly emphasized as Islamic prayer mats, there is nothing wrong with Shein selling them; however, this did not happen. Shein has been accused of copying the designs of several smaller fashion brands. A quick peruse of the companys U.S. site finds most items are priced under $20; many come in at under $10. If Shein wanted to sell this necklace, they should have mentioned the intentions of the necklace in the description or name of the item. It is extremely important to be understanding and sensitive when it comes to culture and religion. However, Shein still has not stopped being inconsiderate towards other races. But, are you surprised they have not one or two but three oopsies this week? Unmasking the unethical business practices of the fashion brand, Is Telekinesis real? The move is seen as part of the companys attempt to move its supply chain away from China, where it has largely been rooted with over 3,000 suppliers in southern Chinas Guangdong province. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. Each year, a U.S. citizen disposes around 70 pounds of clothing, which ends up in landfills, an extremely detrimental practice towards the environment. Shein responded to the allegations with a TikTok. In this Policy, the terms "SHEIN," "Company," "we," "us," and "our" refer to SHEIN US Services, LLC. We found that despite affordable prices and trendy styles, the cons outweigh the pros. This was important in the face of allegations that they were unabashedly appropriating religious items and promoting anti-Semitism. Commercializing and reducing a symbol with religious significance is religiously insensitive to Hinduism. There are efforts underway in the United States to encourage companies to move sourcing away from Xinjiang, given the prevalence of forced labor in the region. Because the product was, indeed, trash, and I want the other shoppers to know that before they purchase. Thus, the companys adamant silence on its finances and continued secrecy about the workings of its supply chain have raised speculations about shady labor practices and probable human rights violations. Aashna Singh, 17, Rising Senior at Thomas S. Wootton High School, Rockville, MD, I think that there are a lot of cultural nuances that can complicate what Sheins business decisions should be. The actress shares her days as a soccer player and how she manages expectations as a Latina in Hollywood. 664 Followers. The influencers origins, Who owns Gucci now? They were being sold for a mere $2.50 dollars. I dont think people actually understand the capacity at which Shein is actually producing and how much more they produce than other fast fashion brands, bmekween stated. Although Shein claims to target its sales towards European countries, America, Middle Eastern . The things I paint are my garden and my little village: its my life. In 2020, Airwair International Limited, the owner of the Dr. Martens footwear brand, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Shein for mass producing and selling counterfeit Dr. Martens boots under the name Martin boots. Workers who make clothes sold on Shein get as little as 4 cents for each item they make, according to a new investigation. Empowering individuals and giving back to those in need has been part of our company DNA since day one, said Molly Miao, the Chief Marketing Officer at SHEIN. Keep this third mistake insight of their most recent apology to be actively working through our internal structure and processes to resolve these issues and striving to be a global and all-inclusive brand and we are taking extreme measures to ensure that all items are cleared through a rigorous vetting process before we retail them.". Shein was accused of cultural and religious appropriation. The product placement was seen as insensitive and consumers felt it was inappropriate to sell a religion based item in exchange for profit. Our strict Code of Conduct prohibits suppliers from using child or forced labor and we do not tolerate non-compliance. The footage has been made into a documentary produced by Zandland Films that will be available to stream in the U.K. starting October 17 on Channel 4s streaming service, All4. That bill was included in the House version of the competitiveness legislation, but not the Senate it remains unclear if it will ultimately make it in the final package currently being negotiated by both chambers. The brands co-founder Quinn Jones told The Financial Times that Shein is infamous for stealing designs from small brands. Read Next: Why is SHEIN so cheap? It was a bit David and Goliath and I was completely overwhelmed, she said. The business model works like Amazona sprawling online marketplace brings together about 6,000 clothing factories in China under Sheins label, while internal management software collects near-instant data about which items are selling and which arent to visibly boost the popular items. In an interview with Green Matters, Venetia La Manna, the co-founder of the Remember Who Made Them campaign that advocates for the welfare of garment workers, said: The main issue with Shein is their sheer lack of ethics. With its headquarters now based in Singapore, Shein also began manufacturing in Turkey and is leasing and operating warehouses in Poland to ship to customers in Europe. Wired reported in May that the company claims 28% of the U.S. fast fashion market, and is valued at $100 million, higher than the combined worth of mainstays H&M and Zara. