Fast Fashion & China

        China stands at the epicenter of the global apparel industry, serving as a manufacturing hub for numerous fast fashion brands. The country's competitive advantage in production efficiency and low labor costs has fueled its dominance in this sector. However, the ramifications of this dominance has significant impacts ethical and environmental concerns.

    Fast fashion is characterized by rapid production cycles and quick turnover of trendy clothing at affordable prices, ushered in by an era of unprecedented consumerism. The fast fashion industry's relentless pursuit of low-cost, high-volume production has led to environmental degradation on a colossal scale, from excessive water usage and chemical pollution in textile manufacturing to the massive carbon footprint generated by transportation and disposal of garments, leading to a staggering environmental toll. 

    Shein, an infamous fast fashion retailer founded in China in 2008, drops up to 10,000 new items on its website daily. Aside from environmental impacts, Shein has garnered negative attention for stealing designs and use of forced labor. While many people assume that the prices are so cheap because the quality is poor, there is a darker side to Shein's low price point. Despite garnering a negative image, Shein was the second-most downloaded app in the U.S. this past summer, and a survey shows that there was a 0.6% to 4% jump from 2020 to now of women who shop most at Shein. 

    Xinjiang, a province in Northwest China, produces over one-fifth of the world's cotton. In March of 2021, a group of Western countries imposed sanctions on officials in China over rights abuses against the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region. Up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim people have been forced into working for sweatshop factories in China. Companies including H&M, Nike, and Zara expressed concern over these human rights abuses, these brands were boycotted, celebrities cut ties with the brands, and Chinese e-commerce platforms dropped H&M products from their sites. 

 

Links to further information:

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/13/1204983212/shein-america-fast-fashion-legal-issues#:~:text=Shein%20drops%20up%20to%2010%2C000,as%20little%20as%2010%20days.

H&M: Fashion giant sees China sales slump after Xinjiang boycott (bbc.com)

Vocabulary:

时尚 - Shíshàng, fashion

快时尚 - Kuài shíshàng, fast fashion

耐克 - Nàikè, Nike

新疆 - Xīnjiāng, Xinjiang

制裁 - Zhìcái, sanction