By Imani Holmer, Alliance Intern from UC Berkeley ‘25
A $3 shirt might sound like an unbelievable bargain at first glance, but that shirt’s low price is at the expense of sweatshop workers. Shein, a wildly popular fast fashion brand, adds over 1,000 new styles to their website every day, but it utilizes highly unethical practices to do so. According to a documentary exposing Shein’s practices, workers are forced to have 18 hour shifts and make only 4 cents per garment, which can be withheld if they make a mistake. Some materials used for the clothing are sourced from the forced labor of Uyghur Muslims.
Shein’s unimpeded exploitation of its workers must come to an end. The nonprofit Shut Down Shein is leading an effort to stop Shein’s reign of fast fashion terror. You can join the Alliance in participating in their coalition calling for action and refusing to buy Shein fast fashion.