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Shein was accused of cultural and religious appropriation. I also share insights about entrepreneurship, founders & nascent technologies. Failure to act will allow Shein and others to continue to steal designs, and then use forced labor and sweatshops to flood the earth with cheap clothing that is irrevocably damaging the planet. The swastika is celebrated and used during special occasions like Diwali, Ganesh Chaturvedi, and Navaratri. But Shein takes things to a whole new level. The massive company focuses on producing and selling womenswear, but it also sells clothing designed for men and children, as well as beauty products and home goods. However, Shein was very ignorant towards the Jewish race by selling this necklace, given that not many people are aware of the positive connotations the swastika has. Taking a culture and using it commercially completely strips the culture of its respect and the importance it deserves. Nonetheless, the case was settled out of court. But several reports over the last year reveal the companys shocking track record of human rights violations and an environmentally-unsustainable modelleaving many to wonder how its popularity continues to soar among consumers. Similarly, in Buddhism, the swastika symbolizes Buddhas heart and footsteps; in Jainism, the swastika identifies the seventh of the 24 spiritual gurus. While SHEIN has taken down this listing and clarified that they were attempting to sell it with the intent of it being the swastika used in Buddhism and Hinduism, the fact is that the manner and location of how and where SHEIN was selling the necklace lead many to believe it was the Nazi symbol of hate meant to oppress the Jewish people which is not something thats okay to try and make a profit off of. Each year, a U.S. citizen disposes around, Fast fashion companies also practice child labor, which is illegal in most countries. One TikTok posted in late May 2022 has over 6.5 million likes, and shows a slip of paper reading "help me plz . You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. The company has since pulled the items from its site and vowed to ensure continuous improvement of [their] supply chain. The company hosts more than 600,000 unique garments on its website. This is a concern for Muslims since the necklace was not marked in the product description of its religious origins. In Islam, Allah refers to God. The reported hours and working conditions violate Chinas labor laws. Shein is secretive about the unethical and sometimes even illegal labor practices found in its supply chain located in Guangzhou, China. Jezebel initially reported about the company using designs from the LA-based indie brand Valfr back in 2018. 1.0. It's fast fashion on steroids, I wonder if bad is considered inappropriate. In contrast, the mostly immigrant workers of Shein toll away for more than 75 hours a week in less-than-ideal conditions. Then, Swiss watchdog Public Eye released another detailed report in November which accused Shein of violating Chinese labor laws. While the company started with humble beginnings in 2012, it is now considered the largest online-only fashion company in the world, having earned an estimated $10 billion in revenue in 2020. All about the workings of this global humanitarian organization, Who owns MSCHF? The (Counter)Cultural One-Stop for Nonfiction on Medium incorporating categories for: Art, Culture, Equality, Photography, Tech and Design and Literature. When the nonprofit Green America issued its latest Toxic Textiles Scorecard, Shein failed in every category; Good On You also ranked Shein as the worst of the worst: SHEIN gets our lowest score of We Avoid for the planet. After all, American manufacturers and workers already are at a disadvantage, because companies in China dont abide by the same labor and environmental practices that American manufacturers do. The companys unconventional structure, Who owns Bape? They just want to mislead their consumers. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, This password will be used to sign into all, 39 Pairs of Sneakers to Upgrade Your Wardrobe, Im On the Hunt for the Best Sunscreens Without a White Cast, Nobody Wants to Perform at King Charless Big Party. Starting with the prayer mats, SHEIN was selling them as decorative items (frilled Greek carpets) rather than something thats important to an entire religion, which I personally view as disrespectful to the religion itself and extremely misappropriating. Ayan Ghosh, 15, Rising Sophomore at Thomas S. Wootton High School, Rockville, MD, I dont think its ok for SHEIN to be selling the necklaces or the mats. Additionally, many mats have mosque lamps on them. Recently, several videos were posted on TikTok that contain misleading and false information about SHEIN. First off, they represent something important and meaningful to the different cultures and religions which they arent taking into consideration of how it can affect their customers. For example, there are currently calls to remove tariffs on Chinese imports, which would do nothing to lower consumer prices but give Chinese companies yet another unearned advantage. Free Shipping On Orders $49+ Free Returns 1000+ New Arrivals Dropped Daily Get down to basics with our collection of soft, casual tees and T-shirts from SHEIN! Now, I work for the Alliance for American Manufacturing, so of course I am here to tout the greatness of buying American-made clothing. Shein was also called out for selling sleepwear that imitated