Inside Shein’s strategy to win over Gen-Z buyers and young designers – Glossy

As younger shoppers spend more time on mobile devices, Shein has incorporated gamification into its app, rewarding customers with points for frequent cumulative logins, as well as to play in-app minigames and write reviews. It goes beyond Amazon and become most downloaded shopping app in the United States in May. One in three global consumers cite their phone as their preferred shopping channel, and 50% of Generation Z and millennials say they never shop without using a phone, according to 2021. Upcoming Shopping Report by Snaps.

Shein X incubator and competition
In January, the brand launched Shein X, a fashion design incubator program that supports more than 500 designers, with new designers added every month. Highlighted on a separate section of the website, Shein X is advertised as a way for indie fashion designers to get noticed. The program allows them to develop a capsule collection from sketches, with Shein handling manufacturing, marketing and sales. The site also mentions that designers can leverage Sheins’ “millions of social fans” for promotion, while sharing profits and retaining design ownership, with Shein Xs prices ranging from $5 for crop tops to $60 for the most expensive dresses. Considering the program’s growth in recent months, it seems that Shein X has become an opportunity for fashion enthusiasts to develop their own style, although all styles are subject to discounts and sales at Sheins’ discretion.

Rebecca Morter, founder of Lone Design Club, a UK-based e-commerce site focused on supporting sustainable brands, says big brands can learn from new designers. Often this early stage brand [founders] that pave the way for the future, in terms of innovation, sustainability and what comes next. The concern with what Shein does—especially with their target Gen Z audience—is that it makes them think it’s okay to pay nothing for clothing items, when the only way to hit those prices is to exploit. people along the supply chain, from maker to designer.

The various discounts Shein offered were obtained with the kind of bargain hunting reminiscent of extreme coupons. The strategy is a good fit, given the buyers and their limited income. Shein’s popularity has grown on social media platforms, including TikTok. The hashtag #sheinhaul, paired with users showing off multiple views from the site, has more than 3.3 billion views on the platform.

Amid the growth of the incubator program, the brand added the controversial Shein X competition in April, paired with Be Bold, Be You slogan. The focus is on finding design talent from around the world through shows broadcast on the Shein app and the retailer’s social media platforms. Program divided into four stages, in which the contestants were reduced to five, with the help of five industry judges and a public vote. The judges were veteran fashion insiders in their own right: Jenna Lyons, CEO of Loveseen and former creative director at J. Crew; American fashion designer Christian Siriano; celebrity fashion stylist Legal Cockroach and reality TV stars Khlo Kardashian. brand not disclosed are these the only participants asked to take part in the program or does securing them require a large investment.

The entrants range from self-taught boutique owners and design graduates to streetwear artists and specialists. All contestants can display their capsule collection on the Shein website in September, and the five finalists receive prizes and showcases during Sheins Fashion Week. The grand prize winner will receive $100,000.

Sheila Langton, founder brand EBIB, and Becki Ball, founder of Becci, both from England, were two of the 30 competitors in the first round of the competition. Langton was previously an ambassador for Boohoo and Shein, and Shein invited him to enter the competition as a participant of Shein X. This is by far the most amazing thing he has ever been a part of, and it is more than a dream come true to go far in the competition,” he said. . “The whole Shein team was very helpful and very patient.

In the first episode that aired on August 22, 30 selected participants from hundreds spoke via Zoom about their dreams of being part of the fashion industry and their collections. They also revealed how they would use the contest prize money, with answers ranging from buying a house for their family to paying off debt and growing their brand. They were then shown putting together their sketches and designing the three-piece capsule in less than three weeks. They also organize and arrange photo shoots for their collection.

In the second episode, the group was edited into five participants from the US and Canada, who had to be mentored individually by the judges. Their mentor sessions included trying on Christopher Kane’s white fur coat with Law Roach, meeting in the studio with Laurel Pantin and Christian Siriano, going on a tour of Jenna Lyons’ apartment, and talking about color cohesion with Khlo Kardashian. Contestants also work with mentors to create stunning fashion pieces.

Fast fashion place in the market
Beata Wilczek, Berlin-based educator, strategist and founder Opening Strategy consultant, gave a lecture several years ago to students at a German art university. Titled Miserable Desires, it focuses on the aspirational culture perpetuated by fashion as a system. As I explained the basics of fashion’s environmental impact and working conditions, a frustrated student asked me, ‘But what if I need a new shirt? What’s wrong with that?’ Even though he had the advantage of being able to make his clothes, he didn’t even consider making his own. It is important to know that future makers are also consumers.

Celine Seeman, CEO and co-founder of the Slow Factory Foundation and Study Hall Conferences, points to a broader problem with fast fashion and sustainable production: Traditional fashion education has taught what the fast-paced fashion industry is all about. [has] needed: to design trends that won’t last and make a profit off the planet.

Becky Ball, from Norwich, Norfolk, first became interested in fashion when she started selling goods from AliExpress through the wholesale model when she saw increased demand. She studied fashion at Norwich University of the Arts where she became a Shein ambassador and graduated during the pandemic. He launched Shein X Becci in June. In doing influencer [marketing] and event work, I really like the Shein brand and the clothes they sell. Even though it’s late at night and working constantly, I’m so happy to see my designs come to life [in this competition]. It was a rewarding experience, and I was very fortunate to receive support from the show’s viewers and people who had seen my work for the competition.

Sustained fashion advocates and leaders have been critical of the competition. Dr. Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas, a professor of marketing and sustainable business at the British School of Fashion and Higher Education Academy, says Shein’s association with celebrity and Shein X designer judges is a strategy. We are coming out of a pandemic, and there are a lot of challenges in the economy with people graduating without having to have a role,” he said. “For Shein, this was a pretty smart move to associate themselves with it and change the conversation. Whether they anticipated the kind of backlash that would come with it was another matter. Creating a young fashion brand is notoriously difficult, making competition even tougher. Therefore, opportunities open up for fast fashion brands to seek graduates and small business owners for their own design teams.

Becki Ball recognizes the impact of fast fashion on the environment. Deep down, everyone wants to be sustainable and take care of the planet,” he said. “That is my goal in the future, to have a brand that adopts sustainable factors. But at the same time, when the industry is tough enough, it feels like you can’t let go of this opportunity. For me, as a university graduate, fast fashion is something I usually do in my budget, because sometimes slow fashion is too expensive. The brand is slowly heading in the right direction, but at the same time, I think it’s okay if you buy from a fast fashion brand — it’s about how you use the product. If you buy it to throw away, then it is a waste. If I’m going to buy something, I’ll consider it. My clothes last a long time.