Shein might be the endgame for fast fashion. Only I’m not sure that it’s the one everyone expected.

For years, we’ve seen traditional retailers fall behind Shein primarily because of price, and Shein’s business model. 

On the one hand, Shein are a convenient excuse for other fast fashion businesses who don’t innovate enough. The market is saturated and the offerings are all the same – an inevitable consequence of the boom in product cycles and options. 

The need to stand out, somehow, in mass market retail has never been more important, and Boohoo, Asos and others simply don’t stand out. The shopping experience and product choice are completely unremarkable.

However, it cannot be denied that Shein, through a new business model, have offered lower prices which other companies simply haven’t been able to compete with. To put it simply, they removed the “middle man” costs, took advantage of subsequent shipping fee exemptions, and pushed prices that no other business could – or should – compete with.

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