cultural clothing on white models. Georgia Portogallo, a 21-year-old British influencer with over 200,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok, released a video stating that would no longer be working with the brand until its working conditions had changed shortly after appearing on the Channel 4 documentary. SHEIN has a consumer rating of 2.69 stars from 4,126 reviews indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Copyright 2023 Green Matters. Independent booksellers are now making a comeback and theres a growing number of ethical apparel manufacturers mounting their own return, using the same direct-to-consumer model that Shein is using. Magazines, Digital Elizabeth Holmes Has Given Birth to Her Second Child. While Sheins labor practices are perhaps its most egregious behavior, the company also has been heavily criticized for its environmental record. According to U.S. law, tariffs are waived for packages valued under $800 in whats known as the de minimis rule (meaning too small to be meaningful). The opinions in this article are those of the author. The company has been accused of stealing designs from established brands and independent designers. All those shipments make it hard for customs officials to enforce trade laws and thats if they can find them. It is incredibly hateful that Shein commercialized this item and in a way, endorsed the swastika which symbolizes the hatred and genocide of the Jewish people; but that isnt the only reason why the sale of the necklace is distasteful. Fast fashion company Shein has denied accusations that factory workers are leaving concerning messages on clothing tags. The idea behind that rule is to spare people the hassle of dealing with tariffs for small purchases, like tourists bringing home souvenirs from trips abroad. Especially at a time when racial equality movements like Black Lives Matter are prominent, it was very insensitive of Shein to culturally appropriate religious items. I engage with art at a deep level. Their bot doesn't like products to be referred as "suck". Thereafter, Muslim fashion influencer and inclusivity activist, Nabela Noor called Shein out on this product. Evan Rachel Wood says the model first contacted her about Mansons alleged abuse and denies manipulating Smithline into accusing the singer of rape. Yes, Shein is a legitimate business and website. Although Shein has apologized for their actions in the past, it continues to make the same mistakes by culturally appropriating sacred symbols from various cultures and religions. Around 80-85% of the cotton in Chinese-made apparel comes from Xinjiang, where the State Department says a genocide is taking place and forced labor is used to make everything from clothing to solar panels to vinyl flooring to car batteries. American Giant and American Roots are among the Made in America apparel brands who have perfected the model while investing in sustainable practices and paying their workers a fair wage; American Roots is proudly union-made. The group hired independent Chinese researchers to track Sheins manufacturing and packing process in China and Europe and found that many were running informal factories set up in residential buildings. Its a social media strategy that has been wildly successful for the company, pushing Shein to the top of the fashion ladderand making it the worlds most popular fashion brand in 2022. Additionally, the symbol is drawn in front of many Indian households as a symbol of fortune and luck. Another picture of a Help Me message was actually taken from a stock photo website. But recently, customers have been growing increasingly concerned over alleged forced labor at Shein, as photos of purported Shein tags reading help me and other cries for aid have been circulating the internet. Even if Shein isnt *technically* using forced labor which is probably unlikely, given what we know about Chinas apparel manufacturing industry its safe to conclude that the people making all those cheap clothes are working in poor conditions. Instead of labeling the rugs with their, On July 9th, 2020, Shein was also found to be selling a necklace with a swastika pendant. Shein responded to the allegations with a TikTok, claiming that these videos contain misleading and false information about the brand. Because nothing comes before profit, especially not the consumer. The Financial Times noted that it was not the first time Shein was involved in a trademark dispute as it had previously been sued by Levi Strauss in 2018 for copying its Arcuate stitching patterns. If Shein hits that $100 billion value, the company would be the third most valuable startup . Writing is not that easy, but Grammarly can help. ago That sucks RobinsRock 3 mo. All of Sheins clothes are made in China, as per the website, where forced, underage, and underpaid labor are common and factories are often unregulated and outsourcing labor to China is how companies like Shein are able to sell clothing at such low prices. The creator of the brand, Ilse Valfre, told Jezebel that she was notified of the intellectual theft by her customers who sent [her] photos of the identical copies of [her] product on Shein through Instagram and email. There are so many alternatives to supporting fast fashion, such as shopping secondhand, buying from sustainable small fashion brands, and simply wearing more of what you already have and the more people who call fast fashion out for its unethical practices, the greater the chance that the industry will