Staying on top of trends and outshining your fellow schoolmates is all that matters nowadays, but catching and riding that early wave can be tricky. That’s why in this article we’ll go over why SHEIN is where the swag is at and how you can capitalize on it.
We all know fashion is cyclical: an article of clothing slowly enters the mainstream, dominates people’s wardrobes, gets forgotten, and in a decades time is rediscovered. With the advent of the internet however and the prolific rise of sites like Instagram and Pinterest, these fashion cycles spin faster than ever, now with same decade turnaround time. Say goodbye to timeless classics like Chelsea boots, or a nice denim jacket: it’s all about what’s hot on the Shein spotlight product carousel. I’m here to tell you that SHIEN is now that undiscovered gem; it is the world’s largest diamond that has yet to be mined.
Why Shien? Isn’t Shien a notoriously low quality, exploitative, fast fashion retailer that perpetuates overconsumption? Yes. But that’s why it’s cool. Nowadays EVERYBODY hates on Shien, and that’s not cool. Buying a 40 dollar cropped boxy fit tee at Nordstrom is weird – buying a shirt off the Shein frontpage that fits 2 sizes too big and is cut strangely is on fleek. Everybody knows hopping on the hate bandwagon is lame, yet people haven’t yet realized that that’s what they’re doing with Shien. Don’t believe me? Keep reading.
A similar shift in public consciousness is currently occurring with the brand Supreme. From being a monolith of streetwear to one of the most overrated brands, Supreme, in the eyes of the people, has recently come full circle becoming a stylish symbol of “being in the know”. “I go to the Supreme store on Milwaukee Ave whenever there’s a new drop” says Ryan Xie, a Whitney Young pillar of fashion. I don’t know what more evidence one might need the people love Supreme, and this is the exact trajectory Shien is on.
Now that you are convinced Shien is the next big thing, what can you do about it? First of all, “gatekeep”. You want to be the only person in your friend group repping Shien for as long as possible. Keep it underground. Don’t go around telling people where you got those 3 oz denim trousers, maybe play it cool and quickly shuffle away instead. When asked if he tells people he got his blue jeans from Shein Ryan said, “Obviously not”. You don’t want people knowing you’re stunting in garments that were 100% made by a small child in unbearable working conditions, yet.
The time when you can proudly say that you’ve been wearing Shien all along will come, and you shouldn’t be ashamed of supporting this company that has been in the spotlight due to its lack of transparency regarding supply chain issues. Due to having been unable to find anyone who’s said anything positive about Shien (which further proves the point), I will now instead wish you a nice day. Have a nice day!
