$55mn investment by SHEIN to empower nearly 3,000 emerging fashion talent

Over the last two years global e-retailer of fashion, beauty and lifestyle products SHEIN has invested more than $55 million to empower nearly 3,000 aspiring designers and artists from more than 20 countries supporting them to launch their own fashion collections to global audiences.

The platform’s SHEIN X incubator programme guides designers through the end-to-end process from product development to manufacturing to marketing and supply chain logistics. While SHEIN X designers own the rights to their SHEIN X designs, they are offered masterclasses, mentorship and unique tools such as SHEIN’s real-time analytics site where they can view the overall process and respond to consumer demands in real-time. The SHEIN X programme funds the entire production and logistics process. The SHEIN X programme has also disbursed over $5.37 million in commission to these designers from the profit it made through the sale of SHEIN X products.

From seven designers when the programme launched in January 2021 the SHEIN X incubator programme has grown to almost 3,000 designers and artists from around the world launching nearly 2,000 collections with more than 25,000 original creations. The SHEIN X programme has a dedicated production line involving dozens of professional manufacturing suppliers to produce SHEIN X products.

SHEIN X designers can also enjoy the benefit of the extensive global reach of SHEIN’s social media platforms as well as various marketing activities and resources to increase visibility and brand awareness for SHEIN X designers and their creations. Many SHEIN X designers also feature at SHEIN’s physical events such as pop-ups and fashion shows. The SHEIN X programme also elevates its designers and artists at national level events, such as the Art Discovery Programme, which aims to help draw visitors outside smaller communities in metro areas, by creating new shopping and shareable art destinations for a limited time.

“A core pillar of SHEIN’s business model is to empower entrepreneurs. The SHEIN X programme nurtures designers helping them elevate their brands on the global stage,” reiterated Molly Miao, Chief Operating Officer of SHEIN.

In 2023 SHEIN hopes to identify and onboard an additional 1,000 aspiring designers and artists from around the world to join SHEIN X. Newly onboarded SHEIN X designers will be offered unique opportunities to collaborate with world-renowned designers, participate in exclusive events as well as travel the world on global exchanges. Starting this month, SHEIN is partnering with the Graduate Fashion Foundation to support the SHEIN X fashion design competition where emerging European designers will vie for spots to be featured in the SHEIN X Fashion Show in Paris in June 2023.