Shein X Designer Incubator Program unveils first sustainable fashion collection

Image credit: Sourced from Shein

Shein, a global, integrated fashion and lifestyle marketplace announced the release of a new collection created by designers from the Shein X Designer Incubator Program.

The released collections come under Shein’s product initiative titled “evoluSHEIN by Design”.

Shein shifts focus to sustainable fashion

This initiative is aimed at accelerating the use of preferred materials and scaling responsible manufacturing processes.

The fashion giant said in its release that each of the six US-based Shein X designers launching these new collections – Alexandria Carroll, Anke Wonder, Farah Naz, Jacqueline City, Lauren Flagg, and Lillian Butterworth – were handpicked based on their passion for sustainable fashion.

“As a fashion company, our products are the biggest opportunity for impact, so we launched our evoluSHEIN by Design initiative to promote sustainable product development across Shein,” said Caitrin Watson, Shein’s director of sustainability.

“The six designers launching collections today are already independently incorporating sustainability into their personal brands and have expressed that using these lower-impact materials is really important to them moving forward. We’re excited to open this up to our Shein X designers and beyond, and to hopefully inspire the next generation of sustainability-conscious fashion creators.”

To meet the evoluSHEIN by Design standard, garments must consist of at least 30 per cent preferred materials, like recycled polyester, forest-safe viscose, and rescued deadstock, and be manufactured by suppliers that have achieved high social and environmental compliance verification through third-party audits.

All pieces are also produced using Shein’s small-batch, on-demand production model and shipped in packaging made with recycled content.

“We’re sending out a message about how we’re trying to be more sustainable, how we’re trying to get people more involved with using sustainable fabrics and shopping sustainable clothing to help us cut down the waste,” said Flagg, the designer behind Shein X Obviously Vintage. “This is the route that we want to go with fashion.”

Shein X Designer Incubator Program

The Shein X Designer Incubator Program is designed to guide independent fashion designers and artists through the process that brings their ideas to life – from product development to manufacturing, to marketing and supply chain logistics.

Since its launch, nearly 3,000 designers and artists from around the world have leveraged Shein’s industry-leading, on-demand production to launch more than 25,000 original creations.

In September 2023, the fashion house announced it will invest an additional $50m in the Shein X programme over five years, bringing the company’s total investment to $105m through 2028.

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