actually make changes. As per Reuters, Sheins lack of transparency on the matter is concerning and potentially violates the UKs Modern Slavery Act 2015, which combats forced labor. In 2020, Shein made nearly $10 billion alone. Bowman ultimately decided not to sue Shein. Which one do you prefer for Christmas and which one for New Years? the French content creator asked her 75,000 followers as she twirled, strutted, and smiled at the camera. So I changed it to 'tr*ash' and it went through. Now, the quality is usually much higher my American Giant hoodie has lasted for nearly 10 years now but theres no question the cost premium gives importers like Shein a distinct advantage. Shein has repeatedly come under fire for just about everything you can do wrong with a company, including poor working conditions, high levels of toxic chemicals in its clothing, copying independent designers items, and mishandling customer data. The prayer mats that were being sold were under the term decorative mats. There is a clear difference between appreciating culture/religion and appropriating culture/religion. So, it was discovered that Shein was selling Allah necklaces as part of a fashion pack. We know there is a problem, and it is on policymakers to fix it. Such working conditions are in violation of the Chinese Labor Laws which puts the ceiling of work time at 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week with at least a day off in a week. Terms of Service apply. Technically not the first mistake. 15% Off With No Min.+ Easy returns New Arrivals Dropped Daily Heres what we know. No wonder it minds much about words \_()_/ ^, Super Idol 105 C . In October 2021, Shein came under fire for having a disproportionate amount of lead in its clothing items, particularly in handbags and childrens jackets, which are health hazardous. And theyve just taken my world to China and whacked it on an acrylic jumper.. Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida isn't a fan of the term "JRPG" after seeing it used negatively for years. Raise your hand if you have ever shopped from Shein the fast fashion e-commerce company. Parnika Venna, 18, Rising Freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, I think its unacceptable that Shein has prayer mats and the swastika pendant necklace on their website. Eventually, people will throw away the clothes they bought for several reasons: the size does not fit, cloth is worn out, or the piece is simply unwanted. Ultimately, I think it is okay for Shein to be selling Islamic prayer mats and swastika necklaces but they need to with cultural sensitivity and appreciation in mind, which involves advertising to the proper religious audiences (Muslims and Hindus/Buddhists/Jains, respectively) in the titles and descriptions of these items; because they have not done so, it currently stands as cultural appropriation and hateful expression. Theyre the ones who have to be flexible and work all night so the rest of us can press a button and have a dress delivered to our door for $10, she said. Despite the claims Shein made in the above statement, there is no evidence that the company is actually transparent about its supply chain, or that it enforces the rules in its Code of Conduct for suppliers, which are supposed to prohibit factories from using forced and child labor. But in my view, thats where Sheins clothing belongs: in the bin.. Pronounced she-in, the fast fashion Chinese behemoth was founded in the city of Nanjing in 2008 by Chris Xu, a U.S.-born entrepreneur and search engine optimization specialist. At $100bn, the fast fashion retailer is now one of the most valuable companies in the world, and worth more than fashion giants Zara and H&M. Not to mention, these messages all still most likely came from laborers in garment factories, making it clear that this issue is boundless. To begin with, on July 3rd, 2020, Shein sold Islamic prayer rugs on its website. Largely because of its total lack of transparency. Canadian watchdog Health Canada found that a jacket for toddlers contained nearly 20 times the amount of lead that is safe for children, while a purse contained about five times more lead than whats considered safe. Eventually, Shein admitted to the breaches and released a statement that read: We know we have a responsibility to safeguard the welfare of workers in our supply chain. And she wants to delay her 11-year prison sentence. Through Teen Lenses: Do you think Shein selling Islamic prayer mats and swastika necklaces is appropriate? Unlike rugs that are used as decor, these mats are designed in rectangular shapes with Islamic symbols and sacred writings. I truly believe in buying American and can give you a whole host of reasons why doing so is better than ordering a cheap T-shirt from places like Shein. The Whimsy Soul team Shein ratings are the worst of all stores we have reviewed. The prayer mats actually need to be put in a clean place and used as a regular place to connect with God. According to The Fashion Law, Ralph Lauren accused Shein's parent organization, Zoetop Business Company, of "willful and deliberate infringement" for copying trademarks on its clothes that were "substantially indistinguishable and/or confusingly similar to one or more of Ralph Lauren's marks." Instead of labeling the rugs with their appropriate names sajjda, namazlik, or Islamic/Muslim prayer mat Shein described them as Fringe Trim Carpet or Flower Print Tassel Trim Carpet.
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