Global downloads of SHEIN shopping app 2015- YTD 2023

The Chinese fashion e-commerce giant SHEIN Group has surged to prominence. Founded in 2008 as ZZKKO, it quickly evolved into the world's largest fashion retailer by 2022. Its app boasted around 197 million app downloads worldwide between January 1 and September 22, 2023.

Faster and cheaper

The online-only fast-fashion company has a unique business model. Enabled by algorithms and data analytic, its swift production and fashion trend prediction abilities have set it apart in the fast fashion e-commerce world. Its algorithm-driven supply chain enables it to reduce the production time to seven days and offer thousands of new items to its site every week at much lower price levels than its competitors.

Behind the low-price tags

The fashion retailer also collaborates with numerous fashion bloggers to harness platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Combined with its adept use of social media marketing, SHEIN achieved a staggering 20 billion U.S. dollars in gross merchandise value in 2021. Despite its rapid growth and popularity, SHEIN's reputation is marred by a barrage of controversies, ranging from labor rights violations, trademark disputes, environmental concerns, to health and safety issues.